teereadsbooks's reviews
748 reviews

Caulky by K.M. Neuhold

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Simple, sweet, fun, and spicy. A great low angst read if you're in the mood for a relaxing story. Ren and Cole were funny and so adorable. This had miscommunication, but in a way that I was okay with. They weren't aware that they were (kind of sort of a situation of mistaken identity in a way). But once they figured it out, they actually talked things out. The pacing was good, the story was fun and interesting, and the characters were likable but also had depth. This is thoroughly enjoyable and a fun read.
Just for the Cameras by Viano Oniomoh

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.75

I love stories with positive sex worker representation while also showing some of the realities (like that of Jordanne's rocky relationship with her family in Nigeria). The story is interesting, the characters are real and complex, and the spice is definitely hot.  I loved the communication between the characters, especially Jordanne and Kian from the beginning, and then the three of them towards the end. Luka was especially interesting. I love his demi rep and how Viano Oniomoh presented his unique experience with his sexuality. In all honesty, I have read 5 books from this author, and each one has been amazing. This one was no different. This is definitely worth checking out if you want a story with amazing spice with even better character analysis and growth. It's layered, complex, and just all-around interesting. 
Putting Out for a Hero by C. Rochelle

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adventurous emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25

I really love this series. It's just so much fun. The Suarez clan is so ridiculous, and I love them all. Balty is no exception. I really enjoyed this continuation of the overarching story of this series. The plot was interesting, and the romance between Balty and Zion was both hilarious and sweet. I really love Zion's character. He is super interesting and intriguing. I am so happy to have him as an addition to the growing Suarez clan. All in all, I really loved this. My only issue is the ending felt a little rushed and sudden. I know it continues on, but it wasn't quite a cliffhanger. It almost felt like the author had to rush to finish it. That said, this is still great, and I really look forward to the rest of this series. 
A Gentleman's Gentleman by TJ Alexander

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emotional hopeful informative slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Okay, I'll be honest with you, this was a rather slow start, but I am so glad I stayed with it. This was just a fun and heartfelt story. I was quickly drawn to this being a queer historical romance with trans rep. We don't see much of that. T.J. Alexander did that wonderfully. This is their first foray into historical romance, and you can kind of tell, but there's so much potential for even more of this from them. I really loved Christopher's character. I really related to how he describes his feelings towards his identity and the way he internalized everything. The latter is so relatable. James remained a mystery for much of the book, and even after his little reveal, he still felt like a bit of an enigma. Overall, I really enjoyed this slow burn romance and the trans rep in a historical romance. There are some little things that I didn't fully vibe with, but as a whole, I had a lot of fun with this story. I really love T.J. Alexander and their work. I look forward to more from them, and hopefully, more queer historical romance.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Shots on Net by J.J. Mulder

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

This story was way more sweet than I was expecting, but I kind of liked it. This focuses heavily on relationship and character development, which I really loved. We get to experience their bumpy road as they go in a realistic journey together. They communicate, but it's definitely not perfect, and it takes some time for them to get there. Zeke's demi identity was so well done and extremely believable and relatable. Overall, I quite enjoyed this book. The only thing I'm not 100% on board with is how the ending was handled. It felt a little sudden to me, which felt jarring considering the great pacing of the rest of the story. Still definitely worth the read.
King of Hollywood by Fae Quin

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

2.25

Oof. I have some thoughts. I saw so many good things about this one, and I wanted to love this, but there were some things that were too much to look past for me to love it. I came really close to DNF'ing, but I had already read 70%, so I decided to just finish it. Now, I had a lot of fun with Bite Me! (You Know I Like It) by this author, which also has vampires. I think where this one went wrong was how Marshall's character was presented. I think the author's intention was for him to be comedic relief as an oblivious idiot, but, to me, his character came across as autistic coded. And a caricature of autism at that. He mentions his struggles with social cues, his dislike of physical touch, his need for structure, which are all traits that are extremely common and prevalent in autistic people. There came a point in the story where I started feeling like Marshall was being mocked for this (his struggles with social cues being a big one), and it just wasn't funny to me. The big reveal went on too long. We, the audience, knew what it was. We were just watching Marshall struggle to figure it out despite it seeming obvious because he struggles with that. The character presentation and story pacing just didn't work for me (the book felt longer than the story really needed), and this story just felt more problematic than anything. I really hope this is a one-off for this author because I would love to give her another chance. She just needs to be more mindful and conscientious about how she is writing and presenting her characters.
Prince of Lust by Lucien Burr

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adventurous challenging dark emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Short, spicy af, and sacrilegious. My queer aethist heart with religious trauma loved this so much. It's so simple and quick, but so so good. A priest summons a demon for absolutely filthy things. What's not to love?  
The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes

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challenging emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I fell in love with this story HARD. There's so much real emotion, and it is so well done. The mental health rep hit me really close to home, and Cesar's own experiences felt almost exactly like my own. I really enjoyed coming along on Yami's journey. The author does a wonderful job at detailing the intersectionality between race, sexuality, and religion. It's complex and complicated, but so so real. Yami's journey with coming out felt so relatable, and I truly feel this is something so many queer people can empathize with. All the characters in this story are so interesting and layered. I really loved the depth and complicated family dynamic of the Flores. They also grow and develop throughout the story, and I really love where they ended up. Overall, this was an absolutely amazing read, and I'm beating myself up for not having read it sooner.
The Rules of Royalty by Cale Dietrich

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

As a millennial who grew up loving The Princess Diaries (and who are we kidding, I still love it) and who is queer, The Rules Of Royalty is exactly my thing. This story is fun and real despite the outlandishness of the premise. The characters drive the story, and their growth and development as queer teens is very relatable, with a side of craziness with their royal identities. Ultimately, this story is about self-acceptance and standing up for yourself. It's sweet, genuine, and just so much fun. I listened to this on audio, and that was a super fun experience. The narrators (Major Curda and Max Meyers)  did a wonderful job of embodying the characters of Erik and Jamie. This story is simple and easy to enjoy. If you're queer and love The Princess Diaries, then this is definitely worth checking out.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Just Bromantically Invested by Saxon James

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emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

So, Saxon James is a comfort read author for me. I have really enjoyed this series so far. Although, I think this installment is my least favorite of the bunch. I really love Madden so much. I have been looking forward to his story from the beginning. I really liked getting a more inside look into his and Penn's friendship. Their relationship development was very organic and interesting to see. For the most part, they developed really good communication, but it did take a minute. I loved seeing the rest of the Big Bertha family again as well. Where I struggled was the story. It just kind of fell flat. Not much happened, and then it ended. It didn't need drama and intrigue, but the story just didn't have much going on. What's keeping this one from being a super low rating is the fact that this was built on a good foundation from the previous books in the series and the found family is always something I'm soft for. I also have so much love for Saxon James and her work, so I just can't hate it. It's just not up there as a favorite of mine.