Caffeinated Crystal's book reviews

Until We Fall is a novella by Loren Leigh. She released another, the other two guys' story in a separate novella, Until We Kiss, from the Popped! Anthology. Both are available now on the zon. But I snagged this over the summer, or last summer?, during a novella giveaway and with the power being out this afternoon I felt beachy. Four college friends, one last trip before graduation... until real life begins. Each novella focuses on one of the couples from this trip, and Until We Fall is Rory and Dorian's story. • friends to lovers • pining • d○cking • size difference • 🍆 size difference • big feels • only one bed These two, Rory and Dorian, almost kiss a few weeks before their big best bros trip. While Dorian can feel ALL the tension, Rory seems oblivious to it. Until Dorian realizes it's because Rory doesn't feel like he measures up. He doesn't think "a guy like Dorian" could be interested in a guy like him. Y'all, he is so wrong. D is DOWN BAD for th...

I am SO EXCITED FOR RORY'S BOOK!!!! Sweet Obsession (Sins of the Father book three) by Riley Hart sounds amazing. ☠️ Morally gray MCs 🔪 Touch him and die vibes ❤️ Found family ☠️ Codependence 🔪 Obsessive MC ❤️ Chaotic MC X Chaotic MC ☠️ Hook-up arrangement 🔪 Primal (ish) play Rory I’m beginning to unravel. When I meet Shai Burrows, he intrigues me enough that he has me stalking him, following him, watching him. And when I find out he’s the one who robbed me, instead of handling business, it only makes me obsess over him even more. But I can’t just let him get away with that, so we cut a deal. Shai will work off what he owes me, with his body, something he’s as eager about as I am. Because after that first touch, our worlds collide. We get off on danger and seek trouble we’re not supposed to find. He craves my body, and though I don’t understand it, I know I want him by my side. He’s my obsession, and I can’t help but want more. In fact, I want it all. And I’ll take it. Our world...

3.75 ⭐️ Love Language was a very short very cute "grumpy/sunshine" office mate romance. Ash and Dominic have ended up office mates by chance. Three and half years later they have snarked and bantered their way into each other's heart. In a push of bravery & "risk/reward" Ash makes his move. Again, this was very cute. I would have loved a longer story just so the details could have been more fleshed out. But again, VERY cute.

Y'all, I LOVED THIS STORY. I saw it available to arc read, and I took a chance. I am SO glad I did. I loved Cash & Wilder. If you love cowboy romances, 10/10 recommend this one. I've been crying off and on throughout the entire book. Wilder was such an amazing character. His back story was TOP TIER, and how he got introduced to the story kept me engaged the entire time. And Cash. Don't get me started on him. He is the perfect cowboy and the perfect place for Wilder to land. After being released from prison, omg that story broke my heart, Wilder goes back to his family ranch. But so much has changed, and so has he, and he doesn't quite feel like he fits anymore. Cash, the ranch foreman, is Wilder's boss... but he becomes so much more. This story has so much HEART and family dynamics. Lain, Wilder's brother and his family, also have to adjust with Wilder being back on the ranch. And the other ranch hands too. Everything is a part of the story. But there were s...

4.5 ⭐️ Determined to go into this Shane and Ilya thing a hater, because the hype, I can say I get it. The hype. It was a good story. Well, Ilya can get it. Hot Russians with big feelings. Yes please. 12/26/25 reread after I watched the first season of Heated Rivalry. Still amazing. The mental health journey. The plane. The therapist.  The ig account. It's everything.

I'm not sure what Eve Holmes is putting in her books - but they always leave me up in my feelings. BUMP START did not disappoint. Was this easy to read? No, it was not. But damn if it wasn't a incredible. • (serious) depression rep • addiction/recovery rep • professor/mc biker • obsession & posession • breath play • opposites attract Imma spoil things a bit so after this paragraph, if you want to avoid spoilers, be warned. I loved this book. Cade's depression felt exactly the same and also a mirror image of what mine looks like. Self destructive? Check. Recklessness as a form of self harm? Check. Leaning on alcohol? Been there, done that babes. Where they differ is while Cade is happy to hurt, to do ANYTHING to feel something - I chase not feeling anything. Where he feels numb, at my worst I feel everything to the point of overexposure. It broke my heart to read this book. In the best way. Cade was trying SO HARD to keep everything together and to keep showing up agains...

