Do (not) read The Wild by K. Webster!

Warning: The Wild is an extremely taboo story. Most will find that the themes in this book will make you incredibly uncomfortable. This book is only for the brave, the open-minded, and the ones who crave love in even the most dismal of situations. Extreme sexual themes and violence in certain scenes, which could trigger emotional distress, are found in this story. If you are sensitive to heavy taboo themes, then this story is not for you.

I’m having a really hard time finding words to describe this reading experience. I won’t be giving a synopsis nor will I be putting any spoilers into this review. That was the author’s request at the end of the book and I’ll honor that. However, what I will do is vaguely discuss my feelings towards this book.

The Wild by K. Webster is a dark romance novel, the darkest romance novel I’ve ever read. And I think nothing can dethrone it.

Corrupt by Penelope Douglas corrupted me

Corrupt by Penelope Douglas is the second romance novel by this author I’ve read.

And as well as in Punk 57, Douglas has created a relationship that is “borderline” abusive. It is my understanding this is usually categorized as a dark romance, and I agree.

Since I’ve read one book by this author before I can now say with certainty that Douglas is phenomenal in world-building and developing a plot. I think the plot and the setting of this book are amazing. I haven’t read anything similar before, and the fact that it is so well written only enhances my enjoyment. The story follows Erica and Michael. They are both from a small wealthy community and have been in each other’s lives since they were children. Erica has always been fascinated and in love with Michel, but he has ignored her. And then some shit went down which ended up with Michael’s three friends in jail. Michale and his friends were very respected in their town and have been named the Four Horsemen. And as their biblical namesakes, they wreaked havoc. One night a year, the Devil’s Night, they would put on their masks and run around town doing petty crimes. It all seems a lot like the movie Purge, but PG-13 (even though the shit they pull is certainly R rated).

Christina Lauren – The Unhoneymooners | Review

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren is a sweet romance novel. It’s not my first Christina Lauren book and I must say I am pleasantly surprised how much more I enjoyed this one in contrast to the previous ones.

“And I get it. As much as I hate him . . . I think I’m starting to like us.”

We follow the story of Olive and Ethan. They are enemies. A few years ago Olive’s twin sister Ami and Ethan’s brother Dane started dating. So, soon, Ethan and Olive met. Olive felt an immediate attraction to Ethan, however, he didn’t seem interested. Actually, he was visibly repulsed by her appearance. This triggered years of rivalry between them. Fast forward to Ami and Dane’s wedding… under unusual circumstances everyone but Olive and Ethan got food poisoning. A decision was struck that they should then go on the honeymoon vacation so it would go to waste since the bride and the groom were half alive.

Jennifer Dawson – Cold Hearted Bastard (Bastards Series, #1) | Review

 

Cold Hearted Bastard is a romance novel written by Jennifer Dawson. It is the first book in the Bastards Series. The story follows Gwen and Jackson. They are both celebrities in the culinary world. Gwen is a chef and the owner of one of the best restaurants in Chicago. And Jackson, he is a genius, a chef of world renown. However, six years ago, Jackson went off the grid. No one knows why he’s disappeared. A few restauranteurs have sought him out throughout the years, but he had turned down all offers to come back and cook for them. Gwen has a plan. She’s confident she can convince him to come work for her. Little does she know that meeting Jackson will change her life forever.

Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward – Stuck-Up Suit | Review

Stuck-Up Suit by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward is one of the most disappointing books I’ve read in a while. The summary, a girl who finds a business man’s cell phone and it turns their lives upside down, seemed phenomenal. I haven’t read a similar premise before so I was excited to dive into this one. And I was hit in the face with how bored I was. The trope that drew me in didn’t have any importance. It was important on the first few pages and afterward completely unimportant.

This was the most generic and formulaic romance novel in existence, it included all the main tropes (I am of course exaggerating).

