What I've Been Reading
Hello everyone! How are you guys doing? I have been decorating for the holidays and now I finally have my tree up. It's mainly the lights for me that make the difference, colorful lights being the only way to go, of course. My cats have already taken an interest in it as I always expect during the season. They have been enjoying laying under it for the most part but I know the climbing will begin soon.
The last few days have been filled with me reading some book box picks which I'm a little proud of. Usually, it takes me way too long to pick them up - long after the initial hype I had for them is gone. I think it helps that they were both romance books because I find that genre the quickest to get into - contemporary romance specifically.
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Title: Follow Me Darkly
Author: Helen Hardt
Genre: Romance
Description: Skye Manning knows what she wants. Her job as assistant and photographer for a major social media influencer isn’t perfect, but it’s a rung on the ladder to bigger and better things. She’s confident she’ll one day take feature photos for National Geographic.
Self-made billionaire Braden Black didn’t get where he is by taking no for an answer. When a chance encounter with the refreshingly innocent and beautiful Skye piques his interest in more ways than one, he’s determined to make her submit.
Dating a billionaire soon has Skye in the middle of a Cinderella story…until the clock strikes midnight and Braden reveals his dark side. Heat sizzles between them, and Skye finds herself falling hard.
But Braden Black is no Prince Charming, and his dark desires are far from his only secret.
Rating: ★★★★ (4/5)
I received Follow Me Darkly by Helen Hardt in the November Bae Crate After Hours box. It was honestly the main reason I ordered it. I never turn down a billionaire romance that features balances of power and control. I'm a simple romance lover who will always go for the cliches. The more the better in my opinion.
Follow Me Darkly, while still containing a plethora of tropes, was actually a refreshing new take on the genre. The fact that the main character, Skye, wasn't merely a lifeless caricature whose only personality trait is being a love interest was such a nice change of pace. I enjoyed reading about her time away from her love interest as much as I did when she was with him. Her budding new career and the new opportunities it brings were an incredible addition to a narrative about control.
In terms of the romance, I thought it was a great book. There were heat and chemistry between Skye and Braden which is really all you can ask for in a story. My only regret is that I wasn't aware it was the first in a series. So, as I was excitedly preparing for a happily ever after, I discovered when the book cut off that there is a sequel and it doesn't come out until January of 2021. I can't wait to pick up the next book and until then I'll just be struggling with the ending I was left to agonize over.
Title: For Sir
Author: Rachell Nichole
Genre: Erotic Romance
Description: Can she submit herself for love?
Syneca’s trust fund is drying up, and soon the Foundation that helps homeless LGBTQ+ youth will be out of money. A friend suggests a charity auction to get her back in business, but there’s a catch.
They’ll be auctioning off submissives to the highest bidder.
The two things she never counted on? Wanting to be one of those bought submissives, and Jensen Elmwood offering $1,000,000 to purchase her for the night. They have a brokenhearted past she's not eager to relive but the boy next door is a temptation she can’t resist.
Except Jensen is all grown up now. He’s all man. All Dom. And when he asks her to be his, she can’t resist the temptation. Can she trust Jensen to dominate her heart a second time or will he prove to be the same heartbreaker he used to be?
Rating: ★★ (2/5)
For Sir by Rachell Nichole is a book I also received in the November After Hours Bae Crate box. It was the selected bonus ebook that they include monthly. The book is honestly more of a short story at about 75 pages on my tiny iPhone screen. It sounded like the perfect book to pair with the featured book of the month Follow Me Darkly.
I know short stories are meant to condense a good bit of storytelling into a smaller package but For Sir didn't do it well. The narrative felt stilted and unnatural to read about without any smooth continuation from one part to the next. Sections that I hoped would be expanded on for more interesting reading were abruptly cut off and sections that were downright boring were continued on for ages. The book just never quite found its footing.
I can't say I hated For Sir, but it just wasn't as good as I hoped. It also wasn't the steamy read I imagined. Sure there were some parts that will have a reader fanning their face but the jerking pace completely ruins them. I think the story has good bones with a bisexual woman as the lead who runs an LGBTQ+ foundation discovering her kinkier side but it simply didn't fulfill its own promises.
If you're interested in buying some new books be sure to check out Book Depository and Books A Million .
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