God of War (Legacy of Gods, #6) by Rina Kent Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my reviews of God of Malice, God of Pain, God of Wrath, God of Ruin, and God of Fury on my blog, now!

This is what happens when you give side characters a book when they maybe only needed a 200 page novella to satisfy their tension. I do not understand how we went from God of Fury to this - I spent the majority of this book wishing Ava would shut up and hoping that Eli would fall off a cliff. I had absolutely no attachment to Ava during her appearances throughout the first five installments, and I felt as though Eli only ever made a rare appearance - I literally did not think he was an important member until maybe two books ago. The whole marriage of convenience trope is normally something I would eat up like nobody's business, but it literally felt like such a weird situation in this book compared to what I have read before - Ava was basically a hostage in my eyes. And yes, I completely understand why Eli did what he did, but I absolutely hated the way he went about it - when it is revealed on how everything went down, I wanted to smack the guy.

Saying the girl you are married to has "the emotional IQ of a plastic flower" is certainly a choice! I understand that everything Eli did was his attempt to protect Ava from herself, but he went about it in such an insane way that I literally could not wrap my head around it. She is so naive and far too trusting of everyone, so when the one person that is supposed to be honest with her is literally keeping her in a glass cage and controlling every aspect of her life, I can see why she kept trying to act out. "Because I got to own you, officially" genuinely made my ears start ringing - I hated everything about that scene, but that line really made me an Eli hater until maybe the last chapter of the book. I wanted him jailed immediately.

Ava Nash is the president of the I hate my husband club and honestly I do not blame her one bit. Maybe if Eli was not so dead set on keeping every piece of her pasta secret from her, she would actually be able to have some form of organic relationship with him. Instead, he lurks around without any sleep in order to make sure she does not remember certain things she went through - sure, he was making sure she did not get triggered, but good grief she already knows she has been through a lot, just tell her! Ava's characterization as a whole was boring and one-dimensional - there was never a point where I felt drawn to reading her story, but rather begging for it to be over. That being said, there were some plot points that did intrigue me, but they all came in the last one hundred pages which made the story telling feel cheap.

"Be my dinner" is crazy work and I have to give Eli credit where credit is due. The things that came out of this man's mouth were not nearly as insane as the things that Nikolai said in God of Fury or Jeremy in God of Wrath, but my word I was left speechless. To be quite honest, the smut in this book felt like borderline harassment, considering Ava literally was wondering around with no memories of how her and Eli ended up together. He was pouncing on her like nobody's business and the girl could barely remember what day it was. Considering she was basically in a fugue state for 90% of this book, I literally could not enjoy any of those scenes because it felt like she was being taken advantage of.

Eli King... there was so much potential for his character to be better than what Kent gave us. He felt like a prison warden for 90% of the book and while I can see where he was coming from, I fear his efforts were in vain. He should have been upfront with Ava about everything from the start - sure, it could have triggered her, but I think she should have been the one to make those decisions for herself. However... and this is a big hear me out... he did it for her and did it knowing that the time he gave her was the time she may never be able to experience in the future.

Concluding the Legacy of Gods series like this feels like a let down compared to some of its preceding installments. But will I be reading more of Kent's work? Yes, she's got me hooked. Moving onto the Villains series will be my next adventure, and hopefully her story-telling and writing will take on some improvements to keep me locked into her catalogue.

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For the Fans by Nyla K Review

This is a spoiler-free review! From the publisher: This book contains sensitive subject matter that could make some readers uncomfortable. Please heed foreword warnings and proceed with caution.

I kept seeing this book all over TikTok and knew I had to make my way toward it eventually, and coming off the high that was God of Fury, I placed my hold on Libby immediately. The closest book I have read that dabbled in the world of sex work / online subscription was Eyes on Me by Sara Cate, and I absolutely devoured that step-sibling taboo romance just as much as I did this one. For the Fans is just as juicy and honestly rivals the insanity and explicitness of some of the taboo romances I have read in the past.

