Hey there, book nerds!
It’s a new week, and here I am: still blogging! Gotta love that for me! I don’t want to get too hyped because we all know I could run back into a quarantined hideaway any day now, but I’m pretty pleased with the follow through thus far!
It’s been quite a bit since I last participated in MINI REVIEW MONDAY, but there are several books I’ve read in 2020 that haven’t/won’t get the full reviews they deserve. So scroll on down to get a look at what I’ve been reading lately!
FIRST UP? DEN OF VIPERS! Click the links for the full synopsis below!
Goodreads/Amazon — currently available free of charge on Kindle Unlimited
Den of Vipers by K.A Knight
Title & Author: Den of Vipers by K.A Knight
Genre: Dark Romance/Reverse Harem
Release Date: July 10, 2020
Publisher: Amazon.com Services LLC
Series Details: Standalone
Page Count: 654 pages
Rating : 🌟🌟🌟.5 STARS
If Credence and Corrupt had a more graphic, mafia-based book baby, you’d get this thicc boi.
Before I dive into my thoughts I want to be very clear that this is a DARK reverse harem romance that is as graphic as it is steamy. There’s a crazy amount of things that go down in this book that I obviously wouldn’t condone in real life and could be very triggering, but as an escapism novel I’m giving into the enjoyment.
“She will save us all. And we will damn her.”
Although it was repetitive at times and certain scenes could definitely have been cut, this story was truly a wild ride.
Centered around a badass female MC that is bartered in a debt to a powerful mafia family (as I said, problematic), Den of Vipers finds Roxy up against 4 tattooed assassins. They fight (literally) and feud and eventually…well, you can come up with the other alliterative F word. Alternating between Roxy and the 4 “brothers” POVs, this enemies-to-lovers standalone is full of action, detailed depictions of violence, and steam. And not your average conventional steam. Knight’s leading men flirt with sadistic and masochistic ways to test Roxy’s boundaries, so if you’re looking for a vanilla read, this is definitely NOT the book for you!
While I was shocked by the torture/vengeance scenes and certainly some of the sex scenes, what truly caught me by off guard was the level of emotion featured throughout the latter half of the book. There were some lighter — honestly touching — scenes (looking at you 61% mark) that I never saw coming and I enjoyed that element of surprise.
“Sometimes in life, you meet people worth dying for, and they are usually the same people who are also worth living for.”
At the end of the day there’s a lot of naughty behavior that goes down in this book, but if you’re open to it, and looking for a book that pushes the “norm”, Den of Vipers could be for you!
Please note the following TW: kidnapping, relationship with captors, child abuse, violence, gore, torture, graphic sex scenes, murder, emotional abuse, physical abuse, drug & alcohol abuse, gambling, death of a parent, overdose, depression, cutting, burns & arsony, multiple partners, and potentially more.
*Also not a TW per se, but the depiction of mental illness, trauma recovery, and diversity in this book is — at times — questionable at best.*
NEXT UP? ONE TO WATCH! Click the links for the full synopsis below!
One To Watch by Kate Stayman-London
Title & Author: One To Watch by Kate Stayman-London
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: July 7, 2020
Publisher: Dial Press
Series Details: Standalone
Page Count: 424 pages
Rating : 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS
“I’m excited for all the little girls who are going to watch this and think, She looks like me.”
I have a confession: I’ve never watched an episode of 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐫. 😮 I’ve also never seen any of the show’s subsequent spin-offs.
And despite my shocking prime-time secret, I had no problem falling head-over-heels in love with Kate Stayman-London’s DEBUT novel One To Watch!
In fact, I devoured this 400+ page book, centered on a plus-size fashion blogger becoming the first “Main Squeeze” (read: the Bachelorette), in one sitting.
Although the content seems lighthearted, this modern contemporary packed a ton of emotional scenes and drama throughout its “episodes.” And with a cast full of diverse characters in terms of race and sexual orientation/identity, and a paternal relationship (stepdad) for the record books, there was just so much to love about this reality tv-inspired read.
Much like the show (I assume lol) there were cheesy moments that made me grin and chuckle, swoonworthy dates, honest confessionals, semi-predictable twists, and unnecessary drama — and not always from the stereotypical villains of the season. And I loved every last page of it! Well, except page 167 — that page has seen better days!
All in all, I was excited to watch Bea shake her fears and take the risks needed to “choose her family.” And I can’t wait to see what Stayman-London publishes next!
Please note the following TW: Fat shaming, bullying, infidelity, divorce, parental abandonment.
Okay that completes a pretty risque round of Mini Review Monday! And despite the fact that these reviews weren’t really that “mini,” please let me know below if you liked the books featured this week. Have you read either of these new releases? Are either of these on your radar to read soon? Let me know below!
And, as always: Happy Reading!
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I’m not even going to lie…I’m already looking for Den of Vipers 😂 it’s happening! Cause very once in a while we all need a bit of escapism. I’ve also never read a reverse harem so this will be a first. You already know how I feel about One to Watch 😍love that we loved it! Happy reading!💜
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I cannot wait for your thoughts. It was my first truly RH as well, and yeah, see above 😂😂
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i’m so excited to read One to Watch! my friends got me into the Bachelor franchise just a year or so ago and i love it — mostly because we would always watch together at a local bar that aired it and it was so fun to watch with other people. glad to hear you loved it even without the background of the shows. 🙂
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One of my besties and I read this within the same month (both of us have never seen an episode of the Bach), but now she really wants to watch the next season together so we can relive the joys from this book 😁😁
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