Chantie's Book Reviews

  Book Source: Store Cross-Post Review:  Chantie's Goodreads Review Type: Standalone Novel Starred Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 Smut Rating: 🌶/5 Boyfriend Goals by Riley Hart Review  Milo and Gideon were the protagonists of Boyfriend Goals. Although Best friend Goals seemed a more suitable book title. At least to me. Gideon was a neurodivergent accountant who had never explored life without his mother. A real momma's boy. It all came to a halt when he learned he had a grandmother who died and left him her bookstore and a tenant. He grabbed the opportunity to spread his wings with both hands, quit his job, and traveled to an Island in Maine. This was where he met his tenant, Gideon, a sweet tattoo artist, and his tenant. The duo hit it off and became the best of friends within twenty-four hours.  It had been a while since I read a sweet and perky story such as this one. It was a bit of fresh air from all the dark reads I had been reading for the past month. I never thought I would...

  Book Source: Store  Cross-post Review:  Chantie's Goodreads Review Type: Standalone Series Starred Rating: ⭐⭐/5 Smut Rating: 🌶/5  Cali Boy (The Loyal Boys, #1) Review  It's not you, it's me.  This statement suits me and this read. It started great but turned into one pile of cliche and gag-worthy plotlines. Maybe I've read so many of these kinds of books that they've become boring or maybe I have gotten used to reading dark romances that sweet and cuddly with bullies now give me hives. So, maybe it's not the book, but it's just me. Yeah, it's definitely the latter.  Oliver and Finn met when their parents jumped into a sudden marriage. And the sudden in this phrase means just that. Not even two years---or was it a year? --- after the death of Finn's mother, his father thought it was great to remarry. What an actual douche. The fun part was he didn't even give the kid a heads-up. I didn't care about the bubbly mom because she was no better. ...

  Book Sourse: Kindle Cross-Post Review:  Chantie's Goodreads Review Type: Ongoing Series  Starred Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 Smut Rating: 🌶/5 Mindf*ck Series, book 1 - 5 Review This review will be for all the books in the Mindf*ck series. It took me a while to get into the first book despite how short it was, so I read another series and then came back to it. Once I got into the third book, I was addicted. I loved how different it was. In a normal story, it would be the male in Lana’s shoes, but my girl played her part like a pro and won my heart. I loved her and love ST Abby for shifting the roles. It was great. It kind of reminded me of the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith and I adored that show.   Lana---a so-called serial killer---was out getting coffee one morning and then was approached by a guy. Things didn’t turn out well with him, but his friend was a mysterious hotty. Lo and behold, he was also in the FBI. Like if that didn’t paint trouble, nothing else would. A serial ...

  Book Source: Store Cross-Post Review:  Chantie's Goodreads Review Type: Standalone Series Starred Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 Smut Rating: 🌶/5 Moth (Monstrous, #5) by Lily Mayne Review  I went into this book with zero expectations. I didn’t read the synopsis---which I stopped doing from book two. Couldn’t bother to---so I had no idea what it was going to be about. When I opened the book and Charlie's POV came into view, I was thanking the heavens. Mostly Lily. I had an idea how Charlie was from Edin and liked him. Moth was just this mysterious character who liked Ghost. I did not agree with Ghost and how he dealt with the entire situation surrounding Moth even though I know he avoids confrontations. But Jesus, if you are gonna hate a guy might as well shoot the shit and let him know why you’re giving him the middle finger. That’s what I would have done and that’s why I liked Hunter---when he wasn’t being a jerk at my baby Edin. He was the type of guy that would come out and let a p...

Book Source: Store  Cross-post Review:  Chantie's Goodreads Review Type: Standalone Series Starred Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 Spice Rating: 🌶/5 Gloam (Monstrous, #4)by Lily Mayne Review  Was it wrong of me to be staring at a monster’s ass?    When a book starts with this sentence, it is pretty clear the protagonist is a pervert. And from book three we were well aware of how perverted Rig was. The scared mechanic that would push through his fear of the darkness to help others despite gender and species. A rare specimen. I loved him. Even more than I did Danny. With Danny, it was curiosity and awe. Rig was relatable and adorable at the same time. I couldn’t help but fall in love with him along with Gloam. Enjoyed his perverted side. A lot. Okay, so when a monster collector stopped by the camp Rig resided to capture Aury, the monster he and his best friend had helped, Rig noticed a few of the monsters she collected had been chained to her vehicle. He not only felt an attracti...

  Book Source: Store Cross-Post Review:  Chantie's Goodreads Review Type: Standalone Series  Starred Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 Spice Rating: 🌶/5 The Rycke (Monstrous, #3) by Lily Mayne Review The third installment in the Monstrous series, The Rycke, was a refreshing break from the military men and monster combo. Ghost, a raider, from the same camp that Cat---yes, that mysterious man in the fight club (I don’t remember what that place is called) from book two---was sent out to scavenge for anything that might indicate where said Cat was. In the midst of the ruined military base’s rubble---the same Nebraska base from Wyn's days (Book one) ---Ghost’s best pal, Rig, stumbled on a wounded monster. I was not-so-surprised it was a Rycke. Yeah, it was the book's name, so I figured it was that monster.   Anyways, the men helped the monster and brought him back to their camp to recover. The gentle, terrified monster with PTSD. Like Jesus, I never thought monsters could have PTSD, ...