This is some of the most insane smut I have ever read in my life, and I have read my fair share of taboo romances. I feel like I should have been paying premium prices to be able to even read this book, so I can only imagine how much money Avi and Kyran were actually making on their account. I ate this thing up like nobody's business. Every single scene had my jaw on the floor and just when I did not think it could get wilder, it did. Watching Avi and Kyran become more comfortable with each other was like watching a very well-developed relationship take place, and bonus points for it basically being enemies to lovers with that stepbrother taboo touch. I literally could not believe what they were getting up to and honestly I am impressed.

Thank god this really escalated when Kyran and Avi went to college - I do not think I would have continued on if they were not aged up and stayed seventeen. Their personalities are polar opposite of each other and you could literally feel the tension oozing off of the page when they would be in the same room together or when they would have to spend some "quality family time together" with their parents. I love an enemies to lovers moment, and considering Kyran was immediately the brooding man with an instant hatred towards his new stepbrother, I knew it was going to be good. Avi's mother marries Kyran's father, and readers can immediately sense a shift in the way Kryan's father is presented - he is strict, cold, and heavily Catholic to a fault, whereas Avi's mother has more of a "go with the flow" mentality that makes their pairing a bit odd. It was clear to me that there was a story behind the emphasis on his heavy religious views and the way that Kyran reacted to particular scenarios.

Avi and Kyran's enemies moments had me cackling at times - it was so clear that Avi's "hatred" towards Kyran was a response to Kyrans displeasure at having Avi and his mother essentially waltz into his life without warning. Watching Kyran's responses to Avi and the way he lived his life gave readers a view into how Kyran's upbringing was so different than Avi's, and considering the horrors Kyran experienced in the past, it is no wonder he was weary of people coming into his life that may leave without a moment's notice.

I loved how Avi and Kyran's respective friend groups were relatively accepting of Kyran and Avi's respective presences throughout the book - you could tell that Avi's friends cared about him, and if that meant Kyran was suddenly around, they would only tease him as a friend. Kyran's friends more so welcomed Avi's presence as BC's mascot - considering Kyran was on the down low, there was no way he would reveal what Avi meant to him to his friends without truly thinking it through. Readers really get to see both of their perspectives of their unconventional relationship when it came to making videos and the development for both of them when it came to addressing their feelings.

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The Goal (Off-Campus, #4) by Elle Kennedy Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my reviews of The Deal (Off-Campus, #1), The Mistake (Off-Campus, #2), The Score (Off-Campus, #3), and The Chase (Briar U, #1) on my blog, now!

Maybe because I mentally blocked The Score from my memory, but I could not for the life of me remember if Sabrina was ever mentioned in any of the other books - I definitely remembered Tucker, but I was in a state of confusion if I was supposed to remember this girl. i had a sick feeling that one of my least favorite tropes of all time was going to pop up in this book and it did. Sick to my stomach!! Unfortunately this immediately made my 50/50 opinion of this book take a nose dive and frankly will not recover - I understand that it was a trope that had not been utilized in this series yet, but for it to happen to Sabrina of all people - it really ticked me off.

Forever grateful I did not have to be bombarded with the constant presence of the previous couples of the series in this book. Too often you see authors shove the other relationships back into the series, whereas Kennedy was able to trickle them in throughout this book - considering they all go to university together, I knew they would have to show face once in a while, but I am grateful it did not overtake Tucker and Sabrina's story. In The Score, it felt like a constant revolving door of the Dean and Allie show, so much so it felt like a second installment for their relationship. With this fourth installment, the focus clearly was with Tucker and Sabrina, and the presence of the previous couples did not hinder their development.

