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DNF Review: Fake Fiance by Ilsa Madden-Mills

DNF Review: Fake Fiance by Ilsa Madden-Mills

DNF December Review Blitz — Day #5: I’m sharing my thoughts on some book series that I have marked as incomplete as I have never finished the first novel in the series. Find out why these weren’t for me:


Synopsis for Fake Fiance (from Goodreads):
Fake engaged to the hottest quarterback in the country? SCORE.

They say nothing compares to your first kiss,
But our first kiss was orchestrated for an audience.
Our second kiss . . . that one was REAL.
He cradled my face like he was terrified he’d f*ck it up.
He stared into my eyes until the air buzzed.
Soft and slow, full of sighs and little laughs,
He inhaled me like I was the finest Belgian chocolate,
And he’d never get another piece.
A nip of his teeth, his hand at my waist . . .
And I was lost.
I forgot he was paying me to be his fake fiancée.
I forgot we weren’t REAL.
Our kiss was pure magic, and before you laugh and say those kinds of kisses don’t exist,
Then you’ve never touched lips with Max Kent, the hottest quarterback in college history.

Three months. Two hearts. One fake engagement.
Then he took my all.

breakdown

Author: Ilsa Madden-Mills
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Sports
Heat Rating: warm
Point of View: First Person, Alternating
Publication Date: February 6, 2017
Source & Format: Own–eBook

Disclaimer: I stopped reading Fake Fiancé at 50% (start of Chapter 21). Find out why below…

thoughts

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I was looking for a quick read to wet my palate before I started reading some ARCs I had to get to. This one has been sitting on my Kindle for forever and I love a good fake romance trope so it seemed like a great choice.

In the past, I have usually had good experiences with with Ilsa Madden-Mills’ work; however, that hasn’t been the case lately. I was optimistic that this would be the one to get me out of that funk.

What I Liked:

–The Mystery of Sunny’s Past–

I liked that Sunny wasn’t an open book to the reader. You could kinda put the clues together but you always knew that there was a little bit more to the story with her past.

What I Didn’t Like:

–Extremely Long Inner Monologues–

When an entire paragraph fills up the entire screen on my eReader (and I don’t have the font supersized by any means), I find my attention waning. My word! These inner monologues dragged on. I would be midway and forget what we were even talking about. I almost felt like it was an intentional way just to prove some weird point that you could make a paragraph so freaking long. I thought I was DAYS into this book, but then I would see I still had miles to go and I just felt myself getting defeated.

–Lack of Chemistry–

There is 0 chemistry for me with these two. I suppose in a way their romance is a slow burn since they are doing a bit of a showmance with their fake relationship. But I don’t really sense the underlying tension or passion between these two. Why does Max like Sunny besides her good looks? And does Sunny like Max as a person or just as someone who can help her out of a rough spot?

–Max’s “Being Sexy” Attempts–

I don’t think it helps that I could not stand the way Max talked to Sunny sometimes. I think it’s supposed to be sexy (like he has confidence and knows what he wants) but it comes across as ick considering their showmance isn’t romantic at all by that point.

–Why Did it Morph into Fake “Fiancé”?–

These two start off with a “let’s pretend we are dating to get people off our backs” and then it randomly morphs into “let’s pretend we are engaged!”. Like I understand why it looks good for Max’s angle but I think we could have just stuck the course with the fake dating…though I know it doesn’t have the same ring to it for a title.

Will I Finish It?

Considering I quit when I was halfway through, nope. It was painful for me. I did wait 2 full days before deciding to DNF it because I had invested so much time into it and why not just finish it out. But it wasn’t going to happen.

My Rating: DNF

overall

I think this might be my last attempt at reading an Ilsa Madden-Mills novel. It’s such a shame because I really loved her earlier works. But I’ve DNF’d my last 3 novels from her or have given the books so-so rating.

Read if You Like: fake romances, quarterback heroes
Avoid if You: want more passion/chemistry

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DNF Series Review: Kings of Football by Ilsa Madden-Mills

DNF Series Review: Kings of Football by Ilsa Madden-Mills

DNF December Review Blitz — Day 4: I’m sharing my thoughts on some book series that I have marked as incomplete as I have never finished the first novel in the series. Find out why these weren’t for me:

booksynopsis

Synopsis for The Revenge Pact (from Goodreads):
River Tate is a god on campus.
The king of football.
A tattooed bad boy with gunmetal eyes that see right through you.
The only chink in his armor is her, the girl he pretends doesn’t exist, the forbidden one with the shy smile and lavender hair.

