Caffeinated Crystal's book reviews

AWAKEN MY HEART was a quick, shorty novella set in Saddle Creek. This was Dane's dad getting his HEA. Bram, a widower, raised his  four kids and figured he'd never love again after his wife died. 15 years later, Emma walks into the bar, and Bram falls. Emma is a newbie to Saddle Creek. Going to the local bar to meet her friend, she meets Bram. The silver fox DILF of her dreams. These two have lots of chemistry. When the dam breaks, it breaks, and these two fall into instalove after a few rounds in Bram's workshop. I liked this one a lot. I do wish it was longer so we could have got more character info and spicy scenes. Solid 4 ⭐️ for me. Can't wait to read another by a new favorite author, Kat Baxter.

Here we go again with my only real complaint being that I could have read another 300 pages. WAR AND ROSES was CUTE. It started with Bethany sending a letter and a care package to Jacob, a troop she didn't know serving overseas. This leads to letters sent back and forth, and then emails, and then eventually they meet IRL. Except Bethany doesn't know Jacob is stateside. With this being a short novella, things happen so fast. But I loved how Jacob just KNEW Bethany was the one. I loved how confident Bethany became with the tattoo. That whole subject matter was well done.  ✨️Bethany had a heart transplant and hated the scar that ran down her chest✨️ She also had a breakup with a guy that liked her only when she was sick. So yeah. I can see being weary and deciding falling in love wouldn't be for you. Oh, but Jacob was all for Bethany. He even said: he originally fell for her personality and her heart. But when he saw her in real life that he was a goner. SWOON. I was here f...

This novella was CUTE. I grabbed it as a freebie on the zon, and I definitely will be reading some more from this author. My only problem with REDEEM MY HEART is that it was a novella. I would have read 400 pages of Shelby and Dane. I loved them. Shelby has always had a thing of Dane. Always. Now Dane is back from his time in the service. He's the grumpy to her sunshine. See what I mean? Dane is a dreamboat. I think this whole town would be fun to read about, and I think the author has lots of stories set in Saddle Creek. I'm excited to read more about the dog sanctuary and hopefully see more of Shelby and Dane. This was a quick, fun read. I love big girls getting their man!

G. Eilsel once again delivers a HIGHLY ENTERTAINING and absolutely absurd story. That still also somehow packs big feelings. It's some sort of sorcery, I'm sure. This is one of her holiday novellas, so it's an Easter bunny/Easter themed tale. Micah, the archangel sort of in charge of things decides that someone needs to do some information gathering on the Easter Bunny. Micah is in charge of the Santa, and the Lucifer, the tooth fairy, the Cupid, and father time. But this Easter Bunny situation needs to be dealt with. * The entire first meeting had me cackling so hard I genuinely thought I was going to pass away. It was absolutely unhinged, and I was here for it. Xalreth, the put upon assistant to the Lucifer, is looking for any excuse to get away from the shenanigans. He volunteers to be a part of this Easter Bunny situation. What follows is HILARITY at its finest. And some seriously 🔥 HOT 🔥 scenes with Micah. Like, omg. As always, this novella is smuttastic and not at a...

What a wonderful adventure into the unhinged world of the Kozlov brothers & their eclectic found family. Ivan was a domineering sociopathic dreamboat who very much had a "he's mine" at first sight moment when Tyler entered the compound. I loved Tyler's loneliness and the way he grappled with his desires vs. morality. I loved how detached from emotions Ivan was. I loved how we saw Dima & Seb and Lev & Aaron. Kai, Aaron, and Seb's acceptance helped Tyler find his footing in this new weird environment. My absolute favorite part, besides the freaky deaky parts, was seeing Noah and Chase. They're my favorite. Ivan's (and Lev's 😂😂) reaction to Noah was AMAZING. Tyler needed the attention and possessiveness Ivan offered. He was such a sweetheart, and watching him in his NYC apartment made me so sad. Thankfully, Ivan swooped in and saved him. These books aren't for the faint of heart. Syn writes DARK romance, so detach yourself from reality a...

Oomph. I knew RHETT would have me in my feels, and I was right. There was just a giant gaping loneliness to Rhett that had me so sad. He was trying so hard to become the man he wanted to be, and that's never an easy thing. And he just kept on trying. I loved Tripp for Rhett. I loved his determination to be Rhett's friend. I loved how Tripp yearned to know him. Sweet Rhett was like a flower blooming for Tripp and his positive attention, too. There are so many examples I could leave here. Just trust me. It was great. The sex scenes were sparse, but well done. Tripp and Rhett's dynamic was lovely, and I especially loved Rhett's awakening. I'll leave his label/identity a surprise, but I was so here for it. As much as I lived for the romance - it was the Swift Brothers who stole the show for me. Rhett, Morgan, and Easton navigating their own trauma and what it means to be brothers was such a joy to watch. I cried, for real. The epiloge had me crying too. RHETT is out Apr...

