Horse Talk Reviews

If you were here last year you may remember me saying I was going to stick with Hallmark movies instead of reading Christmas romance books in 2023. WELL GUESS WHAT. I lied. I watched basically zero Hallmark movies and read approximately three thousand Christmas books because I did not choose self-care. This year's crop of Christmas horrors was worse than last year's which is saying a lot. Even more death, even more mayhem, even less romance, and even more overly dramatic dingalings ruining Christmas for everyone around them but especially ruining it for me. Also, apologies this is super late I was busy doing stuff like "not reading" and "procrastinating" and "washing my hair" and didn't finish the last Christmas book until December 30th. Just like last year, I've ordered the reviews below based on the rating I gave them on Goodreads from highest to lowest. Clicking on the title of the book will take you directly to my Goodreads review. ...

These are the books I read from July 29th to August 5th! Husband Material by Alexis Hall 1 star I did not like this at all. I can't even summarize everything I thought about it into a pithy sentence review, mostly because I am still so exhausted from reading this book, so if you want details you can see my goodreads review and book highlights here Late Bloomer by Morgan Hawes 5 stars Super long, super slow burn omegaverse? Heck yes. Total chefskiss for me. And by "super long" I mean "extremely super long not even an exaggeration so don't go in expecting a cute little fluffy book because this is not it". So good though. Gave me all the cow book domestic slow burn vibes I could ever want. Note: there are no on page cows in this book.

These are the books I read from July 15th to July 22nd! His Secret Omega Co-ed by Ava Beringer 3 stars Omegaverse mpreg fluff. Had some weird pacing and way too many reference-style jokes but overall enjoyable. I do have suspicions the book is a vehicle for the author's platform against the pharmaceutical industry, though. Redemption of a Slave by Laura Taylor 4 stars A bit heavier of an omegaverse mpreg book with slavery and assault and omegas are not treated well at all in this universe. It had some very interesting takes on the omegaverse biology including making an actual use for betas! The romance was very sweet and slowburn. Medium brow omegaverse. Playing for Keeps by Beth Bolden DNF 41% No Rating OK I was totally going along with this book even if it was looking to be a 3 star at best read but then there was a scene where the two MCs and one of the MCs dads end up in the steam room naked together and have a *serious* talk. In the steam room! While naked! A dad and...

My reads for the week of July 9-15! A mixed bag. Contract Season by Cait Nary ARC 4/5 This was a lovely fake relationship book between a hockey player and a country musician star. It was more …sedate? than my typical experience with fake relationships and musician stories, much more smooth emotional arc. I really enjoyed it. And there were no lyrics!!! None at all!!!!! just feels. Whit by Cora Rose Kindle Unlimited 4/5 I didn’t expect to like this one so much! Caleb is just a total himbo and it was very cute seeing him attempt to understand his obsession/attraction to Whit, and Whit dealing with this giant dumbass golden retriever of a person. Very cute and sweet. The writing was choppy at the beginning but it smoothed out. Jack Addison vs a Pack of Horny Werewolves and Jack Addison vs Centaur Pimps by KA Merikan Kindle Unlimited 4/5 both Story 3 and 4 in this serial. Fun, monsterfucking, starting to get emotional development going now too! Very curious where it’ll all go. ...

This included the tail end of Discord bingo for pride month , which involved a lot of regret. Books I finished Bound to Two Bears by Kelex free, 1/5 sweet embrace of death this was for Bad Lube square (mud), and the bears were extreme dub con?? it was pretty messed up honestly. Learning the Ropes by RJ Moray  Kindle Unlimited no rating for the Diagram square (shibari). no rating because I don’t like anything about this setup or this authors writing lmao Brother Dear and Brother Mine by R Phoenix smash words, 3/5 both Fun not-romance dark bonkers stuff. Twincest. The writing style didn’t really work for me, which I think made the story fall a little less fun. I did like the ending a lot, very creative and unique. Consequences of Crying by Abigail Kade Kindle Unlimited 2/5 Still haven’t learned my lesson about multi author series, but this one is such a neat premise (fairytales!!). This sucked. I should have DNFd but i was curious about the plot and jumped to the ...

the weekly chaos. Bingo continues. Read Omega Bloodlines by Kaia Pierce - Royal Alphas 1 Kindle Unlimited 3/5 Unintentionally hilarious word choices. Otherwise it’s a forgettable surface omega-shifterverse. A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland ARC 2/5 I really wanted to like this, I thought it would be an amazing fit for me - fantasy, intrigue, mystery, gay…sounded so perfect! It wasn’t. It was missing on all counts honestly, I don’t feel like retyping my review but it was such a disappointment. I hope it works for other people at least. Blue Storm by Adara Wolf Kindle Unlimited 5/5 an MMm story (capitalization deliberate), Adara can get me to read pretty much anything. This was emotionally destructive, I am still recovering from the oofowie two days later. Probably the most emotionally brutal HEA ever. A Poet, A Prince by Adara Wolf - Saga of the City by the Flowers 0.5 4/5 A prequel to a series I haven’t read yet. Fun characters, nicely ominous, looking forward...