Anastasia Bailey is a nobody.
The queen of nothing.
An outsider with the face of an angel and a body made for sin.
The only chink in her armor is him, her boyfriend’s frat brother, the football player who hates her.

But when Anastasia’s life comes crashing down, River’s the one who sweeps in and picks up the pieces.
Torn between loyalty, lies, and secrets, he battles the temptation to take everything from her when they make their revenge pact.

He can’t tell her no.
Because revenge (or love) is, sweet, and once you get a taste, the craving never ends.

breakdown

Series: Kings of Football
Author: Ilsa Madden-Mills, Meghan Quinn, Adriana Locke
# of Books: 3 (View Full Reading Order here)
Book Order: Connected
Complete?: Yes
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Sports, Football
Heat Rating: Toasty
Point of View: First Person, Alternating
Publication Dates: December 2020
Source & Format: Own–Kindle

thoughts

Note: I stopped reading Book 1, The Revenge Pact, at 44% (start of Chapter 14) and marked the series as DNF. Find out why…

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

Admittedly, I was in a bit of a reading funk when I picked up the Revenge Pact but I really thought that book would cure it for me. I enjoy a good college sports romance; Ilsa Madden-Mills is pretty consistent for me; and I’m a sucker for a romance where the male hero is completely in love with the heroine before she does. Plus, I liked that the sequels were written by different authors–particularly authors I hadn’t read before and I always like to explore new reads.

What I Liked:

Honestly, I was nearly halfway through and I can’t tell you a thing I liked (or remembered about this one as I write this review a month later…). I didn’t even gravitate towards the future leads like I usually do in this series.

What I Didn’t Like:

–Lack of Chemistry–

These two had as much spark as a wet piece of paper. I was seriously underwhelmed by the tension. Sell me on this undeniable connection between them would you?!

–Boring Plot–

When “revenge” is in the title, I really wanted something with a little more drama. I’m not even sure if I had reached the “revenge” aspect of their plan by the time I decided to call it quits. All I know, I was bored and it was becoming a chore to read this.

–Because the Plot Didn’t Have to Exist at All–

I think part of the reason I struggled with the plot was that everything was so obvious and stereotypical. Anastasia’s boyfriend is obviously a dud so it was obvious very early on she needed to drop him ASAP. But even River’s “infatuation” with Anastasia could have been sorted out earlier. Like I really don’t understand his hesitation because he really isn’t that close to her boyfriend in any way that would make it “forbidden” or out-of-line.

Will I Finish the Series?:

Nope. I read the synopsis for the other books but they didn’t really appeal to me.

Series Rating: DNF

The Revenge Pact DNF | The Romantic Pact N/A | The Relationship Pact N/A

overall

I’m probably in the minority for this one. But I couldn’t get into this plot and I found the characters to be uninspiring.

Read if You Like: sports romances
Avoid if You: dislike college romances

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DNF Series Review: Fallen Series by Lauren Kate

DNF Series Review: Fallen Series by Lauren Kate

DNF December Review Blitz — Day 3: I’m sharing my thoughts on some book series that I have marked as incomplete as I have never finished the first novel in the series. Find out why these weren’t for me:

booksynopsis

Synopsis for Fallen (from Goodreads):
What if the person you were meant to be with could never be yours?

17-year-old Lucinda falls in love with a gorgeous, intelligent boy, Daniel, at her new school, the grim, foreboding Sword & Cross . . . only to find out that Daniel is a fallen angel, and that they have spent lifetimes finding and losing one another as good & evil forces plot to keep them apart.

Get ready to fall . . .

breakdown

Series: Fallen
Author: Lauren Kate
# of Books: 5 (View Full Reading Order here)

There are short stories: View Full Reading Order here.

Book Order: Chronological (#1-#4) & Connected (#5)
Complete?: Yes
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Angels, Supernatural
Heat Rating: warm
Point of View: Third Person, Single
Publication Dates: December 2009 – November 2015
Source & Format: Own–Hardcover

thoughts

Note #2: I actually stopped reading Book 3, Passion at 4% and marked the series as DNF. Find out why…

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

Back in the days before I discovered Goodreads and bought all the books I wanted to read, I stumbled upon Fallen by Lauren Kate. I was fresh off the Twilight Train and looking for the next fix. At the time, angel based books were all the rage in YA and so I bought Fallen and Hush, Hush around the same time and dove in.

