Inked BookSloth
Reviewing books on good days. Ranting about books on bad days.
06/08/2025
Julie Weaver's Swoon Squad
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
If you have been here for a while and seen my posts, you know I am an absolute sucker for Julie Weaver’s books. Normal edition? Purchased. Special edition? Pre-ordered. Reviewing? Done and posted. New Release? Annual leave booked at work. I am in love with her characters, the plotlines, the banter she creates between the characters, the swoon-worthy romance but most of all... Brandon!! I have a weakness for my nerdy, ex-military, golden retriever.
So, like any normal fan, I rushed to apply for Julie’s street team when she lunched it. Who wouldn’t when one of your favourite authors offers such an opportunity. So, you can imagine chaotic me all giggly and screaming when I saw my e-mail–
*******
Welcome to the Swoon Squad! 💋
Hey Swooner,
I’ve got exciting news. You’re officially accepted into Julie Weaver’s Swoon Squad! 💌
*******
As you can imagine, I absolutely lost my mind from excitement.
So from now on, I am incredibly happy to announce that I am a Swooner and I am a part of Julie Weaver’s Swoon Squad!
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
Are you part of any influencer or street teams?
06/08/2025
Stealing Home by Grace Reilly 2/5★
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
I don't think this author is for me. I usually give authors 3 tries and with this series, I have gathered enough information to know that Grace Reilly isn't my type of author. Which is perfectly fine. I won't be causing issues by bringing down her future works, I'll be reading other books that I enjoy more. Except if there’s going to be more books in the series as I’ll have to read those because I can’t DNF books nor series.
So, I did not like First down nor did I like Breakaway. However, I had some expectations for this book as the reverse grumpy/sunshine trope is my absolute favourite. However, once again, I was let down. Not only was the trope seriously flawed, but the characters were also unlikeable at best and the plot was unstimulating.
I cannot wrap my head around why adults speak like teenagers in these books. This one specifically stood out. The writing style tried to portray this FMC like she doesn't give a damn about anything and is the "cool chick" which ended up being just annoying, irritating and quite often cringey. Being an absolute w*nker doesn't make you cool. And the fact that it was handled as something admirable was absolutely wrong. It just felt really juvenile.
Besides, the MMC was just a rug. A piece of rug. The FMC talked to him and behaved with him as if he was worthless and he let it happen, because that’s how the book was written, and even fell for her. I do not support victim blaming so I’m not saying it was his fault, but he was literally treated like he was not important, only an afterthought. Talk about MMCs who don't know their worth. This is the perfect example of that. He was absolutely smitten for the FMC, and she didn’t even deserve to breath the same air.
The worst of it all though?! My favourite trope was executed terribly. Reverse grumpy/sunshine doesn't mean the FMC need to be the absolute worst to be grumpy. She was so incredibly rude and whiny, and her whole behaviour was just unacceptable. Grumpy can be stern and strict and serious, not a bl00dy a-hole. I don't care whether it's grumpy/sunshine or reverse grumpy/sunshine, Grumpy doesn't mean the character has to be a terrible person. Grumpy doesn't mean the MC has to be unbearable and then act like the victim. Because she loved to act like the victim. I hated every part of her. And the Sunshine character is a sweet, kind, positive person, but here the Sunshine apparently meant someone without knowing their self-worth.
I was just really disappointed. I did not like anything about this book. The FMC was terrible, the MMC wasn’t bad, but he was written as useless, the romance was terrible because it only catered to the FMC who was ungrateful, and the plot was dull. The only reason Stealing Home got 2/5 stars is because if a book has been written it deserves 2 stars at least.
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
Mid-Reading Updates
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
Page 8
“She’s a badass older Italian woman—“
This writing style really throws me off. The characters feel like they are children— not adults— in all three of the books."
