Review: The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright by Tessa Dare

April 27, 2023April 26, 2023 Dani @ Overflowing Shelf1 Comment

The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright
Tessa Dare
Publisher: Avon Impluse
Publication Date: December 11, 2012
Series or Standalone: Standalone
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads – StoryGraph
Rating:

MY REVEIW

CW: death; grief

I adore Tessa Dare, and seeing as I’ve read all her full-length novels, all that’s left for me to read are the novellas she’s written! I’m a bit hit or miss with her novellas (it’s more of a me problem as I struggle with historical romance novellas), but this one was a short and super cute historical romance story that managed to pack quite a bit into it. Also, I highly recommend listening to it as an audiobook if you’re in the mood for something you can quickly get through – it’s very listenable and quick if you listen to things at 2.5x speed.

Review: The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton

April 5, 2023April 4, 2023 Dani @ Overflowing ShelfLeave a comment

The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton book cover

The League of Gentlewomen Witches
India Holton
Publisher: Berkley Books
Publication Date: March 15, 2022
Series or Standalone:Dangerous Damsels #2
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads – StoryGraph
Rating:

MY REVIEW

CW: Child abuse; emotional abuse; violence; fire

I absolutely adored the unique writing style of India Holton in The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels and could not wait to start book two in the Dangerous Damsels series! This book was bonkers, chaotic, over-the-top, and so, so, so much fun. I didn’t think it was possible, but I loved it even more than book one, as the romance really shines in this!

Review: The Book of Azrael by Amber Nicole

March 10, 2023March 9, 2023 Dani @ Overflowing ShelfLeave a comment

The Book of Azrael
Amber Nicole
Publisher: Rose and Star Publishing
Publication Date: April 26, 2022
Series or Standalone: Gods & Monsters #1
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads – StoryGraph
Rating:

MY REVIEW

CW: Violence; torture; murder; death; depression/PTSD; suicide; war

I came to this book for the hero but stayed for the villain. Or villainess, I should say.

Don’t be scared of the length of The Book of Azrael – once you start reading it, you’ll fly through it and not want to put it down! But be warned – there is a killer cliffhanger at the end!

ARC Review: The Duke Gets Even by Joanna Shupe

March 3, 2023March 3, 2023 Dani @ Overflowing ShelfLeave a comment

The Duke Gets Even
Joanna Shupe
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: January 24, 2023
Series or Standalone:The Fifth Avenue Rebels #4
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads – StoryGraph
Rating:

MY REVIEW

CW: domestic violence; domestic abuse; chronic illness

I so desperately wanted to love this one as I adore Joanna Shupe and have been dying for Nellie and Lockwood’s story since I read The Heiress Hunt. Unfortunately, this fell short of my expectations. I felt something was missing from Nellie and Lockwood’s relationship that stopped me from falling head over heels in love.

Review: The Worst Guy by Kate Canterbary

February 8, 2023February 8, 2023 Dani @ Overflowing ShelfLeave a comment

The Worst Guy
Kate Canterbary
Publisher: Vesper Press
Publication Date: December 28, 2021
Series or Standalone: Vital Signs #2
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads – StoryGraph
Rating:

MY REVIEW

CW: Eating disorder; abandonment; strained parental relationship

If you’re looking for a good hate-to-love, enemies-with-benefits, “good girl” filled romance that delivers on the sexiness and the emotions, look no further than The Worst Guy. I can understand why so many people have been talking about this book. This was my first Kate Canterbary book, but it won’t be my last.

Review: The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton

December 20, 2022December 21, 2022 Dani @ Overflowing ShelfLeave a comment

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels
India Holton
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: June 15, 2021
Series or Standalone: Dangerous Damsels #1
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads – StoryGraph
Rating:

MY REVIEW

CW: Gun violence; murder; death of parent; sexism

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels is unlike any book I’ve ever read. It’s absurd and over the top, yet I loved every second of reading it! This book combines a fantastic romance with an incredibly unique premise, badass female characters, and razor-sharp wit. I don’t think I’ve had this much fun reading a book in ages!

Review: Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase

November 7, 2022November 6, 2022 Dani @ Overflowing ShelfLeave a comment

Lord of Scoundrels
Loretta Chase
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: January 1995
Series or Standalone: Scoundrels #3
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads – StoryGraph
Rating:

MY REVIEW

CW: Bullying; racism; abandonment; gun violence; body shaming

“A monster he may be, but he was her monster.”

I have heard so many people rave about Lord of Scoundrels that I was hesitant to start it. There is no way this book could live up to the hype, I thought. But I was wrong. So so wrong. This book deserves all the hype, love and praise. I still cannot wrap my head around the fact this book published in 1995. It feels so modern in its tone, character and stories – it’s like something you’d find in a Sarah MacLean or Tessa Dare novel publishing today. Loretta Chase was so far ahead of her time.

Review: Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

October 24, 2022October 24, 2022 Dani @ Overflowing Shelf1 Comment

Love on the Brain
Ali Hazelwood
Publisher: Berkley Book
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Series or Standalone: Standalone
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads
Rating:

MY REVIEW

CW: Gun violence; misogyny; cheating

Going into this book, I knew we would likely not be friends. I truly hated The Love Hypothesis, and Love on the Brain follows nearly the exact same formula. So why did I read it, you may ask?

Well, I’m apparently a sucker for punishment, and I wanted to understand the hype. Plus, I felt like I had to give Ali Hazelwood another chance as she’s still a relatively new author. But I won’t fall for that again as this book 100% confirmed that Hazelwood’s writing and stories just aren’t for me.

Before diving into everything I didn’t like, I will say that up until around the 90% mark, I liked this marginally more than The Love Hypothesis. I thought it was going to be a 2.5-star read for me. And then the ending happened, and I completely lost all patience for this book (we will get into that below).

So without further ado, here’s why this book didn’t work for me:

Review: MacRieve by Kresley Cole

October 11, 2022October 11, 2022 Dani @ Overflowing ShelfLeave a comment

MacRieve
Krelsey Cole
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication Date: May 9, 2013
Series or Standalone: Immortals After Dark #13
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads
Rating:

MY REVIEW

CW: Rape; child molestation; grooming; trafficking; toxic relationship; kidnapping; emotional abuse; murder; references to suicide, cancer, alcohol abuse, gang rape, depression

After taking a little break from the Immortals After Dark series, MacRieve was the perfect book to welcome me back. Despite the major content warnings (this book tackles some very HEAVY topics which won’t be for everyone), this book was a lot of fun! I had a smile on my face while reading it, yet also found myself constantly going WTF at some of the crazy – so, you know, pretty typical of an IAD book.

Review: A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera

September 16, 2022September 20, 2022 Dani @ Overflowing ShelfLeave a comment

A Caribbean Heiress in Paris
Adriana Herrera
Publisher:HQN
Publication Date: May 31, 2022
Series or Standalone:Las Léonas #1
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads
Rating:

MY REVIEW

CW: physical abuse; emotional abuse; racism; misogyny; sexism; references to slavery

This book made me thirsty in more ways than one! All I wanted to do was pour a glass of whisky and find myself a hunky Scotsman after reading this. With a diverse cast of characters, a fantastic romance, and a compelling plot, A Caribbean Heiress in Paris was an engaging, fun read.