Caffeinated Crystal's book reviews

It's release day for PROBLEM CHILD 🧡 and the ending of a great series! The Foster Bro Code books were entertaining as hell, and I am sad they're over. Bailey, the baby of the family, is off at college fulfilling everyones dreams but his own. He wants to be working in the family garage with Flynn. But his brothers won't like that either. This is the story of Bailey's growing pains. We get a lot of Flynn's doubts and Bailey making some interesting choices 👀 and some new characters through Redemption Road! Oh, and of course someone is up to something, because something is ALWAYS happening to these babies.  Problem Child was entertaining, and I always enjoy coming back to familiar characters and wonderful stories. I enjoyed the brother's acceptance of Flynn. I love how even though they got their HEAs, Axel and Holden are still messed up. Sad the series had to end, definitely recommend!

 I loved the first two books of this series! Anthony and Tatum? Perfect. Mikhail and Angel? Lovely. I was excited to read Bane's book because he has been such a CHARACTER throughout the entire series. I think folks are gonna love this story, but tragically, it was not for me. I read it all the way through because I wanted to know who the baddie was, and what the hell was going on... and it did end well. We got the story, and I loved that. I very much enjoyed Bane's background info and parts of his pov. I also loved seeing previous characters from the books pop up again, it felt like visiting friends. I'm glad Bane got the ending he wanted. Again, the story wrapped up well and I was happy to see that too. Cora's books are all interconnected, and her friend's universes are too. I love those little Easter eggs for the reader. I didn't love Greorgiy, or the relationship with Bane. It felt too over the top at times. *I will reiterate that I genuinely think most peopl...

4 ⭐️ original review: "Are you... shy?" This scene. OH MY GOD. FELIX was a delicious blend of kinky & dirty & squishy sweet. I ADORED this book and these characters. Emil *Felix* is the nerdy, quiet psychology student who side hustles at Elite 8 Studios. He's been an actor there for years because he loves it, it's good money, his friends are there and... he's an exhibitionist. Like... a real one. The way it's written is PERFECT. Also, side note, the crab storyline, yes... actual hermit crabs, was beyond cute. I die. Christian *Vixen* has a new nerdy neighbor, and he can see right into his window. [[[Redacted storyline, but OMG screaming crying throwing up]]] He starts work at Elite 8 and recognizes Emil. The mcs have incredible chemistry. Inside AND outside the studio. Alex's enchantment over Christian's "femboy-ness" was pretty much all of us as we got to know Christian and his personality and his style. And the way it translat...

4.75 ⭐️ original review: TEDDY, the latest book in the Elite 8 Studios series was the perfect blend of sweet syrupy goodness and super hot with a little daddy thrown in.  So you already know, I LOVED IT. What starts as an accidental drunken Vegas wedding ends with the sweetest happily ever after. Teddy and Kipp have known each other for a year. While Kipp is super here for it and flirty, Teddy keeps his distance. At a party thrown by the ever ridiculous and enigmatic Alex (Tink!), Teddy and Kipp are thrown into each other's orbit by chemistry, booze, a dildo crown, a drunken Vegas wedding, and then we get their story. Teddy and Kipp both have baggage in their closet, and they've both been hurt before. I won't spoil that because it's a great part of the story. Needless to say, the plot is plotting in this one. What I enjoyed most was the fact that these two are both SO INTO EACH OTHER, but they are both so terrified. To love, to communicate, to be open to heartache. And ...

4.75 ⭐️ original review: Himbo is book 4 in the Elite 8 Studio series and ... when I tell you that this book is SWOONY and full of feels, I need you to believe me. I was a blob of goop after reading this one. *sighs dreamily* I laughed and cried, and this love story was magic. Cas [Himbo] is more privileged than most. But with that comes feelings of inadequacy, and it doesn't help that he's had a run of partners that just use him for [insert greedy ways here]. He just wants to be happy and feel worthy. His entire backstory is full of things that make you wanna go full feral protection mode. Jason is the barista at Hyped, the coffee shop near the studio. He works full time and is wrapping up nursing school, and he has a backstory that is gonna make you wanna HUG HIM. Throw in the fact that he's demi and a virgin. He feels like he'll never meet the one who thinks he's worth the wait. Thanks to Alex's meddling, Cas and Jason meet. Their meet-cute disaster is adorab...

Okay. Real talk. As a reader, we like what we like. We don't talk shit about each other's kinks and tastes in stories. With that being said, and this is not a criticism, I don't usually read MMM stories. I'm not a why choose, harem, poly, triad girlie - but I'm never completely opposed, especially from a trusted author. We like what we like. I've had TINK on my Kindle forever, I bought it last year. But since it was MMM I figured I would just never read it. But I wanted to have it for the collection, you know? I am SO GLAD I read this story. SO SO glad. Alex, Rowan, and Finn were so perfect and so in love. My heart! Alex and Rowan meet through an app. A date with "destiny"✨️ Destiny being Rowan's dick✨️ Finn, Rowan's neighbor has been down bad for Rowan but never worked up the nerve to ask him out. When Finn walks in on Alex and Ro in the act, Alex clocks Finn's desire and bows out. But Finn thinks that Rowan can date them both. What start...

