Book Review: House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was very gay, but in a good, bloody way.

I wasn't even ready for wlw, passion, and danger when I finally picked this book up--and I was not disappointed. Every bit about this book was so good that I wanted more. I wondered once I was done with the book if Marion and the girls were okay, if someone rebuilt House of Hunger and made it different, did anyone finally find the body of Lisavet??? These questions left me wondering once I was done with the book because it was so good. Marion became one of my favorite characters, and watching her navigate the world of the House of Hunger and try to be herself simultaneously.

The mystery aspect behind it was pretty interesting. I wasn't expecting it, to be honest. I thought Ceceila did move on to an asylum to get better, but instead, it turns out that she was in a cage, and she was called the Wretched, and Lisavet has been draining her, sapping her of her beauty and her life and everything.

When Marion found out what Lisavet did to Cecelia/The Wretched, she decided that it was time to go. That's when she started snooping around, and it turns out the girls that were at the House of Hunger were let go very early and were never paid their pension. So what secret was Lisavet hiding from her and the other girls? And once she found out, oh my gosh...it was very painful and also a very good ending.

The fight between Marion and Lisavet felt painful and deadly, and you would think that almost to the end, Marion was going to die by Lisavet's hand. But somehow she fought back, even gave her a deadly kiss, before she killed her and the girls were able to get free.

This might be on my favorite list of 2024, nay, the top 10 books of 2024, because it was that good.

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Book Review: Critical Role: The Mighty Nein: The Nine Eyes of Lucien by Madeleine Roux

Critical Role: The Mighty Nein—The Nine Eyes of Lucien by Madeleine Roux
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Listen: Lucien Tavelle didn't do anything wrong, he was minding his own business when he found the Somnovem and decided to become one of them, yep, that's what happened. Even though I haven't watched CR in a LONG time, reading this book made me love Lucien and watch him grow from that kid in Shadycreek Run into the most beautiful twisted man that I have grown to love. Reading how Lucien got to where he is now with their friends, and also seeing the Mighty Nein and Essek as well was fun.

Reading how Lucien was betrayed and killed was also pretty interesting to me as well, mostly because I wasn't even expecting the whole betrayal to go down. I thought Vess DeRonga was going to play nice and help The Tombtakers, but instead, under their noses, she turns around and betrays them, turning the whole spell around and shattering Lucien's soul. Then months later, once Mollymauk passed, Molly ended up in his head, and I have to say, it was bloody brilliant to see. Also reading the many voices of the Somnovem talking to Lucien as he figures out what he wanna do once he finds the journal of the mad mage and figures out the spell that'll open up to the Cognouza, so he can live there and bring his friends that died come back to life.

I got worried during the final battle that the Mighty Nein wasn't going to stop him (no, why wouldn't I cheer on Lucien? I was, I swear!) and when they threw almost everything at him and Lucien was going to win, I think it took a lot and Molly to finally destroy Lucien and he died, but the epilogue, when he rose from the grave again, this time as Kingsley Tealeaf...oh my goodness.

I really loved Lucien's character, even from the beginning. He knew what he wanted, even when he came across the Somnovem and the journal and how he became one with the philosophers, and then seeing his rise and fall, TWICE, was very interesting to read and watch, and to see what happened to him once all of it was over. I loved the characters and the action and everything else-very well written, really enjoyed myself.

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Book Review: Wicked Beauty by Katee Robert

Wicked Beauty by Katee Robert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once again, Katee Robert hit it out of the park with this one. Helen/Achilles/Patroclus as a triad while they compete to be the next Ares? Say less. I was confused as to how this was going to work, the triad, but the more I read it and saw how Achilles and Patroclus work with Helen, even though it was Achilles himself who told Patroclus not to speak or even touch Helen, but somehow someway it worked. Some things were touching and stuff I didn't think would work but my god it did work.

Helen has become one of my favorite heroines in the series so far. Yes, she lived a luxurious life in the spotlight, but she got tired of it. So what does one Helen Kaisos do so she can be her own person? Signs up to be one of the champions so she can become Ares. During the competition, Achilles & big bro Zeus were trying to get her to go back home, saying that she doesn't have the balls to become Ares. But Helen said fuck that and she went on anyway, even though on the side she was doing....many lovely things with Achilles and Patroclus.

When I say "many lovely things" I MEAN "many lovely things I wish I could mention that it even made ME blush." But I did enjoy them to the point that no, I didn't imagine those lovely things, I swear I didn't (dear reader, I totally did).

The competition aspect of the book was one I *shockingly* liked. Even though Paris, the little shit, tried to get under Helen's skin, seeing Theseus and the Minotaur competing to become the next Ares was really fun to read as well. I liked seeing how Helen, Achilles and Patroclus worked together to get through the competition, but before Achilles could even become Ares, he even tasted it...well, an arrow went through his Achilles' Heel, and Helen became Ares.

Was Zeus upset? Yeah. But he could get over it.

Now there's a female Ares, trouble is coming to Olympus, and I need to know what's going to happen. This was a well done written book and I loved every bit of it.