Page 207
This isn’t a reversed grumpy sunshine trope. There’s a difference between being a grumpy girl and being a b***h. Mia’s continued whining about not deserving Seb’s love and care is irritating! She indeed doesn’t deserve Seb. That guy would bring the stars down for her and her reasoning and excuses are weak as hell. She can’t communicate and she’s an unlikeable character not the badass I was promised.
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
Have you read it? If so, what did you think of it?
04/06/2025
May Reading Wrap-Up
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
May was a bit chaotic and June and July will be even worse as I will be flying and going on work meetings and trainings. But at least, I finished one book in May. I almost finished two as I only had 90 pages left at the end of May, but then things happened and I couldn’t finish it in time.
So, the book I read in May 2025 was;
- Faint Hearted by Leia Stone and Julie Hall [3/5 stars]
As usual, I did some bookish puzzles too. I finished two puzzles, one 300 and one 1000-piece puzzle. With how chaotic my life is nowadays, I consider this an accomplishment.
The 2 bookish puzzles I did in May were;
- Unicorn Magic by Corner Piece [300 piece Puzzle]
- Reading Room by Corner Piece [1000 piece Puzzle]
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
How many books did you read in May 2025?
01/06/2025
Breakaway by Grace Reilly 2/5★
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
This wasn't for me either. This time the characters weren't bad, I didn't hate them like I did the MCs of First Down, the first book. However, they were also... not interesting. It's not that I didn't like them, but also it's not like I liked them. They were just there and existed.
Although I didn't have as many issues with the characters as in the first book, the writing style was all over the place and the pacing was off. It felt unnecessarily long, filled with lengthy inner monologues and irrelevant information. Why do I need to know everything about the character when they are not relevant to anything in the story? Not the romance, the plot or the character development. If it was a 3 book series, a trilogy maybe in which all the books focus on the same character, I would've understood. In that case we'd have followed the same person on a long journey and would've needed more information to connect. But it's just a stand-alone, not a 3 book long journey that our MCs have to go through. It was just too much for no reason.
Overall, I didn't like this book. I couldn't even empathise with the characters' past experiences and traumas because I just didn't care about them anymore. It was s**t heavy, but the plot was weak, the characters uninteresting, the romance dull and the pacing off. I could not enjoy it. So, Breakaway got 2/5 stars from me.
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
Mid-Reading Updates
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
Page 210
I’m enjoying this book more than the first one, though I have multiple problems with it, one of which is that it feels really slow. I know I’ve read only 210 pages, but it feels like I’ve gone through about 400-500 pages already and still can’t see the end. I can’t explain why, but the pacing feels off.
Page 280
This book is so unnecessarily long! We still have 100+ pages left but I’m just skim reading internal monologues. They are all over the place.
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
Have you read it? If so, what did you think of it?
28/05/2025
Books I donated pt.1
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
You see, I tend to donate my books when I don’t need them or when I accidentally order more than one copy. I do not really understand how I do that because I always check the quantity when I purchase online, but it still happens and whilst I could return the second copy, I prefer donating it. Just to clarify, it does not mean I do not like these books or authors, it simply means I had multiple copies or I was not interested in reading them anymore. Now, I am not rich by any means, but there are people who might need it more, so why not just donate it or in some cases give it to friends. Therefore, since I keep track of all my donations, I thought I would share the list. Also, it will probably be a multiple part post because I donate frequently and I have already donated 100+ books.