Malibu, book two of the Elite 8 series, is a stunning read full of growth and a really good picture of what navigating PTSD, triggers, anxiety, and other physical disabilities like blindness can look like. The romance? Lovely. Who doesn't enjoy a sex worker and a rich man falling in love? It's giving... queer Pretty Woman vibes, and that's a compliment. But this story is way more than all that. In Dix we see Malibu "hitting bottom." In debt up to his ears, and doing everything he can think of to survive it because he doesn't want "to be a monster." ✨️side note: I absolutely would have been "a monster" to Dorothy✨️ So Mal works at Elite 8, he escorts & he also cams when he isn't working the other two jobs. When his handler? Madam? books him a job with a GOLD client Mal finally sees a way out. Six months, exclusive & live-in with his client, and he receives a pay out of $500,000. It's too good to be true. Henrik is blind and u...

DIX, the first official book of the Elite 8 series, is so good. Dixon and Niko were such a fun read. I consider Virgin Hearts the prequel, since we get Mateo's (Silver's) story and meet some of the other p○rn actors before the official kick off of the series. Dix (Dixon), who has been in the p○rn game for a long time, is paired with the newest actor at Elite 8, Adonis (Niko), for a series of boyfriend-esque videos. Dixon hates Niko on sight, but our boy doth protest too much. While he may "hate" Niko, the two have amazing chemistry and soon after the start of the videos, the lines between real and "for the cameras" begin to blur. A string of previous bad relationships make Dixon believe he is boring, Niko thinks he's a soft grumpy bear. The two push and pull and eventually begin to see each other as exactly who they are...and that's where the love begins. I love the found family aspect of this story & series. I love how as grumpy and standoffish ...

Virgin Hearts is a book I knew I would love, so I hoarded it away, like a ✨️PRECIOUS✨️ (gollum's voice) and saved it for the right time. Last night, Emmy took me back to Plum Valley and I had the BEST time. Virgin Hearts is Hawthorne's story. We'll, originally I thought it was gonna be Hawthorne's story. But really, it was Mateo's. I was planning a DIX, and then Elite 8, reread but thought, I want Silver's story. Hear me, I am SO GLAD I read this. • age gap • cowboy/p○rn star • first time (with a man) • later in life awakening • past DV • scared to love • falling in love over the phone/facetime • found family Hawthorne wins a giveaway from Elite 8, he wins A GAY FOR A DAY and $5000 for an event. Hawthorne wants to help his nephew plan the first Plum Valley Pride day. Mateo wants to go on vacation, somewhere with a cabana boy LOL. But Hawthorne's video application locks him into going to Texas for a week. I like that this is really a story about falling in lo...

Jesse H Reign is some sort of high priestess sorcerer. A witch. A word witch. This story isn't like her usual books, but it's still a Jesse book. It still feels sprawling and and leaves you feeling like you've just EXPERIENCED something. This is fast burn feelings and slow burn sex. This is connection and disassociation and realization. This is acknowledging when you've fucked up and trying to make it right and it's also a little self destruction mental angst. It's enormous feelings and mcs that feel unreal and also starkly real, all at once. What left me reeling more than anything else was the foreboding sense of DREAD. I felt like something ominous was gonna drag me to wherever Lennon was and I did NOT want to go there. Leave me in the light of sunrise with Connor, truly. Is that sense of foreboding bad? NO. Because I trust Jesse to leave me at an HEA, and thank gods she did. Lennon and Connor were fantastic. The side characters were intriguing and kept me tur...

I finished Daddy, book one of the Kinky Boys series, and UGH. I forgot how much I LOVE Joey & Hunter. This is 01/163 rereads for reviewing. Joey is the main cameraman for the Ballsy Boys porn studio in LA, but family stuff has Joey having to relocate to Las Vegas. Thankfully Hunter, also known as Daddy, wants to starts a kink porn studio and needs a cameraman. Then we get to watch these two slowly fall for each other. Joey is a mess. He needs a daddy. But he also thinks he's straight. Watching Joey figure out his sexuality was a TREAT. During my first read this one of the first books I read with a demisexual character and I remember being just blown away by aspec representation. During this reread, I realized this was one of the best representations I've seen. Joey's journey is wonderful. And the Daddy kink is immaculate. • cameraman/studio owner • Daddy kink • mature mcs (40s) • demi representation • aspec representation • navigating difficult family situations • caret...

Just finished this little novella and OMG I loved it!!! I went in with zero expectations and I was left so smitten. So so so smitten. Samuel gets trapped in an elevator with a man named Tris, finds out his bf is a cheater on the night he THOUGHT there would be a proposal... which just happened to be Valentine's day, and gets his world turned around by a consent KING. Samuel and Tris had amazing chemistry. They were so into each other so fast. Mutual trust and attraction working overtime. My only complaint is that this wasn't a 400 page story. I would have FEASTED. • rich (humble) man/construction company owner • blue collar man vibes 🔥🔥🔥 • stuck in an elevator meet cute • kink • consent • roleplay • caretaking • light humiliation kink I'm honestly not sure if this is available anymore, but if its been chilling in your tbr folder, dig it up! I loved these two so much!

A/B/O universe mafia story. An aging alpha Don needs an heir. An omega forensic accountant who doesn't want to lose his autonomy. An agreement. A partnership. With maybe more. Heat-mated and pregnant, there are haters and fans. Don Salvatore is down bad quick for Marco. Lots happens. This read like omegaverse fanfic, and that is not a complaint. 3.75⭐️