  Book Source: Store Cross-Post Review:  Chantie's Goodreads Review Type: Standalone Series Starred Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 Smut Rating: 🌶/5 Edin (Monstrous, #2) by Lily Mayne Review I was in love with Edin from book one. Who wouldn’t? He was the monster that made the best of men doubt their bodies. The same one with amazing abs and a rocking body that attracted eyes. Yes, the monster with child-like personality. A hyper-active one. The perfect sweetheart. When I noticed he had a book for himself, I was thrilled. I dove into it without a second thought.  Hunter, another military guy, was the complete opposite of Edin. A hot head to Edin's calm and happy-go-lucky attitude. A seasoned veteran stationed out in the wastelands. On Hunter's way to report to his base, he and his best friend slash partner were ambushed by Kolebs. Hunter’s friend, Charlie, was taken by the monsters during the encounter. Edin happened to be passing by and helped Hunter from maybe dying. The duo then had to...

  Book Source: Store Cross-Post Review:  Chantie's Goodreads Review Type: Standalone Series Starred Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 Smut Rating: 🌶🌶/5 Soul Eater (Monstrous, #1) Review  I came out of this book feeling so happy that I don’t even remember the things I disliked. Hmm. Or maybe everything I disliked was rectified and there was no point in not loving it. Yeah, It’s the latter. Okay, enough of this. Let’s start with what the book is about.  Danny Sullivan, an uncommitted soldier, was sent on a mission to capture the notorious deadly monster Wyn, the Soul Eater. With way more casualties than needed, the mission was a success and Danny came face to face with the monster that massacred his platoon. Passing out wasn’t so bad, but he had to wake up to be told he would have to interrogate the same monster he feared. Life could not get any worst for this guy. But it did and I loved every second of it.  I loved Wyn. Hands down or up. Whichever way it wants to go. This Soul E...

  Book Source: Store Cross-Post Review:  Chantie's Goodreads Review Type: Novel Starred Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5 Smut Rating: 🌶/5 Dirty Love by Bethany Winters Review While reading this, I struggled between annoyed and contented. I was more annoyed than contented. At one point, I was screaming, ‘Jesus, just do the damn thing already. It’s either you’re going to indulge and stop giving me a headache or you’re not and let the boy live a little’. But thankfully, things worked out. After being stepbrothers for years---yes, they grew up together---they discovered growing feelings no sibling should have. To make matters worse, they lived in a town filled with people with sticks up their bums and an abusive father. Things could not get any better. But it did. And I kind of enjoyed it until I didn’t.  The boys had to juggle their feelings for each other while maintaining neutrality, so the town folks or their father wouldn't suspect anything. A lot of hard work since it seemed Kade was pop...

  Book Source: BookSirens (ARC Read) Cross-Post Review:  Chantie's Goodreads Review Type: Standalone Series  Release Date: March 31, 2023 Starred Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 Smut Rating: 🌶🌶🌶/5 Of Savage and Queens (Of Savage and Queens, #1) Review  Of Savages and Queens was the first installment of the series. Eliza was thrown into a new court at the request of her queen to seduce the lord of Winterhaven. To ensure the Lord keeps his allegiance to the Queen, Eliza would be able to ensure her family’s safety and lost wealth. The problem was Winterhaven was different from every other court. Where she was used to prep and proper, she was now exposed to erotic and sexual freedom. Despite the difference, Eliza had to achieve her mission to save her family and herself.  The description stated the story didn’t have much of a plot. I beg to differ. Though there were a lot of erotic scenes, the story had a structured outline. There even was a HEA. I adored that which made the rea...

  Source: Store Cross-Post Review:  Chantie's Goodreads Review Type: Standalone Series Starred Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 Smut Rating: 🌶🌶/5 Presidential Chaos (Frat Wars, #3) Review Dancy Drew got nothing on me while reading Presential Chaos. The mystery in the plot kept me alert. I accused everyone. At one point, I started dissecting everything the dean did. I was uncontrollable. To my dismay. The riddle held me down along with the cute romance of the duo in this male love romance.  Zeke and Charles were the presidents of the opposing Frat houses. Enemies. To some extent. Unrequited love swirled around somewhere in there. Enemies-with-benefits fit the bill with these two. When a nasty rumor came out to threaten the frat community on Greek Row, Charles and Zeke tried to work together to solve the mystery of who was trying to shut down Zeke’s frat house. Emotions and situations developed between the two during this ride. They had to face circumstances and battle their decisions alon...