R. Scarlett – Filthy Gods (American Gods, #0.5) | Review

Filthy Gods by R. Scarlett was a quick read, but a bit underwhelming. It was one of those judging-a-book-by-its-cover moments since the cover is beautiful in my opinion. The beautiful title only deepened my wish to read it. Well… the book/novella isn’t necessarily bad. It is just a bit disappointing. The plot was almost non-existent, which isn’t unexpected since the page count is so low. The steamy scenes are a bit under-described for a book I would call smut. It wasn’t dirty enough to be smut, but also the plot wasn’t developed enough for me to call it a romance.

“Life is ten percent what happens to you; ninety percent is how you react to it. I chose not to engage.”

Kendall Ryan – Baby Daddy | Review

Baby Daddy by Kendall Ryan is a romance novel. The title is quite self-explanatory. The story follows Jenna how above all wishes to become a mother. Since she doesn’t have a partner not wishes to have one, she resorts to using a sperm bank. On her way to the doctor, Jenna gets stuck in an elevator. But she isn’t alone. With her in the elevator is the most beautiful man she has ever seen – Emmett. The attraction is mutual, but since Jenna and Emmett are both emotionally unavailable the hide it at first. But, soon an agreement is struck. Emmett offers to get her pregnant and then leave her alone to raise her child alone.

“She gets a baby, we both get laid, everybody wins.”

S. M. Shade & C. M. Owens – Worth It | Review

Worth It by S. M. Shade & C. M. Owens is a true romantic comedy. We follow three best friends who are going to a week long wedding. Kasha is the groom’s half-sister, Lydia is his ex-girlfriend and Henley is their friend. Everyone thought they wouldn’t come to the wedding, but Lydia literally dragged them saying she had to go to get some kind of closure since Anderson, the groom cheated on her with his current fiancee. What was planned to be a clean, boring and a posh wedding quickly after they get there turn a harsh turn and becomes a tale of ages.

 “His lips are laced with pheromones that make me stupid or something.”

 

L. J. Shen – Vicious (Sinners of Saint, #1) | Review

Vicious by L. J. Shen is a romance novel. It follows a story of Emilia LeBlanc whose parents were servants in the house of Baron Spencer aka Vicious. They met at the start of their senior year of high school when Emilia’s family moved to Todos Santos. From the moment Vicious first saw Emilia he ruthlessly bullied her. She was fascinated by him even though he didn’t deserve it. Ten years later, Emilia is living in New York with her sister. And her life is far from perfect. Far from good, actually. Then she runs into Vicious and everything changes.

Well, well, well… you should now prepare yourself because I am about to rip this book a new one. Let’s first address the elephant in the room. I hope I’m not the only one bewildered with the choice Shen made with the name Vicious! What? Girl… were you ill?
I mean, I get the whole deal with male names in erotica and romance books. They always have powerful and daunting names to showcase their masculinity while at the same time giving a contrast to how they’re acting with their love interest. And I’m fine with that, most of the time. But, come on… I would actually prefer if Vicious was him name not his nickname. His name is not much better – Baron.

“Baron Spencer Jr. – dubbed Vicious for his cold, ruthless behaviour”

Kristen Callihan – The Hook Up (Game On, #1) | Review

The Hook Up is a romance novel by Kristen Callihan featuring a football player Drew and a somewhat average-but-not-really girl named Anna.The story starts on the first day of the semester when they meet in a class.

“I’m not going to say it was love at first sight. No, it was more like oh, hell-yes-please, I’ll have that. With a helping of right-the-fuck-now on the side.”

They are both instantly attracted to one another, however, Anna is hesitant to admit it. She does her best to avoid Drew, but fails miserably since he is the only thing she thinks about. He makes it his life mission to annoy her until she breaks and says yes to his offer to hang out. The do hook up, very early in the book in fact. However… she plans to leave it as just a hook up. She doesn’t let him kiss her nor wants people to know about them. The secrecy isn’t what Drew want as he has been falling in love with her from the moment they first met.