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Book Review: Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book two was even funnier than book one, and I loved every bit of it. Meddy and her Aunties trying to stop a murder during her wedding was downright hilarious. I felt that feeling that my own aunties would pull the funniest stuff to make sure a murder never happened at my wedding. I kept laughing at the Aunties trying to fit into England, speaking the English slang, and then switching back to their English and being themselves was honestly so much fun that I really enjoyed it. Even though Nathan was just there and tried to enjoy himself at the wedding, I still loved him all the same and I am glad that Meddy and Nathan are now a married couple.

The antics that the Aunties did throughout the book cracked me up so much. I couldn't stop laughing as they tried to be a mafia family, even though that failed immediately when everything was revealed, and that the wedding people they hired for Meddy and Nathan's wedding was trying to get them for what they did in the first book to Ah Guan. But still, the antics were so funny, including them trying British slang and almost fighting one other. It was funny to read, and I enjoyed myself while I was reading this.

Even though the romance was barely there, I did like reading about the Chinese-Indonesian culture and how the Aunties were truthful to each other, and even though half of the high jinks made me laugh, and Meddy trying her hardest to get everything under control and trying not to crack under pressure when she was getting married, I found it really cute and funny and I enjoyed myself reading this book. I feel like Jesse Q. Suntanto is going to be a auto-buy author because this one was so good, and Nathan was just there and was worried about what was going on, and why was Meddy and her family acting all weird during the wedding.

The whole story taking place during a wedding was actually pretty damn good. I thought it was going to be quick, but instead it took place during a wedding. In England. I loved and enjoyed every bit of it and I need to read the next book, please and thank you.

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Book Review: Twin Consequences of that Night by Pippa Roscoe

Twin Consequences of That Night by Pippa Roscoe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was kind of terrified to read this book, mostly because the last time I tried to read a Harlequin Presents novel, it didn't go well. But when it comes to this book, I enjoyed this one. I loved reading about Nate and Gabi falling in love again for the kids, Ana and Antonio. I felt like we were seeing these two characters that were torn after their one-night stand and then coming back together and working on their marriage of convenience to falling right back in love with each other, even helping each other out with their problems.

My favorite character has to be Gabrielle. She's strong, tough, and cares about her kids, but at the same time thanks to her mother, she has trust issues that stem from her mother teaching her how not to trust people. She was sent to Nate to seduce him, and even though they did, at the end, her mother called her a whore (to her face, which sucks) and once she found out she was pregnant, she moved out of her mother's house, and her brother, Javier, helped her move on so she can think about her kids and put their needs first and not putting what she wants to do. When Nate came in the picture, she laid out the ground rules for their marriage:

1. They must tell the truth to each other, no matter what it is.
2. They must be together until the kids are twenty-one years of age

Those were the rules, and they followed them to the T-well, until Nate hid his illness from Gabi. She started to have terrible thoughts about what he was up to, and when she got that phone call from Hope that Nate was well, she was so confused and kicked him out of the house. Nate was confused about why she was kicking him out, and even the kids noticed that their Papa wasn't there, Ana cried and wanted him, while Antonio was silent and didn't want to add to his sister's pain. When Nate finally explained-to the whole world at the court case against her mother, Renata Casas, she understood and they have been together ever since, since I was glad about.

Another part I liked about this book was when Antonio had that UTI scare. I liked how the both of them came together and took him to the best hospital to make sure he was alright, and Nate didn't even move and kept gently touching Gabi and even looking over her every once in a while.

This book surprised me in a lot of ways, and I'm glad that I read it, and now I wanna try more books by this author.

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Book Review: Prince of Fools (The Red Queen's War #1) by Mark Lawrence

Prince of Fools by Mark Lawrence
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It took me a week to read it, but I liked it. It was action-packed and it was really fun to read and enjoy. I did like Jalan and Snorri, but to me, Jalan just kept trying to run away and not deal with his problems--all he wanted to do was go back to the Red March or go find one of the DeVeer sisters to chill and have a drink with. I felt like Snorri just took over the battles and fights and whatnot, while he was worried about the women and wine and the food he wanted to eat, all because of his title and what he was comfortable with.

And throughout the book, I felt so sorry for Snorri. He had to deal with Jalan and he was fighting to get back to his family, only for it to turn around and find out that they are all dead, and now he has Asluag in his ear while Jalan has an angel named Baraquel in his. I did like the way the gods were used in the book-it was very interesting, along with the magic system. But other than that...I really was annoyed with Jalan and how he kept running away from pretty much every single thing he could think of, yet he could run to every single girl he saw and bed them without a care in the world. It annoyed me to the point that I really didn't like him as much, and I started to really like Snorri a lot more because at least Snorri did something instead of whining, complaining about him, and doing absolutely nothing to help Snorri in his task to finding his family and killing the man that did it.