Will I recover from this series ending? No, no, I will not. But life will go on, and I will continue to shamelessly recommend The Billionaire Brotherhood books to all and sundry. I FUCKING LOVED THIS BOOK. 😭😭😭😭😭😭 so much. FINDING LORD LANDRY was such a good story. The plot was plotting. There were storylines and secrets and a few spicy scenes, too. But Landry Effing Davencourt can GET IT. For real. I loved Kenji. I loved what kick-started this entire book. I loved how down bad Landry was from the get-go. I loved everything that happened in England. I loved seeing the brotherhood. I loved Ed and Nan and Cora and Baa Baa. I loved how scared Kenji was of opening up his heart. I loved how Landry loved. I LOVED EVERYTHING. ALL OF IT. NINE HUNDRED AND EIGHTYFOUR DAYS. I literally wanna run in a field and tell everyone how much I loved this story. The hills are alive with how much I loved Kenji and Landry. And the secret at the end! But now the series is over, and I'm devastated. I...

4.5 ⭐️ may contain minor spoilers. SERIOUSLY. DON'T READ THIS REVIEW IF YOU WANT TO GO INTO DEAN BLIND. I just finished DEAN, book nine in Cora Rose's Unexpected series. It was great. Good storytelling, great characters, and spicy sex scenes about halfway through the story. 🩷 age gap stories 22/40s 🩷 boss/employee stories (not a lot of work related content though, more that work is how they know each other - so no creepy power plays or sexy power exchanges) 🩷 straight now- not-so-straight happenings 🩷 mcs who love femme fashion & makeup 🩷 older gruffy mechanics 🩷 🍑🍑🍑 <- That's all I'll say Lots of characters make an appearance... even some fan favorites wink wink After something happens, Avery is houseless. When his hunky older boss finds out, Dean insists Avery stay with him. Avery has always been into Dean, but Dean is "straight." Some forced proximity and some crossed boundaries prove that to be false. Lots of time together leads to some spi...

 A billion stars! This book was absolutely incredible. It has everything I love in a story, and it's written by an author who writes the best pining.  To Catch a Firefly is a love story, a BIG ROMANCE, featuring childhood best friends who take their time getting their timing right.  Ellis is a neurodivergent mc who is mostly mute. He's my favorite kind of character, calm and quiet on the outside, but with a molten level of lava feelings rolling through them. Ellis is a good man. He's patient, kindhearted, thoughtful, and he loves his best friend Lucky. That's his person.  Lucky is a tornado of a man. He's a live wire. He has big dreams of adventure and seeing the world. He wants to see everything and do everything, but he can't do all that in his hometown in Nebraska.  Did you read Fool Hearts? This gives MAJOR Wyatt and Easton vibes but lighter(ish) angst. There's an airport scene (my heart!), multiple BIG moments, nature (that's all I'll say!)... t...

I've never read a book from Ally Avery before, but the blurb for BREAKING YOU OPEN checked a ton of boxes for me, and I couldn't say no. I'm glad I chose this adventure, I liked Sam & Louis' story! I will say that the book was a little slow to start going, but it popped off a little after the halfway point, and I FLEW through the last half of the book. How do I write this without spoiling the story? Sparrow (Sam) has it bad, from the prologue. I've never wanted to spirit someone away half as much as I did Sparrow. But he gets away and starts fresh in a new state. During a situation, he crosses paths with Louis, the older & much larger MC enforcer. And sweet Sparrow latches on like a horny needy baby bird. We get bits and pieces of history wrapped up in sexual tension until it snaps a little over halfway through, and it's CHEF'S KISS. the plot picks up, but so does the spice and the dirty talk. YES, PLEASE. For real, the spicy scenes are smoking hot. ...