3⭐️ I didn't really love this one. I love the ranch setting and cowboy/barista aspect. Even the "teach me" vibes. But August was a prick. His "charm" came off as smarmy. I liked Tripp. Adorable, inexperienced and nervous. But under all that he had some fire and a lot of self respect. I like the idea of a player finding someone that makes them wanna settle down... but August really rubbed me the wrong way. ESPECIALLY the whole getting Tripp's address from his work "friend". Not only is that super unprofessional, it also isn't safe. And it's definitely not what a friend would do. ALSO it was cringe how August "charmed" the info out of Chloe. I really wanted to like this one, and maybe I would have if it wasn't a novella and we could have had more time to flesh out the characters. Maybe we could have gotten more of August's inner dialog. For the record, I'm not shaming a player or someone who is super into hook up culture...

 3.5 ⭐️ I had too high hopes for this, I fear. All the other Forestville books hit hard for me and this was just OK. I like the idea of the story more than the execution. • type 1 diabetes rep • age gap (14 years) • size difference • retired reporter/librarian • diverse family rep I liked Pascal and Stanton as characters, but there just wasn't enough time to really get that fire chemistry I knew could be there.

✨️heavy breathing✨️ Lark Taylor delivers again with EVAN, the second book in the Wild Edges series. Evan and Reid were brilliant. My heart is still aching a little. There was heavy grief, emotional damage, a little martyrdom, genuine laughs, cuteness, and falling in love. These two were something else. There was great representation, too. ADHD, anxiety, ptsd, grief, and the aftermath of abuse and how it continues to play tricks on you years later. The romance was GLORIOUS. I love an mc that is prepared to be miserable forever if it makes their person happy. Evan was all that and more - ready to do literally anything for Reid. I knew these two would be mates. But the JOURNEY. My lort, the journey was everything. He chucked my chin lightly. " Like I said, I've had weeks to come to this decision. Months, really. " " You've been wanting me from afar. It's not the same. " " Then let me want you up close ,' he rasped. " Give me a chance, Reid. Th...

Comfort reread 5⭐️ Usually, when reviewing a Lark book, I go full [redacted], but this book has been out for a while, and it's a reread for me. Needless to say, I found Devil's Mark on a lark *see what I did there* not long after its release and not even a chapter in, I thought "this will be an autoread author for me." - I wasn't wrong.  DEVIL'S MARK is wonderful, entertaining storytelling. It starts as most mysteries do, with a de ad body on a rug in a book shop.  Cal is one of the four princes of hell, but he lives "topside" on Earth. Content to live out his eternity in his bookshop, having casual hookups, and living his life. One night out at his brother's club, THE CLOSET, has his path and future directly in line with a man named Oscar.  ✨️Oscar continues to be my favorite character that Lark has ever written✨️  Oscar is a year out of the worst thing that has ever happened to him. After escaping an abusive relationship, he still struggles wit...

I picked this book up on a whim. WILDER was popping up over and over as I was scrolling booksta and I decided to give it a go. Sometimes, omegaverse hits the spot. Y'all, this was a smutty omegaverse delight. Especially if you love a little dose of hurt/comfort, protective but gentle alpha, and an omega who has been on his own way too long. • high spice 🥵 lots of smut • dirty talk • tired on the run omega • park ranger alpha • caretaking • hurt/comfort • reiterating this: lots of smut • age gap (early twenties/36) Before a snow storm, Ethan finds an omega, Ollie, nearing his heat in a ravine. Takes him home to his cabin in the woods and helps him through his heat. Ollie shares his secrets, and they both fall for each other pretty quickly. Shortie story, so expect things to happen pretty quickly. I enjoyed the hell out of this one, y'all. This is my first read by this author. I went from ku->own befire the halfway point of the story, too. Which is always a pretty good indic...