The Concept / The World:

While the concept of ordinary human falling for a supernatural being isn’t anything new, I did enjoy the foundation for the world itself. It’s your classic story of good vs evil and you never know who you can trust. So I liked that that added some suspense to the story. I did enjoy that it was a story rich in its own history and that it did have that strong foundation for the story.

The Plot:

I enjoyed the slow reveal of Fallen. You really are kept in the dark about Daniel and the rest of the school so it really drove my need to keep reading. However, that means everything happens at the end so the book is pretty tame in comparison.

And given the ending of Fallen, I wanted Torment to keep the momentum strong. Instead, we get a stale, standing-still novel that suffers from that Book 2 of a Trilogy Slump even though it is a 4 book series. There are little inklings of storylines that I assume become important later on but it feels like nothing happens within this on. I even tried to reread Torment years ago when Passion came out but stopped just shy of 25% of the way through because it was so dry.

The Characters:

I never liked Luce as a lead. She’s very dull and uninspiring as a heroine. Daniel didn’t do much for me either.

However, I did like the rest of the cast. Particularly the other angels. They just had such solid personalities that it was easy to like (or love-to-hate) them.

The Romance:

Again, when you don’t like the heroine, it’s hard to support the romance. I constantly found myself asking why all these guys were falling (no pun intended) for such a blah heroine…

My Attempt to Finish the Series & Why I DNF’d:

Despite owning all the books, I wanted to try the audiobook of Passion (book 3) instead as I started commuting to my job. I think I subconsciously knew that I wouldn’t be invested in the physical copy of the novel if I tried that.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t even make it past the first chapter before I was dreadfully bored. I realized that I hadn’t thought about this series in nearly 6 years and I didn’t particularly care about what happens. I lived 6 years without knowing and I could leave it at that.

The Movie?:

Did you know that they made this into a movie? I knew it was something in the works but I never knew it got released. I haven’t watched it yet but you can be sure I will do a Movie Monday post as soon as I do.

Series Rating: DNF

Fallen 4/5 | Torment 3/5 | Passion DNF | Rapture N/A | Unforgiven N/A

overall

While I don’t think the time (6 years) between books helped my enjoyment of this series, I do remember not totally loving it either when I did read it. It’s a slow story with meh leads (though an awesome side cast) that feels like it was just on par with the YA trends at the time. I’ve read better fallen angel stories in the time since that really leave this one in the dust.

Read if You Like: fallen angels, slower stories
Avoid if You: dislike love triangles

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DNF Series Review: The Five Syndicates by Parker S Huntington

DNF Series Review: The Five Syndicates by Parker S Huntington

DNF December Review Blitz — Day #2: I’m sharing my thoughts on some book series that I have marked as incomplete as I have never finished the first novel(s) in the series. Find out why these weren’t for me:

booksynopsis

Synopsis for Asher Black (from Goodreads):

It started with my bladder.

I didn’t mean to witness a shady deal in the restroom hallway.
I didn’t think twice when I called the cops.
And I certainly didn’t know who the club belonged to.

Asher Black.
Former mafia hitman.
Billionaire CEO.
New York’s most eligible bachelor.

When he shows up at my college, looking for the girl who called the cops on his business, I know I’m as good as dead.
What I don’t expect is his offer–he’ll pay my tuition and set me up with a cushy job after I graduate.
All I have to do is… be his fake fiancée.

breakdown

Series: The Five Syndicates Series
Author: Parker S Huntington
# of Books: 4 (Full Reading Order Here)

There are novellas as well.

Book Order: Connected
Complete?: Yes
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Mafia, Dark, Suspense
Heat Rating: Toasty
Point of View: First Person, Alternating
Publication Dates: April 2017 – July 2019
Source & Format: Kindle Unlimited–eBook

thoughts

Disclaimer: I stopped reading Niccolaio Andretti (Book #2) at 19% (start of Chapter 8). Find out why below…

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

When I read the synopsis for Asher Black (#1) on an ARC Galley website, I really wanted to read it. I love darker romances and the synopsis seemed like it would be a darker, perhaps quirky romance that was right up my alley.

Eventually, I did get a copy when I resubscribed to Kindle Unlimited and really enjoyed it. But, my subscription was ending and decided to leave the series at just that first book. A little over a year later, I picked up Niccolaio Andretti (Book #2) when I got Kindle Unlimited again…but things didn’t go so well this time around.