Ava Reid
- Fable for the End of the World
Alexandria Warwick
- The North Wind
- The West Wind
Ali Hazwelwood
- Not in Love
Ana Huang
- King of Greed
- The Striker
Bal Khabra
- Collide
Beth Reekles
- The Kissing Booth
Bridget Collins
- The Binding
- The Betrayals
Callie Hart
- Quicksilver
Caroline O'Donoghue
- All Our Hidden Gifts
Cassandra Claire
- Lady Midnight
Catherine Doyle & Katherine Webber
- Cursed Crowns
Christina Lauren
- Something Wilder
- Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating
- Love and Other Words
- The Paradise Problem
E.L. James
- Fifty Shades of Grey
- Fifty Shades Darker
- Fifty Shades Freed
- Grey
- Darker
- Freed
Ella Fields
- Nectar of the Wicked
Elle Cosimano
- Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun
Elizabeth Lim
- Unravel the Dusk
Emily Houghton
- Last Time We Met
Emily McIntire
- Scarred
Geneva Lee
- Filthy Rich Vampire
Grace Reilly
- First Down
- Breakaway
- Stealing Home
- Wicked Serve
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
What do you do with unwanted books? Do you donate them? If so, do you give them to libraries or charities? Do you maybe just give them to your friends and family members?
21/05/2025
First Down by Grace Reilly 2/5★
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
I did not like it! As an ex basketball player, I did not like how this book handled sport teams. Whilst I understand this is fiction, I can't get over the fact that our MMC mixed his personal views/opinions with the game/team. I do get that his teammate was an absolute a-hole, however, his statement in which he said he'd not be assisting his teammate on the field as a result of his a-hole behaviour absolutely risked the game and all the effort the team members put into preparing for the matches. So, with all due respect... NO! Sort out these issues in your personal life not on the field you absolute moron.
I initially thought that the MMC's behaviour regarding his team members was a one-time thing, but I was so, so wrong. He had not only screwed over his enemy, but his whole team. That kind of behaviour is absolutely disgusting and unprofessional. I don't care whether his intentions were good, his actions said otherwise. If your intention is to do good for one person, but destroy 10+ other people in the process, you are a s**tty person. If that's how he behaves with his teammates, how could anyone trust him?! Nah, not even about the smallest of things. I could not like this MMC at all and I didn’t understand how the FMC could like someone like him.
But then I didn’t like the FMC either. She was the whiniest character I've ever had the displeasure of reading about. It's one thing to be insecure, it's a whole other thing to always feel sorry for yourself. It was just pathetic, so I couldn’t empathise with her. If anything, she got on my Top 10 most annoying FMCs list.
Lastly, whilst the writing itself wasn’t bad, the pacing was completely off. It felt lengthy for no reason and was packed with events upon events, but in reality they felt like they were there only to create extra drama but had no goal. They didn’t drive the plot or the romance or even the characters’ development. And as a drama lover, who loves all kinds of drama regardless of how outrageous they are, I did not like it because it did not feel natural. It felt like they were placed in the story just to have something but had no connection to anything. Except for one or two scenes like this, of course, because some of the dramatic events were indeed very relevant. So, since I disliked this book so much, First Down got 2/5 stars.
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
Mid-Reading Updates
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
Page 12
12 pages in and we have had multiple mentions of b***s and t**s both from the MMC and FMC’s POV. What for though?
Page 18
“I won’t fight you. But I won’t throw to you” — James
Oof, I have a feeling I will not be able to stay partial regardless of this being a fictional story. As an ex-basketball player— no, we do not mix the game with our private lives. Screw him over at practice, but do not risk the game with your moral and ethical bulls**t.
Page 80
Not to be mean, but this book is a lot of telling not enough showing.
“—she beat me at Pac-man—“
“—she’s a little trash talker when she’s doing well at a game—”
Most scenes that would show more than lust, some depth maybe, is in the form of “telling” whilst everything that is in the form of “showing” is just sexual and lust-filled behaviour and interaction.
Page 219
Gosh, I’m getting so fed up with Bex. Incredibly illogical, her way of thinking makes no sense. If you block someone then don’t freaking unblock them 5 minutes later you absolute moron!!!
Page 241
Excuse me?!!! No professional player would ever do that. And for a woman? I would never do it for a man that’s for sure. How freaking unprofessional. I hope James’ career is over. It’s not a sweet, romantic gesture. He screwed over his whole team! Absolutely unacceptable.