So I didn't point out everything wrong with Jalan, but let's turn our attention to Snorri, whom I really liked the most out of the two. Snorri was a gentleman, even though he was a Norseman. He dealt with Jalan, even when he didn't want to, and he forced him to think on his toes instead of with his lower half. I really enjoyed being immersed in the stories that he told about his travels and trials when he was walking towards the Black Keep to save his wife and son, only to turn around and do it again, but with a couple men and his whit about him. I hope he'll be alright in the second book, and I really did enjoy this one. Snorri was my favorite, and Jalan just kept getting on my last nerve throughout the book.

But hey, at least they have a tavern right now, right??? Right??

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2 Book Reviews: For Butter or Worse & Once Upon a Dream

For Butter or Worse by Erin La Rosa
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The enemies to lovers were there. It was beautiful. I loved Nina and Leo's banter. But the fake dating just threw me off to the point that it made me mad. I'm sorry, you have to plan out your dates and let the paparazzi and everyone believe that you're dating, and not organically date and fall in love? Um, no. I'm sorry, I don't like the fake dating trope. It is confusing to me and I don't understand why they had to do it.

Now I loved how headstrong Nina was. She tries so hard to stay away from Leo and wants nothing to do with him. She wants to focus on her restaurant. But after quitting her cooking competition show after Leo's digs, her publicist came up with a great, but really stupid idea: why don't you two fake date after the paparazzi caught y'all in a very precarious situation. No. I'm sorry, but no. That is the stupidest idea I've ever heard. But the more I kept reading, the more annoyed I was about this trope and how I felt like it didn't work with the enemies-to-lovers trope as well. It didn't. It just confused me more, like why couldn't they fall in love organically, and then they can go on dates and whatnot? That was what I was hoping for. But instead, they just went on these really cute dates, not gonna lie, and then they fell in love.

Leo just...Leo felt boring. Yes, I felt sorry for him with his anxiety attacks and him just taking care of his father's restaurant, but he felt like cardboard and really wasn't interesting and someone I didn't think would work as Nina's fake boyfriend. I was falling asleep each time his parts came up. I wanted him to do something fun and exciting and do something grand...but I felt like in this book he didn't, which was sad because Nina needed someone like that.

I am glad they got together, but that middle part just...kinda ruined it, tbh. I wanted violence from cardboard Leo, but he just...didn't do anything. It made me upset that he didn't, but then he had the anxiety attack, which let him off the hook. But it did start with Nina sending that text message to the wrong person, and no, I'm not blaming her, but it did start with her.

I'm glad they aren't doing a show together anymore and all that, but I don't like the fake dating trope at all, but I'm going to give it another go to see if it's just this book that made me hate it.

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Once Upon a Dream by Liz Braswell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm so glad I FINALLY read this book because I enjoyed it. This is my first time reading a Sleeping Beauty retelling, and I enjoyed it. This one is about Sleeping Beauty (Aurora Rose) and how she was stuck in a dream world she created, but the only way to get out of this world she created, she had to defeat Maleficent. See, in the other world where she is sleeping, Aurora is sleeping and Maleficent is supposed to be dead...or is she? In the dream world that Aurora created, Maleficent is her aunt (weird, I know), they hold balls and dinners and stuff every month, and Maleficent keeps telling Aurora that she cannot go outside to the Outside World because "it's dangerous." Well one day, Aurora starts to realize that things aren't what they seem, and that everyone in the castle is starting to either disappear or act strange.

Disappear is right. One night Aurora goes up a tower and finds her dear Auntie Maleficent killed someone and dips her staff into the blood...and Maleficent gets younger and powerful. So what does Aurora Rose do? She escapes and goes to the Outside World, which was supposed to be poisonous, dangerous, and painful...but is cool, has breathable air, and animals that are alive and well.

It looks like "Aunt Maleficent" was lying to her.

While Aurora explores this Outside World, that's when she meets Prince Philip, and the two decide to team up and fight Maleficent, and also get her memories back. The more she's around Philip, the more she starts to fall for him, even try to remember him, but some parts cracked me up, like when she told him to shut up when she wanted to smack him upside his head....there were many funny parts in this book, but I cannot for the life of me remember. I do remember the parts when the memories of her life outside of the dream world and the Outside World collided and she had headaches. All of that-I got worried that she wasn't going to survive it. Still, she recovers, and the two move on and meet the fairies that were "bad" in Maleficent's world, but in reality, they were Aurora's real aunties, even though she was upset that they didn't tell her about the deal and why they had to take her away from her parents.

Speaking of her parents, they were in the book for a short moment before they were killed by Maleficent, which sucked by the way. But other than that, the fight between Aurora Rose, Maleficent, Prince Philip and the fairies was kind of a let down, tbh. I was hoping for the same thing to happen in the Outside Dreamworld, but instead it just...kinda fell flat because of the fact that it took Aurora to create a spindle, tear the needle off from the thing, and then stab her with it. Yes, it was fun and interesting and a nice twist, but the way Maleficent died...kinda made me a tiny bit sad, but at the end it ended nicely, without Aurora and Philip still together, but not married (thank god, tbh.).

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