What I Liked:

–Not Super Dark–

While there are mafia mobsters involved, nothing is particularly violent or gruesome. It just as a slightly darker tone to the romances and an edge of danger to the story.

What I Didn’t Like:

–Unlikeable Characters–

This is more for Niccolaio Andretti (Book #2) than it was for the first book in the series, Asher Black. Perhaps if I read them closer together I would remember Minka as a character from Asher Black. But I didn’t find her a likeable character in the slightest. She has a backstory that conveys why she is the way she is but she still treated people like crap.

Will I Finish It?

Not the series. I enjoyed Asher Black (#1) as a standalone and I was happy to leave it there when I finished it…should have stayed that way.

My Series Rating: DNF

Asher Black 4/5 | Niccolaio Andretti DNF | [Ranieri Andretti N/A] | Bastiano Romano N/A | [Renata Vitali N/A] | Damiano De Luca N/A

overall

If you like the edge of danger that comes from mafia romances and don’t mind a slower pace, these might work for you. But if you want something fast and hard, look elsewhere.

Read if You Like: darker romances, slow burns
Avoid if You: want faster pacing

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DNF Review: Midnight Blue by L J Shen

DNF Review: Midnight Blue by L J Shen

DNF December Review Blitz — Day #1: I’m sharing my thoughts on some book series that I have marked as incomplete as I have never finished the first novel in the series. Find out why these weren’t for me:

Synopsis for Midnight Blue (from Goodreads):
It should have been easy.
I needed the money. He needed a babysitter to keep him from snorting himself to death.
I was cherry-picked especially for him. Responsible. Optimistic. Warm. Innocent.
The worst part is that I should have known better.
Alex Winslow. British rock star. Serial heartbreaker. Casanova with whiskey eyes.
“Don’t get near the devil in a leather jacket. He’ll chew you up and spit you out.”
Guess what? I didn’t listen.
I signed the contract.
World tour. Three months. Four Continents. One hundred shows.
My name is Indigo Bellamy, and I sold my soul to a tattooed god.
Problem was, my soul wasn’t enough for Alex Winslow. He ended up taking my body, too.
Then he took my heart.
Then he took my all.

breakdown

Author: L J Shen
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Rockstar
Heat Rating: unsure
Point of View: First Person, Alternating
Publication Date: January 16, 2018
Source & Format: Own–eBook

Disclaimer: I stopped reading Midnight Blue at 13% (middle of Chapter 4). Find out why below…

thoughts

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I needed a great book to get lost in and this one was promising based on the synopsis. I love rockstar romances, hate-to-love-you stories and I like bad boy heroes so I was excited to dive in.

While I didn’t have a great experience with Shen’s Dirty Headlines a few years ago, she consistently gets great reviews, as does this book, so I was optimistic heading into it.

What I Liked:

–Bad Boy Redemption–

Who doesn’t love the concept of a bad boy redeeming himself? Especially to win the love of his life? The hopeless romantic in me loves reading about it.

Alex has a long, long way to go. He is SUPER angsty (which I get) but it seemed like maybe he would be changing his tune by the end of this one…I just never found out.

What I Didn’t Like:

–Extremely Long Inner Monologues–

When an entire paragraph fills up the entire screen on my eReader (and I don’t have the font supersized by any means), I find my attention waning. My word! These inner monologues dragged on. I would be midway and forget what we were even talking about. I almost felt like it was an intentional way just to prove some weird point that you could make a paragraph so freaking long. I thought I was DAYS into this book, but then I would see I still had miles to go and I just felt myself getting defeated.

–Lack of Chemistry–

Now, I didn’t get vary far in but the few interactions Indy and Alex had didn’t have me begging for more. I think this is a slow burn romance or one that just takes a long time. It is billed as a hate to love you so I knew that they weren’t going to be falling all over each other at the start. But I couldn’t even see an inkling of anything between them.

Will I Finish It?

Nope. I also have removed all L J Shen books from my TBR because I’ve had 2 not-so-great experiences and have come to the conclusion her works just aren’t for me.

My Rating: DNF

overall

If you like romances that build and build, maybe this is for you. Or if you like other L J Shen novels. Otherwise, I think there are more engaging rockstar romances out there.

