Book Review – Have Coffee Need Books

Book Review: In The Unlikely Event by L.J. Shen

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ByMs Ali Cat: Ali Crean | On November 19,19 | 0 Comment

Title: In The Unlikely Event
Author: L.J. Shen
Genre: Contemporary, Second Chance, Romance
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I feel like L.J. Shen just Pen-Warded me.

I recently said that Penelope Ward puts me through the wringer, and my Ativan prescription gets a work out reading her books. I am highly dread-filled, a true worrywart, I don’t trust authors to give me HEA even when they promise it.
L.J. Shen nearly crippled me for a good portion of In the Unlikely Event.

Young love is a mixture of hormones and inexperience. I’m old; you will have to take my word for it. Rory Jenkins is full of the dewy awakenings of adulthood, not ready to reconcile the death of the dad she never got to meet or know beyond letters. Fresh from high school graduation, she goes AWOL to Dublin to at least see where her kin live. What she finds is a warning about homicidal gray squirrels, a sexy Boheme poet, and a cold welcome that lets her know that Tolka, Ireland is not for her.

Book Reviews

Book Review: Deviant King by Rina Kent

ByMs Ali Cat: Ali Crean | On October 24,19 | 0 Comment

Title: Deviant King (Royal Elite #1)
Author: Rina Kent
Genre: Dark Bully Romance
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this novel from Enticing Journey Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

This book rolled through my email as a Cover Reveal Blog Tour and I was all over it like it was cake. OMG! Sometimes I think authors are just at home in their writing caves penning books for me. Rina Kent studied my reading preferences and was like, ‘Well, Ali will be all over this’ and created Aiden King.

If you are riding the wave of Bully or Dark High School Romance, you will enjoy the hell out of this book.

Deviant King has become somewhat of an obsession of mine. I have read three books of this genre in the last week for review. Some good, some bad, but this book had all the complexity of fine wine, and I kept going back to study it. I read this twice, read the prequel Cruel King from the Noble Savages anthology, and ran out of time to remain soaking in this Royal Elite world.

Heroine Elsa Quinn is white bread. She’s on the near side of becoming a sandwich, ultimately waiting to be put together to fit someone’s tastes. Without even being aware of her delectability Elsa has been an item on Aiden King’s menu from the start. Unfortunately for both of them, she is about to be devoured by a man with a very dark appetite. What King doesn’t realize is that sinking his teeth in his Ice Princess will only leave him hungry for more.

Book Reviews

Book Review: A Hurt So Sweet by Betti Rosewood

ByMs Ali Cat: Ali Crean | On September 19,19 | 0 Comment

Title: A Hurt So Sweet
Author: Betti Rosewood
Genre: Dark Romance
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

TL;DR?

I received this novel from Booksprout in exchange for an honest review.

I have looked at a lot of reviews written by others regarding A Hurt So Sweet, I am clearly not part of the majority. I firmly believe that a reviewer does an author no service in gaslighting stories that are half way to maturation. I will be critiquing A Hurt So Sweet in favor of Betti Rosewood and not in an attempt to flat out slam this novel.

I have no issue regarding the subject matter, subgenre and tropes in relation to this story. I have no prejudice regarding dark romance. I love bully books. I thoroughly enjoy broken heroes. I love despicable antiheroes who cross lines of humanity. I need push and pull between characters and conflict. But I want the complete package. I want to unwrap a book and I want to hate to love the feral madness in with I’m gifted.

The backstory in regards to the plot is that Eden Falls is a particular place with a strict patriarchal hierarchy; the First Born of the founders having ultimate and complete power. It is within the same world as Betti Rosewood’s Lords of Wildwood but outside the common society that we know from those books. I am saying that characters mentioned in both novels know one another but you would be wrong to assume that these two series share the same level of dark romance or bullying. The plot itself–while somewhat a stretch–could easily be rumors regarding a salacious ‘secret society’.

Book Reviews

Book Review: Wonderland Academy: Year One by Melanie Karsak

ByMs Ali Cat: Ali Crean | On September 13,19 | 0 Comment

Wonderland Academy Year One by Melanie Karsak

Title: Wonderland Academy: Year One
Author: Melanie Karsak
Genre: New Adult & College Fantasy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just putting this out there–I am a huge Alice and Wonderland freak. I lurve Alice and everything Wonderland. I have copies of the books in other languages. I collect figurines. I have commissioned artwork.

HUGE. ALICE. FREAK!

Having this passion for the Lewis Carroll novels I either crazy love or absolutely loathe the treatment other authors give to the lore of this magical world. It’s easy to misinterpret the archetypes Carroll fashioned his characters causing the retelling to slaughter something I feel is sacred. But this book Melanie Karsak has written is brilliant.

Also Karsak’s Alice and I coincidentally share a very similar name, mine Ali Lucia Crean (pronounced crane) and hers Alice Lacey Crane; therefor FIVE STARS!

No, really now.