  Book Source: Author Ariana Nash (ARC Read) Cross Post Review:  Chantie's Goodreads Review Type: Ongoing Series  Starred Ratings: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 Smut Rating: 🌶🌶/5 Fool Me Once (Court of Pain, #1) Review  Okay, this one had me. Hands down, I am in love with Razak. And yes, it is an unhealthy decision since he was the type of guy parents warn their daughters or sons about. But I got to hand it to Ariana, she worked her magic on him. I presumed everyone else would hate but I couldn’t help but love his artistry. He brought the V out in Villain. The guy was brilliant. When is book two coming out because I need more of that guy? This psycho was too loud to ignore. Thanks, Ariana for giving me the privilege of reading this arc. I never would have gotten the chance to meet Razak otherwise.   Okay, okay. I’m done gushing after the wrong guy. Back to my review. Fool Me Once was book one in the Court of Pain series. A MM romance centered around Prince Arin and the so-call...

Book Source: Store Cross-post Review:  Chantie's Goodreads Review Type: On-going Series Starred Rating: ⭐⭐/5 Smut Rating: 🌶/5 Pretty Little Thief Review What the heck did I just read? This is the book of the month for my book club. A lot of those who read it raved that it was awesome. I thought ‘why not go for it?’ Boy, had I wished I didn’t. The protagonist, Princess Robyn---because all royals except the Mother Queen’s name starts with an R---was thrust into chaos---something we could see coming from a mile away---when her father died, and her brother took the crown.  While reading this story, I was stuck between being bored and annoyed. First and foremost, I blame the King and Queen for what the female protagonist faced. They failed as parents. How the hell would you have a parent whom you knew was a manipulative witch and entrusted her with your child? What kind of monster does something like that? If I know my mom is a bitch, I’m not going to want to leave my kid with her...

  Book Source: BookSiren (Arc Read) Cross-post Review:  Chantie's Goodreads Review Type: Ongoing Series Starred Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5 Smut Rating: 🌶/5 Venom and Lace (Venom, #1) Review Never have I been frustrated with a book like this one. Venom and Lace is the first book in the Venom series. A billionaire romance with a bit of darkness to it. We got everything from Nora’s point of view. She was blackmailed into being the fake fiancé of a money-hungered billionaire. A total manipulative dick. And for some reason, the protagonist never noticed this. Like what the heck!  First off, the so-called best friend was not a true best friend. What friend would convince their friend to sign a contract with a guy that threatened her? None worthy of being called a friend. Then the friend had the audacity to ghost her after shit hit the fence. Who the fudge does that? This one, apparently. This was the first thing that irritated me, but I let it slide and continued.  When the book start...

  Book Source: Store Cross-post Review:  Chantie's Goodreads Review Type: Standalone Novel Starred Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 Smut Rating: 🌶🌶🌶/5 Pen Pal by J.T. Geissinger Review Okay, I have to admit J.T. is a genius for writing this book. That plot twist threw me for a loop. I thought I had the mystery solved. I was even smug about it, only to find out I was dead wrong. Lol. Get it? Dead wrong! Gosh, if you haven’t read the story, you won’t find the joke. Please do read it, so you can share in my not-so-funny humor. Anyways, Kayla a distraught widow---to a certain extent---had house issues. Yeah, she lived in one of those fixer-uppers. The grand kind. With a leaking roof in the rainy season---because for some reason rain was always falling, she thought the best solution was to get help. That was where Aiden came into the mix. A sexy all-rounder. Things escalated from there.  Oh, Aiden. Aden. Aiden. Though I’m not into men with facial hair, I would be the guy’s sex slave. Like a...

  Book Source: Kindle Cross-Post Review:  Chantie's Goodreads Review Type: MM Romance / Standalone Starred Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5 Smut Rating: 🌶🌶🌶🌶/5 Step Bully by Willow Dixon Review  When I learned Julian was called Jules, I immediately thought of Jules from Euphoria. Despite the book's description of Jules’s character, I couldn’t stop picturing him as Euphoria Jules. Which was funny because they were nothing alike. Jules and Ash were stepbrothers, who hated each other because of the situation they were forced into. By God, I hated their parents. Even to the end. I was like ‘flip them the middle finger and move the heck on’ but to my dismay, they didn’t. Which kind of pissed me off. Gosh, I am a monster. Anywhos, the boys were thrust into sharing an apartment for their senior year of college. This was where the lines got blurred. I loved the bantering. It was amazing to read. Then other things came in and I was not liking them. At parts where I should have shown sympathy...

  Book Source: Kindle Cross-post Review:  Chantie's Goodreads Review Type: Ongoing Series Starred Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5 Smut Rating: 0/5 Worldcatcher: A Young Adult Sci-Fi Romance (Book 1)   After a few chapters into this book, my first thought was ‘this would make a good movie’. Though the synopsis was interesting, the story was a bit much. It wasn’t to my liking. The book was told in the third person about a hidden ongoing war in the multiverse. Ben was supposed to be the protagonist. After the death of his adopted family, he was saved and recruited to fight in said war.   To be honest, I had zero emotional connection to Ben. When the scene came where the author had the opportunity to let me sympathize or empathize with the protagonist, it fell flat. I wished he had mourned his loss a little more. The way it was brushed off made it seem like it didn’t matter. It should have mattered because it was what propelled him to have a goal. I didn’t get what I wanted, which played ...