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
Have you read it? If so, what did you think of it?
17/05/2025
3rd Act Break-Up vs 3rd Act Drama
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
Look, I know many people hate 3rd Act Break-Ups and 3rd Act Drama, and I know many books have it, and I know many people hate that many books have it, but I freaking love it. I gobble that s**t up. I don’t care what it is, give me all the possible drama, even if it’s absolutely unrealistic, I don’t care, I just need it to make sense to the story and the characters.
When it comes to 3rd Act Break-Ups or 3rd Act Drama, I go absolutely feral for the emotional rollercoaster it puts me through. As a European girly, I grew up watching telenovelas, Latin-American Soap Operas, such as Muñeca Brava, Floricienta, La Usurpadora, Esmeralda, Rosalinda, Marimar, Yo soy Betty; La Fea etc. so I am absolutely living for the drama.
But I have to emphasise that I only love 3rd Act Break-Ups and / or 3rd Act Drama when they make sense to the story and the characters. I have read loads of books with 3rd Act Break-Ups and 3rd Act Drama because it’s pretty much the norm in romance books even if nowadays more and more books don’t have them. But even I can’t stand it when there’s a 3rd Act Break-Up or 3rd Act Drama with no build-up or connection to the story or if the characters’ actions are out of character.
A well-executed 3rd Act Break-Up is not built on miscommunication or lack of communication, it’s not built on characters acting out of character, it’s not built on characters reversing their character development, and it’s not built on random, out of nowhere drama. A well-executed 3rd Act Break-Up is built on a plot, a side-plot or certain events that led up to that point where it makes sense for them to break-up or at least to part for a while.
In the case of a 3rd Act Drama, the couple might not break up or the unfolding drama may have nothing to do with their relationship, rather an external event is causing drama. In such cases, it affects the couple, and could but doesn’t necessarily separate them. To give you some examples, there could be a war, there could be family feud, there maybe an enemy who takes one of the main characters or an accident could happen etc. It’s any and all kinds of drama where the couple doesn’t break up or only separates because of external forces. I don’t know about you, but again, I go feral for that s**t. I need the extra emotional spinning-wheel to keep me intrigued. But again, it has to make sense to the story and the characters otherwise it feels forced.
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
What do you think about 3rd Act Break-Up and 3rd Act Drama? Do you like them or not? Do you live for the drama like me? Do you maybe prefer less or no drama? Is it important to you that a 3rd Act Break-Up or 3rd Act Drama make sense to the story and characters?
13/05/2025
Mister Hockey by Lia Riley 2/5★
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
This book had no substance to write about, so I will write down what it lacked because it lacked a lot. This review is not for the weak. I am being very blunt so proceed with caution.
The characters had no personality other than lusting for one another. They had no depth, no personality traits, surface level emotions and the insecurities and struggles of the characters were handled in an incredibly shallow manner.
Breezy, the FMC, was a librarian who had dreams which she conveniently achieved in the span of a few pages in a completely illogical manner. She had some insecurities both personal, which she conveniently got over in the span of a few pages, and some resulting from how her family treated her, which was sorted in a paragraph.
Jed, the MMC, was a hockey player who had some serious family issues which was talked about but never sorted, whilst the serious decision that he had to make about his career was rushed and again conveniently sorted without his feelings being explored.
The romance was rushed and was based on s3xual attraction. The characters had their meet-cute and then their eyes met, and they started lusting for each other. There was no build-up of chemistry nor was there an immediate chemistry. Their chemistry was seriously lacking, they just did the deed and that’s that, only to turn around and fall in love on the next page.
The story was incredibly rushed. Nothing was explored, everything was written about in a shallow, surface-level manner.