Read if You Like: slow burn romances
Avoid if You: dislike lots of inner monologues

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DNF December Review Blitz: Introduction Post 2022

I am a firm believer that if you aren’t enjoying a book, you should be able to DNF it and not feel guilty about that decision. You aren’t going to enjoy every book you pick (even though we all want to) and there is not shame in that.

>> SERIESous Discussion: DNFing ARCs

I also like to review my DNFs. Some of the most helpful reviews I come across are ones for DNF reads. Now some reviews are just trashing the novel but the ones that look at it critically give me a better idea of what I can expect and help me anticipate if I will enjoy the book or not. This is especially important when I am contemplating DNFing a book and am on the fence about doing so.

Since 2018, I’ve made it part of my annual yearly review to do a posting blitz of all the books I DNF’d for one reason or another. And I’m bringing it back for 2022 after a brief 2021 hiatus!

Now: what is a DNF’d review?

When I look at my numbers for the year, I’ve only DNF’d a small handful of books. These are books I never finished and stopped reading part of the way through. I’m also including some book series that I’ve opted not to finish. What that means is that I likely finished the first book but decided not to read the sequels.

What Reviews are on the Way?

These DNF reviews get a bit of a different review format in comparison. In them, I list what I liked, what I didn’t and if I ever plan on finishing the series. I always find these type of reviews helpful when I’m deciding whether or not to add a book to my TBR and that’s what I aim for these reviews to do and why I publish them.

Here are the reviews you will see over the next few days (note the links may be “broken” as the reviews aren’t published yet):

I hope you enjoy the reviews I post over the next week! And if you read and enjoyed these books, I would love to get your takes on them! Who knows, maybe I’ll pick them up again!

DNF December Review Blitz: Introduction Post 2021

I am a firm believer that if you aren’t enjoying a book, you should be able to DNF it and not feel guilty about that decision. You aren’t going to enjoy every book you pick (even though we all want to) and there is not shame in that.

I also like to review my DNFs. Some of the most helpful reviews I come across are ones for DNF reads. Now some reviews are just trashing the novel but the ones that look at it critically give me a better idea of what I can expect and help me anticipate if I will enjoy the book or not.

>> SERIESous Discussion: DNFing ARCs

Since 2018, I’ve made it part of my annual-yearly-recap to do a posting blitz of all the books I DNF’d for one reason or another. I think it’s just a great way to wrap up my year of reading.

What Reviews are on the Way?

Interestingly enough, I actually didn’t DNF as many books as I usually do. I have some “unfinished” reads but they are books I plan on finishing in the near future. I just didn’t finish them because life got in the way, not that I wasn’t enjoying them.

As I write this post (November 27, 2021), I had only DNF’d one book in 2021! And it was last week!

So I didn’t think that was enough to warrant a whole review blitz. I’ll be posting my review of that book early next year. Therefore, DNF December is going on a brief hiatus for 2021–which is a good thing if you think about it. It means I picked up some great books this year that I enjoyed reading!

I’ll see you all here next year! (Hopefully? Maybe?)

DNF Series Review: More Than Words by Shayla Black

DNF Series Review: More Than Words by Shayla Black

DNF December Review Blitz — Day 3: I’m sharing my thoughts on some book series that I have marked as incomplete as I have never finished the first novel in the series. Find out why these weren’t for me:

More Than Crave You

booksynopsis

Synopsis for More Than Words (from Goodreads):

I’m Maxon Reed—real estate mogul, shark, asshole. If a deal isn’t high profile and big money, I pass. Now that I’ve found the property of a lifetime, I’m jumping. But one tenacious bastard stands between me and success—my brother. I’ll need one hell of a devious ploy to distract cynical Griff. Then fate drops a luscious redhead in my lap who’s just his type.

Sassy College senior Keeley Kent accepts my challenge to learn how to become Griff’s perfect girlfriend. But somewhere between the makeover and the witty conversation, I’m having trouble resisting her. The quirky dreamer is everything I usually don’t tolerate. But she’s beyond charming. I more than want her; I’m desperate to own her. I’m not even sure how drastic I’m willing to get to make her mine—but I’m about to find out.

breakdown

Series: More Than Words
Author: Shayla Black
# of Books: 6 (Full Reading Order Here)

There are some novellas – Full Reading Order Here

Book Order: Connected
Complete?: Yes
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Drama
Heat Rating: Hot
Point of View: First Person, Single
Publication Dates: April 2017 – July 2020
Source & Format: Public Library–Audiobook

thoughts

Disclaimer: I only read the first two books of the series, More Than Want You and More Than Need You, and have opted not to pick up the other sequels. Find out why below…

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I actually got the first book as a newsletter freebie from an author I love but this series was also recommended to me by Kobo. It’s been on my radar for a long time as a result so I was so excited when I discovered my library had the audiobooks! I’m always on the lookout for a long contemporary series that follows a group of characters so the timing was perfect!

