Smexy Books

Romance and Urban Fantasy Reviews

  • Review Request
  • Contact
    • Smexy Reviewers Profiles
    • New Reviewer Application
    • Contact
  • Advertising
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • By Genre
      • BDSM
      • Contemporary
      • Erotic
      • Fantasy
      • F/F
      • Historical Romance
      • Historical PNR
      • LGBTQ+
      • M/M Romance
      • New Adult
      • Urban Fantasy
      • Paranormal Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Romantic Suspense
      • Young Adult
    • By Letter Grade Rating
      • A Reviews
      • B Reviews
      • C Reviews
      • D Reviews
      • DNF Reviews
  • Features
    • New Releases
    • Smexy Deals!
    • Retro Review
    • Weekly Wrap-Up
    • Blog Tour
    • Scenic Sunday
    • To Be Read
    • Guest Post
    • Top Ten/Happy Friday
    • Smex Scene Sunday
  • The Psy/Changeling Channel
You are here: Home / A Review / Kini’s Friday Kisses

Kini’s Friday Kisses

December 7, 2018 by Kini 2 Comments

Smexy folks, I have missed you terribly but I am back. Life required my attention a little more than I would have liked recently and it kept me from writing any reviews. It didn’t keep me from reading though, I have lots of books to talk about this week.

First up, I ordered the new Kindle Paperwhite and I mostly love it. It came with 6 months of KU so I am trying to catch up on some KU reads :)

Adventures in Online Dating by Julie Particka– I LOVE stories centered around online dating. Add in an older (40+) heroine and I will one click the heck out of it. Sadly this book was kind of lame. I never really connected with either the hero or heroine. There was some low key slut shaming, plot moppet children, and it just wasn’t very interesting. It was VERY similar to the Steeped in Love book I read recently, but was somehow less interesting. I am not even sure why I finished it.

Grade: C-
Amazon l Goodreads

The Hero and the Hacktivist by Pippa Grant– I read the first two by Grant and really enjoyed them. But then I couldn’t keep up. I used by first KU borrow to read this book and it was a lot of fun. The “suspensey” part was a little too convoluted for me, but I tried to glance over it. Grant writes fun, fast paced, and sexy love stories- all things I need these days. Rhett and Ellie were a good match and I enjoyed reading their story.

Grade: B
Amazon l Goodreads

 

Only Love by Melanie Harlow– Sadly this wasn’t on KU but I took a risk and bought the book. I read a couple of books by Harlow in the past and enjoyed them. This book was kind of meh for me. The blurb mentioned tortured Marine hero and that is my jam. But once I started reading, I was pretty bored by them. The heroine Stella’s grandmother has a pretty big role but I was annoyed by her and her sole focus of finding a man for Stella. This book does not pass the Bechdel test. I just wanted more depth from Ryan and Stella.  

One thing that I really, really appreciated is that in the back Harlow had information about Suicide Prevention and the Lifeline number. There is a minor side character in the book that dies by suicide so the information is relevant.

Grade: C
Amazon l Goodreads

The One You Fight For by Roni Loren- This doesn’t pub until January of 2019 but I needed an angsty read that I was sure to enjoy. Loren did not disappoint. I have loved every story in this series centered around survivors of a school shooting. Taryn, the heroine, by some weird circumstances befriends Shaw Miller, who’s brother was the Long Acre shooter. They shouldn’t be friends or more. This was a take on forbidden love and I LOVED every moment of it. I was in incredibly invested Taryn and Shaw’s love story and on them finding and fighting for their HEA.

I think I have mentioned in every review for the books in this series that I recognize that the content is incredibly heavy and not for everyone. But if you can handle the premise, I think the payoff is worth it. There is one more friend in the group that hasn’t gotten her HEA and I will be curious to see if she gets her story.

Grade: A
Amazon l Goodreads

My Favorite Half Night Stand by Christina Lauren. I thought this book/premise sounded cute as you know I am a sucker for online dating stories. The online component was great and contained some epistolaryness (is that a word? Who knows, but you should know that the heroine and hero have some back and forth via emails.)