However, I blame all of the above on the writing. The characters’ personality was lacking because they were written shallow, and their insecurities were only explored in a surface-level manner. The romance was written as if it was purely physical only to turn to the next page where after a day Breezy stole Jed’s heart. And nothing that happened felt like they had weight. Even though the story tried to tell me otherwise, everything was explored only on the surface and the issues had no weight because they got sorted in the span of a few paragraphs or pages. The humour… it was no humour. It fell flat, felt cringe and these 20-30 years old characters felt like kids by the way they were written, with all the cringy expressions in their inner monologues. Lastly, dialogues were interrupted with irrelevant inner monologues or memories that felt like they had no right to be there.
To explain what I mean, when we could have dwelled deeper into the characters’ emotions, it was skipped over or overpowered with humour that fell flat or felt cringe. When we could have explored the angst and issues arising between the characters, it was easily sorted. When a character tried to achieve their dream, it conveniently happened. Wasn’t described, it just happened.
When one struggled with their family, it was sorted in a paragraph, whilst the other’s struggles with their family was not even explored, it was left in the air. And even when the family issues could have been explored, it wasn‘t even explained what happened, it was written in a single paragraph that the character left and came back.
Overall, there was nothing I liked about this. The story was shallow and held no substance, the romance was basically lust only to switch around and turn it into love within a span of a paragraph, the writing felt rushed and incredibly convenient, the characters had no personality or depth, and their insecurities were only explored on the surface. If I wasn’t against one-star reviews, this would be that, but as I always say, it’s worth a star if it has been written, so Mister Hockey got 2/5 stars.
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
Mid-Reading Updates
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
Page 43
This FMC is hornier than h***y. Like mate, we are on page 43, you literally met a few hours ago and barely had any wholesome or funny interactions. Calm down, sweetheart
Page 46
Am I supposed to like anyone in this book? Like the FMC has the backbone of a pillow, the mother listens to nothing but her own voice, the grandma is ignorant, the MMC is also h***y, so far the sister has been the only one with substance. Do we really have to list s3x toys, talk about s3x positions and whatnot in the first 40 pages? Where’s the substance and the depth nowadays?
Page 95
I know this is supposed to be funny, but my god, it’s just stupid. I don’t want to be rude, but what else can I call sthg that is not funny nor entertaining and makes even less sense? I absolutely hate being in Breezy’s head. Girl needs a personality beyond ‘I am a fan of Jed’ and when she is supposed to be beside him, she walks off. And of course Jed and Breezy’s families are both hard on them… ugh
Page 105
She forgot to wear underwear because she was so excited to see him…. You’re joking, right? Like is there substance in this book? Whenever I start to see some personality, some depth in the characters, we go right around it.
Page 129
Why on earth is Jed surprised that Breezy did skating when she already clarified that she did it on page 69? She even clarified that her mom coached her and her sister. It’s a 200-page book, how can this be forgotten whether by the MMC or the author or even the editor?
Page 166
God this book needs to end. Finally we have substance, drama and emotions, some angst and depth… only to go around it. Every time the characters show a bit of personality or there’s a scene that requires depth, the story goes around it and patches it up with some flat humour. It’s not funny nor is it entertaining. It actually turns the story quite shallow. For me this is a waste of time.
Page 194
Finally it’s over. I am really disappointed in this book. It was incredibly rushed, lacked substance and depth, the characters were shallow, the romance was based on lust, and everything was conveniently sorted so nothing had weight even though the story tried to tell me otherwise.
Lastly, besides all that I listed, there were some things that bothered me. Breezy’s dream was sorted so quickly and conveniently, it was disappointing and rushed. She had no job, no income, had a mortgage on a house but conveniently still got a loan from the bank? Did I miss something or was everything just so convenient in this book?
And Jed’s relationship with his brother and his sister in law… like he went to see them, their relationship was a big part of his storyline, but the author didn’t think those scenes were important enough to show? It was literally shut down, not even sorted, with one paragraph. And his relationship with his parents? It was a big part of his story as well and it got completely ignored.
This story was so rushed.
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
Have you read it? If so, what did you think of it?