What I Liked:

–Attempt at Hero Redemption–

I enjoy a good asshole male lead. It’s always great to watch them get knocked down a peg or two by some intelligent girl who keeps them on their toes.

The redemption story for More Than Want You (#1) was good. However, it didn’t really work for me in More Than Need You (#2) but I think the build up from book one is the reason for that one…

–Side Characters–

I really liked how More than Want You set up the world and the other characters the future books are about. Getting those little tidbits always makes me excited to see what they are going to do next when they get their own books.

What I Didn’t Like:

–Communication Assumptions–

The premise of the first two books is really one royal f*ked up communication assumption. How screwed up is it? Try 3 years of multiple opportunities to set the record straight. The logical part of me couldn’t fathom how things got so bad for so long given the close proximity of the characters involved AND the fact that everyone knew except for one person. It’s a facepalm emoji if I ever used one.

–Single POV–

While I understand why the single POV was done in the first book, I really struggled with its absence in the second. Just getting that female heroine’s perspective would have helped immensely understand her attraction to our subpar hero.

–Lack of Chemistry/Connection–

I don’t like to be told that someone loves someone, I want it shown to me. With both couple’s I struggled to see the attraction other than some manipulation on the part of the male leads. I wasn’t sold on these that’s for sure.

My Audiobook Experience:

I definitely don’t think it was the audiobooks that jaded me about this series. I really enjoyed the narration–I only sped it up so I could finish the books faster.

Will I Finish It?

I have no desire to see what happens next for this cast. I feel like most of my questions were answered in Book 2 so I’m satisfied.

My Rating: DNF

More Than Want You 3.5/5 | More Than Need You 2/5 | More Than Love You N/A | More Than Crave You N/A | More Than Tempt You N/A | More Than Dare You N/A

overall

If you can look past the communication assumptions, you might enjoy this.

Read if You Like: family drama, contemporary romance, male only POV
Avoid if You: dislike communication assumptions
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DNF Series Review: Briarwood Academy by Ilsa Madden-Mills

DNF Series Review: Briarwood Academy by Ilsa Madden-Mills

DNF December Review Blitz — Day 2: I’m sharing my thoughts on some book series that I have marked as incomplete as I have never finished the first novel in the series. Find out why these weren’t for me:

booksynopsis

Synopsis for Very Bad Things (from Goodreads):

Born into a life of privilege and secrets, Nora Blakely has everything any nineteen-year-old girl could desire. She’s an accomplished pianist, a Texas beauty queen, and on her way to Princeton after high school. She’s perfect…

Leaving behind her million-dollar mansion and Jimmy Choos, she becomes a girl hell-bent on pushing the limits with alcohol, drugs, and meaningless sex.

Then she meets her soulmate. But he doesn’t want her.

When it comes to girls, twenty-five-year-old Leo Tate has one rule: never fall in love. His gym and his brother are all he cares about… until he meets Nora. He resists the pull of their attraction, hung up on their six year age difference.

As they struggle to stay away from each other, secrets will be revealed, tempers will flare, and hearts will be broken.

Welcome to Briarcrest Academy… where sometimes, the best things in life are Very Bad Things.

breakdown

Series: Briarwood Academy
Author: Ilsa Madden-Mills
# of Books: 3 (Full Reading Order Here)
Book Order: Connected
Complete?: Yes
Genre: Young Adult/New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Dark
Heat Rating: warm **suggestive content**
Point of View: First Person, Alternating
Publication Dates: September 2013 – July 2016
Source & Format: Public Library–Audiobook

thoughts

Disclaimer: I stopped reading Very Bad things at 18% (start of Chapter 4). Find out why below…

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

Ilsa Madden-Mills is one of my must read authors and this series had been on my radar for a very long time. Because I was looking for audiobooks to listen too, I opted to listen to this series even though I have a few of the books for my Kindle. I was looking forward to the angsty romance so I was very excited to read this.