ROCKY START was S T U N N I N G. I know I've read it before, but damn. I was legit blown away by Avery and Malik. • bodyguard/bodyguard • ex Navy seal/ex intelligence officer • experimenting • awakening • lingerie • PRETTY • dirty talk • spanking • coming out • caretaking • light D/s • 🥵🔥 sex scenes • PTSD rep • disability (lost one arm in the Navy) rep These two. Oof. So good. Two coworkers: one comment turned "have you ever thought about...?" turned "we will figure it out"  turned FOREVER. Malik's intensity and adoration of Avery. Avery, being so so afraid to be himself. All the lingerie and pretty things.  This book was delicious. 100000000000000% recommend You don't have to read the series to enjoy. Definitely my favorite of the series. " And I want to share that life with you. I want to date, find new places to take you out to eat, hold hands, go out with friends and come back to my place and make out, and miss you on the nights you're no...

4.5 ⭐️ Determined to go into this Shane and Ilya thing a hater, because the hype, I can say I get it. The hype. It was a good story. Well, Ilya can get it. Hot Russians with big feelings. Yes please.

15/179 rereads for reviews delivers BAD DEAL with the A-List Security guys. Harley, the fixer, the no relationships guy falls HARD AND FAST for the anxiety ridden TV show creator, Ambrose, and the adorable ugly dog sidekick, Hercules. Before I even begin, I have to say, I loved this one. Not only because Harley had a later in life pan awakening- but because both these mcs approach intimacy differently. It isn’t all about anal and they're very clear and open about that. Watching these two navigate an assault, a road trip, a fake dating situation all while falling for each other... chef's kiss. They thought they could compartmentalize. They could not. I loved how Harley chose to be himself even when he was scared. Even when he knew his family and his friends at A-List would give him a hard time. He knew that Ambrose was EVERYTHING, so he did the work to keep him. The spicy scenes were damn near delectable. The jerk off scenes, the frotting, and the dirty talk? Yes, please. Maybe ...

14/179 rereads for reviews 🎶 and I'm keeping the series theme going with book 2 in the A-List Security series. Duncan, through his brother Danny's insistence, agrees to offer security on the last leg of Ezra Moon's concert tour. What the reader knows, and Duncan isn't willing to tell people, is that he is a BIG fan of Ezra's music, and Ezra himself. I remember the first time I read this & being swept away by Ezra, but this time he came off as a bit bratty. Assertive for sure, but definitely bratty. Duncan was too rigid and closed off & he needed the push, but still. They do the "in secret" thing for awhile because their chemistry is too much to ignore... but it isn't sustainable long term. Duncan and Ezra fall so hard and so fast. There was a good amount of sweet in this story and a LOT of Duncan's coming to terms with his attraction and reminding himself that he IS allowed to have this, if he wants it. He is ALLOWED to be happy. He just n...

4.5⭐️ I love a bodyguard romance, and the A-List Security series is just that!  Cash is recently retired from the Navy and is crashing with his old buddy, Duncan, who runs A-List Security. When Duncan's brother, former child actor Danny thinks he has a stalker, Duncan asks for a favor. Cash and Danny experience a naked yoga meet cute turned creepy gift/note delivery and the story starts to pop off with a vengeance. I love that Danny is so determined to help Cash figure himself out, and I loved that these two became exactly what the other was looking for. Danny, looking for a home and stability & Cash unknowingly, searching for the exact same thing. Expect: • bodyguard (ex Navy Seal) • former child actor • best friend's brother • age gap • forced proximity • cabin in the woods • a stalker • a queer awakening • recovery/addiction discussions • mentions of time in the service • first times • caretaking I really really loved this story. Cash and Danny were so toothachingly swe...