**t
06/05/2025
April Reading Wrap-Up
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
April was a pretty weak month but at this point I am used to it. It seems my reading slump is here to stay for a while. I read one book in April 2025, which was
- When She Wishes by Ruby Dixon [3/5 stars]
Usually I don’t talk about the books I read in my monthly wrap-ups nor will I start now, but my god I hated giving 3 stars to a Ruby Dixon book. However, this just did not deliver. I don’t know why I feel guilty, 3-star is not even a bad rating, but Ruby is my comfort author so it makes me feel guilty.
However, I finished four (technically five) puzzles in April so at least I was successful in that. The puzzles I completed in April are;
- Pride and Prejudice Book Cover [Reversible] by Professor Puzzle [252 piece Puzzle]
- Pride and Prejudice Chapter 43 [Reversible] by Professor Puzzle [252 piece Puzzle]
- Strange the Dreamer by LitJoy [250 piece Puzzle]
- Advanced Potion Making/ Room Of Requirement by LitJoy [250 piece Puzzle]
- Dreamland Path by Unknown [1000 piece Puzzle]
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
How many books did you read in April 2025?
02/05/2025
The Kiss Thief by L.J. Shen 3/5★
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
I really wanted to love this book and I did for a while, but the whole cheating trope from both parties was a big no for me. I love a good dark romance and morally grey characters, but under no circumstances will I support a couple that cheats on each other. Whilst the characters were intriguing and the story was full of drama and I am a sucker for drama, I also disliked the characters. I have very ambivalent feelings towards this story. I really liked it when I finished it, but the more I think about it, the more I dislike it.
Wolfe was interesting, but not likable. I loved how he was riling Francesca up, how he was getting on her nerves because I knew it would come back to bite him. It created anticipation and I love that sort of dynamic. However, whilst he was morally grey, and I love a good morally grey character, morally grey in my books means that they can be terrible people towards others, but not to their love interests. And that was not the case here. I do not support the sort of dark romance toxicity where MCs treat each other terribly. However, Wolfe sent so many mixed signals, because he treated Francesca as if she was worth nothing, brought her down, belittled her, hurt her and grey-area cheated on her, only to turn around and be endearing, sweet and supportive and stand up for her. I did not like how confusing he was, trauma doesn’t excuse someone’s behaviour. He wasn’t a complicated character, he was an a-hole who had good moments.
As for Francesca, I adored her for a while. She was sassy and mouthy, she talked back to Wolfe and provoked him. I love that sort of dynamic. But then I realised that she wasn’t the character I thought she was. It was all surface level and when it actually came to standing up for herself against Wolfe treating her terribly, she let him treat her as if she was worthless and let him hurt her. She had no backbone at all. Where was the sassy, mouthy girl then? And no, I am not vict!m blaming because Francesca was just as bad as Wolfe. She cheated on him too after they were already heavily romantically involved even if they were in a “bit” of a mud and made him give up his pride. Not just any pride. She made him give up his pride in front of the one person who took everything from him. As a petty and vengeful person, that was a big no from me.
I just did not like their relationship nor the romance. Everything was solved with spice because what is communication. Characters kept assuming and misunderstanding because, again, what is communication. They hurt each other, cheated on each other, treated each other like s**t. But I liked Francesca less for not being able to see Wolfe’s perspective and making him give up his pride. She had no right. She made me absolutely furious. But they deserved to be together because they were both terrible but with some occasional sweet moments. So, happy ending, I guess. Whilst the mobster aspect of the story created some entertaining drama for the characters, and it should have catered to me, they mostly just made me want to throw the book across the room.
As for the writing, I find L.J. Shen’s writing somewhat intriguing, but also every book I’ve read from her suffers from pacing issues. When things should pick up, they slow down, when they should slow down, they pick up, and so the pacing isn’t smooth, rather it’s sudden and abrupt. Also, why does every L.J. Shen book involve cheating? I am so tired of every character cheating. And it’s always the same thing. They misunderstand something or there’s a miscommunication and they cheat. I can’t stand cheating of any shape or form, including grey-area cheating.