What I Liked:

–Umm…–

I really struggled to get into this book and there wasn’t much I enjoyed…

What I Didn’t Like:

–The Age Gap–

While the rest of the novel falls into some pretty predictable stereotypes (I think you read the synopsis and you already know where this book is going to go), it was the age gap between the two leads that just creeped me right out.
I think if Nora was a little older (like her first year in university) it would have made things less icky. Her need to rebel just made her “connection” to Leo something more devious than it was. Now, normally I’d be on board for this exploration of this somewhat twisted relationship dynamic. But I felt like Nora was trying to hard to be something she wasn’t as she rebelled and she seemed so fragile that it felt like Leo was manipulating her situation and I didn’t like that imbalance.

My Audiobook Experience:

I’m not sure if reading the book would have been better than listening to it.

Will I Finish It?

I don’t think so. While some of the other characters seemed interesting (and they became the leads in the next books), I just didn’t like the direction this series was going in.

My Rating: DNF

Very Bad Things DNF | Very Wicked Things N/A | Very Twisted Things N/A

overall

If you love angsty reads or books that straddle the YA/NA line, you’ll enjoy this series.

Read if You Like: angsty leads, tragic pasts, high school bully
Avoid if You: dislike angst; don’t like age gap romances

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DNF Series Review: The Nevernight Chronicles by Jay Kristoff

DNF Series Review: The Nevernight Chronicles by Jay Kristoff

DNF December Review Blitz — Day 1: I’m sharing my thoughts on some book series that I have marked as incomplete as I have never finished the first novel in the series. Find out why these weren’t for me:

booksynopsis

Synopsis for Nevernight (from Goodreads):

In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.

Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.

Now, a sixteen year old Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic — the Red Church. Treachery and trials await her with the Church’s halls, and to fail is to die. But if she survives to initiation, Mia will be inducted among the chosen of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the only thing she desires.

breakdown

Series: Nevernight Chronicles
Author: Jay Kristoff
# of Books: 3 (Full Reading Order Here)
Book Order: Chronological
Complete?: Yes
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Action, Dark
Heat Rating: warm **suggestive content**
Point of View: Third Person, Single
Publication Dates: August 2016 – September 2019
Source & Format: Public Library–Audiobook

thoughts

Disclaimer: I stopped reading Nevernight at 44% (middle of Chapter 16). Find out why below…

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I’ve read Jay Kristoff’s Immuniae Series and I follow him on twitter so I like his sense of humour. But I was curious to see what type of novels he writes on his own and this one seems to be a very popular choice amongst my Goodreads friends. My library only had the audiobooks and I needed a new audio series so I put myself on the holds list and waited for my turn.

What I Liked:

–The Narration Style–

I enjoyed the delivery of the narration. The style of narration is something I might not have fully appreciated if I didn’t listen to the audiobook. The sarcasm and dry, witty lines are great when heard audibly because that tone is easily conveyed.

I could see how that wouldn’t be for everyone though as it is a rather dark approach…but you are reading about a school of assassin teens so I think it comes with the territory.

What I Didn’t Like:

–The Pacing–

The pacing here just didn’t work for me. I definitely forgot about the murder mystery part because there were so many other tangents happening. I just found myself getting bored and so my mind would wander away.

And the flipping between Mia’s past and present was just too hard to keep track of with the audio version.

My Audiobook Experience:

Perhaps the audiobook was a mistake. The shear length of it was daunting for me (books over 15 hours never work out for me) but I listen to audiobooks at 1.5X the speed so it wouldn’t take me the full amount of time.

However: I’m a very visual person so trying to remember people’s names in an audiobook can be a challenge. Once we finally got to the academy, I struggled to keep all the characters straight. I also couldn’t keep the timelines straight. The constant shuffle from the past to present had me missing things and I didn’t always catch the shifts.

Will I Finish It?

I don’t think so. I couldn’t really bring myself to care about Mia (I think it is a casualty of the third person narration because she is talked about and not the one directly talking to the reader). And the shear length has turned me off. However, if this was a TV series I’d totally invest my time in watching it.

My Rating: DNF

Nevernight DNF | Godsgrave N/A | Darkdawn N/A

overall

I think if you are a reader who has the patience for longer novels, this is a great choice. It’s a cool concept but I don’t think its execution will work for everyone.

Read if You Like: dark YA, assassins, witty narration
Avoid if You: dislike super long books

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