Original Review: I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH. INFINITY STARS. Y'all, FINLAY was everything I hoped it would be and more, honestly. Lark brings her sprawling storytelling, a sweeping romance packed with feels, and we get a hunky ripped wolf shifter. Yes, please. As much as I loved Finlay and seeing the wolf bros and more of the shifter clan, CHESTER and Reid stole the show for me. In Damned Collections, the short story collection, we meet Chester, and I KNEW this man would be my favorite. Even with everything he's been through, he's an absolute sweetheart. This isn't a spoiler, but there's a moment when he's thinking of his "Uncle Cal" and wishing he had gotten to know him... and WE know who Cal is... but Chester doesn't. And it's so remarkably sweet, and it just made me emotional. But that's so Chester, and seeing him in his shop and trying to get by... he's just so charming, and I so badly wanted him to get his HEA. AND HE DID!!! FAVE MO...

Good lord, I am UNWELL. WILDE LOVE is grandpa and doc's story and I am overwhelmed 😭😭😭😭😭 Weston and Liam's love story is epic, spanning over 40 years. They meet in Vietnam, during the war. Liam is married and has a family back in Texas and Weston (Major) is gay, and hiding. Major falls for Liam practically the moment he lays eyes on him. They're best friends, and brothers (like soldiers become in war)... but they are also so much more. The pining. The yearning. The patience. The trust. My heart was in my throat the entire time I read their story. And I knew they were happy together because they have been in the previous 5 books, but it felt so impossible. Their love story is brilliant. And beautiful. And heartbreaking. I loved them so much. Maybe I'll cry it out for awhile. I am so shook up. Yes, I am going to go sob now. Don't read past this line if you don't want spoilers. I am dead serious. I am gonna ramble a minute. I think I am so twisted up by this s...

Another read for my ✨️you already have books at home✨️ series where I, you guessed, read a book that I already own and haven't read. In case you missed it, I counted over 1100 books I already own and haven't read yet, girl, read the books you own LOL. I LOVED His Saint. I love Lucy Lennox. I love the Forever Wilde series. Saint Wilde, the ex Navy SEAL, Fuck Boi. With everyone settling down, and Saint being temporarily reassigned to his small Texas hometown, he sets his sights on Augie. August (Augie) runs the antique store. He's also from a wealthy family and suddenly he is experiencing break-ins and robberies. Saint is set to teach him self defense moves... and things between them escalate. I loved this story, even though I wanted to shake Augie by the shoulders. Of course his family messed him up and he tries to handle everything on his own. Who doesn't trust the 6ft5 retired Navy Seal?! Stop being a dummy and trust that man. *he does* This story was sweet and had a ...

12/179 rereads for reviewing 💚 holy geez was this a cute one. Who doesn't love an mc who is unapologetically themselves? Frat Wars: Master of Mayhem is Robbie and Brandon's story. The chaos king and the frat's risk manager. They're friends who have always been close, but when Chad and Bailey (from book one) go official at the Sigma frat, the SOUNDS have Robbie a little more than interested in the D. Robbie is sweet and entertaining and absolutely into Brandon way before he realizes it. Brandon is thinking he may get his heart broken, he IS a relationship guy at heart and Robbie is... not that. But these two communicate, look after each other, and eventually there are some pretty BIG MOMENTS. Swoonworthy and hot, in equal measure. Marching band declarations and nurse maid outfits. I was 100% here for it. Book two of this series is solidly in ✨️feel good✨️ territory. It was sweet watching these two fumble their way into a relationship. I mean, BROlationship.