You already know where this is going. SJ Tilly is my favorite hetero romance writer, and she DELIVERED with Mountain Boss. It comes out on 03/27, so jot that down. I need book two NOW, but that makes me feel greedy. And ungrateful. Thank you for this story. Your honor, I love them. Courtney was amazing. And even though Sterling was a hottie and deliciously dominant, COURNTEY stole the show for me. Like, will she be my girlfriend?! What a dreamboat! I don't wanna spoil anything, so I'll try to be vague. The love story, bangin' when it popped off. The spice, nice! And a bit "rougher" than I was expecting, but I was 100% here for it. Their dynamic totally worked for them. These two mcs were LONELY. It broke my heart how much they needed each other. The possessiveness was perfect 👀 looking at you, Big Joe. Other amazing story points I loved: the landscape. The other employees at the lodge. Courtney's badassery. Ben! The hot tub scene. The-Earl-Had-To-Die moments....

I just finished RONAN, and it comes out tomorrow. I was cutting it close, but this one's a chonk. It has to be because of the worldbuilding. To be clear, this story is a bit similar to the Monstrous series, but also not at all like it. There's the dystopian setting, the "monsters," the bad military, the wanderers & raiders. But there's also (after the worldbuilding) dirty talk & knotting, and fated mates. We love fated mates! Ronan is an emo monster disillusioned with his life. There's the myth of fated mates, but he doesn't really believe it. He just misses home. Cameron is a human wanderer, surviving it alone with a dog, Boomerang. Cameron is smart and snarky. I get it, buddy. I would be, too. After being kidnapped, twice, he is face to face with Ronan in an interrogation room. There's lots of plot and story and chatacyer development. There's world building and more plot. THEN, around the 50% mark,  the spice starts spicing. There...

If you're looking for a spicy smutty romp, LOOK no further! THE STEP DARE is probably about 85% smut with some plot sprinkled in ... I'm not mad about it, just saying. Brenner and Taylor are bffs. Lately, Taylor has been CURIOUS, and he and Brenner start fooling around. Then SURPRISE! Brenner's dad and Taylor's mom are suddenly getting married. There's lots of ✨️this should stop✨️ but they can't fight it. Also, there is a 🌶 SPICY 3some scene🌶with Brenner, Taylor, and this guy named Dax. 👀 Again, I wasn't mad about it. This book is a smutty little palette cleanser that I bet would be best enjoyed between two plotty stories. Brenner and Taylor are dirty talking sweeties, and if you like reading about college age shenanigans, THE STEP DARE might just be right up your street. I loved how into each other the mmcs were. I loved Taylor's plotline with ✨️the POS✨️ and I enjoyed the cameos from the other Peach State characters. THE STEP DARE will be out 03/13,...

LOVE, UTLEY is a book I've reread often. I love Maddox and Hannah. I love the story. I love the characters. ✨️not Brandon, tho✨️ I love all their little private moments. I love how ALL-IN Maddox is over Hannah. He is so down bad for her. Everything about this story is a win for me. Maddox can GET IT. Hannah is an absolute babe. I just can't get enough of these two.

I have been DYING to read this book. Guaranteed to pack an emotional punch, I've loved falling for the two other Swift brothers, and I'm ready for Rhett to break my heart too. What to Expect: 💙Mature MC’s 💜Demisexual awakening 💙Bi-awakening 💜Acquaintances to friends to lovers 💙Single Dad 💜Found family Rhett I’m the eldest Swift brother, the one who should have taken care of my siblings and protected them, but I’ve never been the kind of brother they deserve. Both Morgan and East had the courage to walk away from our abusive father before I did, but now that I have, there’s no turning back. With that comes the realization that my whole life has been spent trying to be exactly what my father wanted, what I hate. My brothers are moving on with their lives, and that brings Tripp Cassidy and his daughter, Meadow, into my orbit. For a reason I can’t understand, they both seem to like me. Tripp asks me about my favorite things, pushes me to figure out my dreams, and at thirteen ...

Just finished FINN. Marketed as a daddy book, there's no way I couldn't read it on release day. I enjoyed this one. Stoic cowboy meets friendly nanny. There's some cheating (not between mcs) and some forbidden aspects. Finn is originally seeing Violet casually. Then he starts to have feelings for his nanny, Ash. Who happens to be Violet's twin brother. ✨️Daddy✨️ does get thrown around, but it felt more like a nickname. I'm not mad about it. It worked for them. Also, Finn can get it. I love a good brooding cowboy main character, and Finn certainly fit the bill. Ash and Finn fell hard and fast. But lots of THINGS kept the story moving: Finn's discovery of his sexuality. The delivery 👀. Finn's family ---> Hollis and Gentry! Can't wait to read Gentry's book. Foreshadowing suggests that maybe Gentry gets with his son Hollis' bff? I'd be here for that. Tucker was adorable. Finn was broody. Ash was down bad for Finn. Ash and Violet's relatio...