The Millie and Reid were great and I wanted them to work their shit out. I text Smexy Angela  my excitement when I knew the black moment was around the corner because I wanted to see how they would work it out. I was heavily invested in Millie and Reid as well as their friend group and their side love stories.

One downside, and this is a big one, the sex scenes are mostly off page or fairly tame. I think CLo have left their roots of having super sexy times behind. But other than that, I really enjoyed this book.

Grade: B
Amazon l Goodreads

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • More
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Filed Under: A Review, B Review, C Review, Christina Lauren, Discussion, Kindle Unlimited, Kini, kinisfridaykisses, Melanie Harlow, Pippa Grant, Roni Loren

Comments

  1. DiscoDollyDeb says

    December 7, 2018 at 10:08 am

    I have the Melanie Harlow on my tbr. In the past, I think she’s done a good job of writing books about having (or loving someone who has) a mental illness. When I read the plot summary of ONLY LOVE, I was concerned the story was a little too similar to that of my favorite Harlow, AFTER WE FALL, which also features a veteran with PTSD. Also, I find that “feisty grandma” is fast replacing “plot muppet” as my least favorite romance novel device.

    Loading...
    Reply
    • Kini says

      December 7, 2018 at 10:13 am

      I definitely had a note to myself that Grams was 100% plot moppet. I am not here for it.
      I read After We fall a long time ago and I did really like how Harlow portrays mental illnesses in her books. But a lot of the plot felt recycled and too easy. It wasn’t horrible, it just didn’t feel new to me or have the depth I really wanted.
      YMMV

      Loading...
      Reply

Leave a Reply to KiniCancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Welcome to Smexy! If you are reader feel free to use our search feature to find a specific book or browse through our features to find Smexy Deals, New Releases, and book news!

As an Amazon Associate, we do earn from qualifying purchases. We also earn a small commission on affiliate links to Apple, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords,  Booksamillion, and Bookshop,org.

 

Shop our Affiliates!

Amazon

B&N

Apple

Smashwords

Booksamillion

Angela

Melanie

Jen

Kate

Iby

Kate H.

Sign Up for Daily Emails


Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

.

Follow Us!

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterFollow Us on Instagram

Top Posts & Pages

  • Smexy Deals- Deals for books by Sarah Hawley, Alex Aster, Lisa Kleypas, and more!
    Smexy Deals- Deals for books by Sarah Hawley, Alex Aster, Lisa Kleypas, and more!
  • Smexy’s Top Ten Favorite Sex Scenes of 2012
    Smexy’s Top Ten Favorite Sex Scenes of 2012
  • Sunday Smexy Deals!
    Sunday Smexy Deals!
  • Review: The Finish Line by Kate Stewart
    Review: The Finish Line by Kate Stewart
  • Smex Scene Sunday
    Smex Scene Sunday
  • Review: Manacled by SenLinYu
    Review: Manacled by SenLinYu
  • Steamy Excerpt from Everything's Better With Lisa by Lucy Eden
    Steamy Excerpt from Everything's Better With Lisa by Lucy Eden
  • Review: The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros
    Review: The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros
  • Weekly Wrap-Up
    Weekly Wrap-Up
  • New Releases- Week of June 30- July 4, 2025
    New Releases- Week of June 30- July 4, 2025

Disclosure

The majority of the books reviewed at this site have been provided for free by publishers, authors, or other third parties like NetGalley or Edelweiss. Acceptance of a free copy does not guarantee a review or a positive review.

As an Amazon Associate, we do earn from qualifying purchases. We also earn a small commission on affiliate links to Apple, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and Booksamillion.

Shop our Affiliates!

Amazon

B&N

Apple

Smashwords

Booksamillion

 

Find Our Reviewers

Angela @fv-angela.bsky.social l Goodreads

Melanie @melonreads.bsky.social l  Goodreads

Jen .@thebooknista l Goodreads

Kate  @kateminasian l Goodreads

Iby Instagram l Goodreads

Kate H. @Naranjadia l Goodreads

Copyright © 2025 · Beautiful Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d