Reread 11/179 💜 I wanted lighthearted and fun, and FRAT WARS: King of Thieves delivered. Two rival frats. Chad Doomsen is VP of Sigma, the jock fraternity. Baily Prince is a transfer to Kappa, Sigma's biggest rival, and also the "rich" fraternity. When they meet, Chad and Bailey have no idea they're in rival frats. They do try to stay away from the other, but the chemistry is just too strong.  I enjoyed every minute of this story. I specifically enjoyed the fact that they were NOT looking for partners, Chad even wanted to be a slut his final year. But when you know, you know. I also enjoyed how communication kept this story from feeling played out. Yes, they come from different financial backgrounds, but they talked about it. Super healthy, and I loved that for them. Even when the big prank happened, Chad aand Bailey talked about it and planned together. This story is so squishy. I loved them. "I'm not supposed to have fun with him. I'm not supposed to c...

Short mini review: UNWRAPPING CHRISTMAS is set in Kelly Fox's Rebel Sky Ranch universe. Shortie Christmas novella featuring: • cowboy/emo-goth • k!nk • volunteering • outdoor work • communication & k!nk negotiation • s3x toys • ○rgasam control • pleasure d○m • f!st!ng • nicknames & honorifics If you're looking for a Christmas novella heavy on figuring life out and k!nky s3x times - this is it. 10/179 rereads for reviews. Real talk, I didn't really love Junior, our cowboy mc. He was kind of a judgemental dick, until he wasn't. The smut scenes were fire, but their chemistry fizzled out for me. As much as I loved the story, and Tanner the other mc, Junior just didn't hit. 3.75 ⭐️

HON-EY. This novella was 🔥✨️🔥✨️🔥✨️🔥✨️ hot and magical. NFR rodeo championship in Las Vegas. Two roping partners: Ansel & Henry. Henry gets cheated on my by his buckle bunny gf and Ansel swoops in to save the day. I'm not giving anymore away. But Bareback also features: • spitting in his mouth (🥵🥵🥵) • obviously they go bareback • rope play • and a pining scene that is (&!**!!+×) • p l e a s e Bareback is available in the KU store and its also only 99 cents. So obviously I followed the well trod path of downloading it to KU only to turn around and buy it. In my reading journal, that notation is KU -> OWN  😂🫠🫠 BAREBACK was hot, there are 2 other novellas availible. One looks like an MF primal play story and the other is a WW Sapphic revenge? Barnes seems very multi-genre! But they sure as hell can write a cowboy story, and honestly, I AM HERE FOR IT. I loved Henry and Ansel. My only issue was it was 96 pages. I could have happily read 400.

Saddle to Sunup was one of my most anticipated reads of this year. And my girl Emmy Sanders DELIVERED.  Lawson and Oakley were not at all what I was expecting, and it was perfection. • mature mcs • childhood bffs to lovers • Aspec rep • Darling family shenanigans • teacher/cowboy (rancher) • pillow princess I desperately don't want to spoil anything. This story had me hooked on the first page. Basically, this book features AMAZING communication, devotion, and patience. The feelings were so big in this one. The search for labels and identity while knowing in your heart what you need... Chef's. Kiss. I am not kidding. This book was stunning. Saddle to Sunup is out 12/18. I will absolutely be rereading before then because christ on a cracker, what a romance. This book was so damn romantic.

We continue on with my newest series YOU HAVE BOOKS AT HOME. Hudson's Luck was not what I was expecting, in the best way!  Hudson, the oldest Wilde child is orderly and proper. He is very fussy and family oriented. He also thinks he is straight until he goes to Ireland on business and meets Charlie. Charlie honestly sounds like a femme babe icon, truly. So they have one night in Ireland, and Hudson goes home. Later, Charlie goes to Hobie for business (lots of business happening) and there are all kinds of feelings when the two meet again. Protective. Possessive. Jealous. MINE. They work it out and it is entertaining all the while. Hudson's brothers & the grandpas make an appearance as well. But honestly, most of the book was two men trying NOT to fall in love and it happening anyway. Thank gob for that. Oh, and there is a scene involving flights, airports, and a run to the pub. Very romantic. Was the book perfect? No. But the vibes were VIBING. 5⭐️ Mainly for Charlie's ...