Coming out of a reading slump, and it is not going just fine. back into my cage Bingo continues its assault. Read Omega for the Pack by NJ Lysk 4/5 Lysk does existential erotic horror very well. …yeah. Million Dollar Daddy by RJ Moray Kindle Unlimited 2/5 I read this for bingo, for the daddy square. I thought my greatest dislike would be the daddy kink since I don’t like that….but I hated the characters. They were mean and boring. Daddy kink was mild. Binding Breath by Adara Wolf 4/5 I love Adara Wolf - this is a fun novella set in kind of an alt-historical magic 1920’s ish time (i’m guessing 1920’s, its not stated). Nice and unhealthy. Manipulation for everyone! I’d love to read more in this universe. Brother by Marina Vivancos Smashwords 3/5 Vivancos’s first taboo. Tragically too short to actually work - the length meant that all the scenes got chopped short, and that ruined the angsty vibes I wanted. So close, and yet…why the hell is it 14k words anyway, that’s like ...

 Dual Wielding Edition because I was in a reading slump for a while, so not much progress. Bingo begins though! Prince and Assassin by Tavia Lark  ARC 5/5 So good, another impeccable fantasy with an adorable sweet romance. Naked Ambition by Lisa Henry  Kindle Unlimited 4/5 another entry to the Grim and Sinister Delights multiauthor series. The reviews me suspicious but this turned out well. Nice and bleak, though I felt the last chapter was ott cheese HEA attempt and didn’t fit with the rest of the book. Something milder would have been better. Needs content warnings. So far I think it’s the second best after Adara Wolfs entry, and these have similar vibes. Break My Shell by KA Merikan KU 2/5 A strong first chapter, then it lost its way. Clearly one of their earlier works, but whatevs. The first chapter is A+. Brute by Kim Fielding 2/5 after a decent start, it fell apart. badly. i dont even feel like enumerating all the things i didnt like. but there was explicit se...

A pretty solid week! Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing and Cry Wolf by Charlie Adhara 4/5 both? Books 4 and 5 in the Big Bad Wolf set. I’d paused the series after the third for a while, but the new spinoff series is coming out so I decided to finish it. Very enjoyable! I think the fourth is my favorite. Of Dragons, Feasts, and Murders and Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances by Aliette de Bodard 4/5 both I haven’t read the original trilogy that this is spun off of, but I enjoyed these anyway. The first I bought, the second was an ARC. mild romance, established (sort of?) relationship (was an arranged marriage I guess?) plus some great intrigue. I didn’t have trouble following this having not read the earlier series. Though I do want to double back!! Redemption of a Slave by Laura Taylor Kindle Unlimited 4/5 A historical sort of dystopian omega verse. I enjoyed this a lot actually, it grew on me over the read. More interpersonal plot line, built into the world dynamics and such. Really ne...

  the Kevin's  Reads of the Week Not a terribly wild week this week it turns out. The Soldier and the Spy (Society of Beast #2) by Annabelle Greene 4 stars This was a great easy read, historical without being overly bogged down in historical verbiage. Very sweet, with the neediness between the characters at a great level, and dramatically romantic moments. Definitely has my attention caught for the next one in this series! Crazy Kinky Dirty Home Invasion and Crazy Kinky Dirty Clowns by KA Merikan Kindle Unlimited, both 4 stars Two more erotic shorts in this bundle (Crazy Kinky Dirty Love) - home invasion and clown abduction. Creative beyond measure. And somehow a very cute relationship under it, their communication is just A+ to pull all this off. One more entry left!  The Servant and the Gentleman (Society of Beast #3) by Annabelle Greene  5 stars ARC. Release Date: May 17th  omg this was somehow even better than the second book! 100% swoon. 100% adora...

A lower volume reading week I guess. The Soldier and the Spy by Annabelle Greene - Society of Beasts 2 4/5 This was a great easy read, historical without being overly so. Very sweet, with great neediness between the characters and romantic drama moments. Crazy Kinky Dirty Home Invasion and Crazy Kinky Dirty Clowns by KA Merikan Kindle Unlimited 4/5 both Two more erotic shorts in this bundle - home invasion and clown abduction. Creative beyond measure. And somehow a very cute relationship under it, their communication is just A+ to pull all this off. The Servant and the Gentleman by Annabelle Greene - Society of Beasts 3 ARC 5/5 omg this was somehow even better than the second book! 100% swoon. 100% adorable, so beautiful seeing the characters come together and become better versions of themselves to be better together. It was all around A+ amazing. It releases the 17th!!! Lost Touch by Eliot Grayson Kindle Unlimited 4/5 The newest Mismatched Mates entry - it was a good rea...

Ellie's Reads of the Week It was a pretty good week of reading for me. The Soldier and the Spy (Society of Beast #2) by Annabelle Greene.  5 stars. I'm so glad I picked this up. I don't usually go for historical, so I wasn’t expecting to like this as much as I did. I loved a good hidden identity/betrayal premise, and this kind of relationship dynamics (a young, flirty, bratty MC and an older, grumpy Captain with a tormented past) is so compelling to me. The prose was delightful and even poetic at times without being too heavy-handed, and I just loved all the flirty banter. This is pretty high-steam and the relationship even gets this little D/s undertone, with a touch of neediness and urgency that felt right for the characters. The plot isn't overly complex, nor does it need to be, as it packs plenty of feels! I just wanted a little more from the big reveal scene, but I still loved it. I didn't read the first book and I thought this did well as a standalo...