Overall, I have very mixed feelings. Intriguing but terrible characters, cheating upon cheating, infuriating drama and pacing issues. But it still kept my attention, it did make me laugh out loud and still made me want to know what would happen, however irritated I might have been. So The Kiss Thief got 3/5 stars.
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
Mid-Reading Updates
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
Page 47
I have to say I’m enjoying this book so far. Maybe because it’s similar to My Dark Romeo. I love how Wolfe is winding Francesca up and it will only get worse. I live for this specific type of ex*****on of the enemies to lovers trope. And Francesca is definitely more than what we can see of her so I can’t wait for her to get back at Wolfe. I have high expectations.
Page 56
Lmao xD Francesca is a menace and I’m here for it. Absolutely hilarious. I knew she’d give it back to Wolfe, but to do it publicly, I love it.
Page 66
I don’t know if I’m supposed to like Angelo, but I do anyway so I feel sorry for him. With my luck he will turn out to be a horrible person or something xD
Page 76
Okay, for me that’s cheating. Even though it’s an arranged marriage and they aren’t married just yet, he still went after the other woman and apparently slept with her. The question is, did it actually happen or did he simply say it to p**s Francesca off. If it really happened, that’s cheating for me.
Page 85
So it did happen. Wolfe confirmed it in his POV. I guess it’s a grey area of cheating. I mean he plans to send Francesca off to wherever so it’s not like he wanted anything from her and to be fair they only agreed to be faithful as of the previous page, still it’s a bit iffy that he slept with someone else after their engagement. I guess they weren’t exclusive so that counts… somewhat.
Page 87
“She was crazy.
And she was my crazy.
What in the fresh hell did I get myself into?’
I cackled so loudly. Oh, he chose his path. He expected a dumb, agreeable little lady and got Francesca, Miss Unhinged. xD
Page 141
I love this book! But I have to say, the chapters are incredibly long. I went ahead to check how long Chapter 10 is going to be and it's almost 50 pages. Like usually a comfortable chapter is 10-20 pages. 50 pages are way too much. I usually don't pay attention to how long a chapter is, but 50 pages are just... unnecessarily long. They could be so much shorter. Especially when one chapter contains multiple scenes.
Page 221
Damn I’m living for all this drama. Especially a car chase!!! Oooh this book is full of drama and it’s so freaking entertaining. And it’s definitely on the darker side of romance.
Page 276
Why the hell did she have to cheat? I was enjoying this goddamn book, why the hell do we need a cheating trope? I’m so bloody p**sed off.
Page 305
I hate this. Sure, both Fran and Wolfe had done some s**t, but she cheated on him to begin with because of a rumour that a dumb b*tch told her and then she wouldn’t stop Wolfe from giving up his pride in front of the man who destroyed him just to prove that he loved her? B*tch, he destroyed everything that Wolfe ever cared about, and she still expects him to give the only thing he has left? God, I’m so p**sed off.
It’s one thing for Wolfe to give up his pride for Francesca in front of Francesca. It’s a completely different case for Wolfe to give up his pride for Francesca in front of the man who took everything from him. I so f*cking hate this scene and I do not like Francesca for this move. Especially not after what she had done.
Page 324
I wanted to love this book. And I did until about 80% of the book. The characters were unhinged, and I love morally grey MCs. The plot was filled with drama, and I live for drama-filled storylines. The only real issue I had was the pacing sometimes. It slowed down on occasions it shouldn’t have. Still, I really liked it. But when the cheating happened that was a no for me. It’s only a kiss, but it’s cheating.
✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
Have you read it? If so, what did you think of it?
Click here to claim your Sponsored Listing.
Category
Contact the public figure
Address
London