Sabrina's story is full of struggle, dedication, and self-reflecting. She is very strong-willed and determined to get what she knows she deserves, no matter the time or cost to herself. We watch her juggle two jobs, classes, and helping out with her Nana - who is no peach, I might say - in order to continue pushing forward. With Harvard Law well within her reach, she has no time for friends beyond a handful, and certainly no time for Tucker barging into her life and consuming her thoughts. Tucker's life mildly mirrors Sabrina's in the sense that he also has a bit of a torrid background and continues to struggle in a higher capacity compared to the lives of his more privileged teammates. He definitely understands Sabrina's work ethic and admires the way she approaches her road to success, but he does make a good point when it comes to Sabrina needing to let loose and enjoy her life.

With only one book left to see this series through to the end, I will eventually make my way over that final hurdle. I honestly am only seeing this series to the end because I want the full picture before the tv series is released. For now, I need to abandon the new adult college romances and find something a little more my speed. If you need a filler series to get you in between lengthier reads, Off-Campus could be the series to satisfy those needs.

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Corrupt (Devil's Night, #1) by Penelope Douglas Review

This review contains major spoilers - read with caution. Please read trigger warnings - reader discretion advised.

Susan B. Anthony I apologize that I am putting feminism back one hundred years - these boys are unhinged and I am sorry that I enjoyed it so much. I was actually taken aback by the fact that I am supposed to see four basketball players be the center of some sort of dark and devious little group where they tun around the town acting like fools and wait in the darkness for Rika to turn eighteen before they start with her. Michael takes the forefront as the man behind the plan to make Rika's life a living hell for the role she played for sending his three friends behind bars - but they are out now and it is finally time for them to make her understand how far they are willing to go to show her how bad it can get.

Basketball players that have a "dark side" is a phrase that I never expected to come across in my lifetime. This is simply ridiculous and absurd - you cannot wear basketball shorts AND terrorize the town. You need to pick a struggle and frankly the basketball shorts are the worse trait in this situation. This is red flag central... what do you MEAN you waited in the shadows until Rika turned eighteen to start torturing this girl and ruining her life??? Absolute freaks in my opinion - and this is coming from someone who loves a good cat and mouse chase... but only with ADULTS!! Michael Crist is also absolutely certifiably insane - a man who covets his younger brother's girlfriend and stirs up a revenge plan over the course of three years on a girl who he has had ONE memorable interaction with that he claims is the reason behind his psycho friends being jailed.

The Crist family in general totally sucks - the only person who is likable is the mother, and she is present for approximately three pages before her use as a page filler is through. The father is just as deplorable as Michael, and Trevor is a nuisance that you can sense is up to no good but hiding behind ulterior motives. Rika, girl... run for your LIFE!! Kai, Damon, Will, and Michael basically have made it their mission to destroy Rika's life because they believe she is the one that leaked incriminating videos of Damon, Kai, and Will committing assault and engaging in improper relations with the mayor's daughter - that event is Damon's alone. Maybe... I don't know... ask her if she did it before deciding you are going to BURN down her house?? Absolute idiots sharing no brain cells.

The things that came out of Damon's mouth in this book had my jaw on the floor. "As long as they're old enough to crawl, they're in the right position." I beg your finest pardon??? This boy needs to go back to jail immediately for that comment alone. I literally could not believe my eyes reading that sentence - sure, his childhood past reveal may explain why he said that, but good lord if I had not already not liked Damon, that would have sealed the deal.

Michael and his merry gang of lame little friends basically commit financial abuse and essentially steal all of Rika's money and act like it's a casual thing. And we are not talking a couple thousand dollars, we are talking millions. And the kidnapping?? They do it so often?? Like guys she is clearly able to get away on her own, think of something better. That being said, they really take this kidnapping on a casual Tuesday very conveniently and are obsessed with making Rika fear for her life at every chance they can get. It is actually diabolical - it's not even a kidnapping where the girl is like "oh my god, nooo, don't!!" when she actually likes it - they girl is literally showing up armed because she thinks they will kill her.

"F**king Trevor" welcome back, Hardin Scott. I think we can all agree that the Trevor twist was something that you could see coming from a mile away. The second Michael and the boys said that Rika was the reason they were arrested, I called BS and said it had to be Trevor - it was clear from the beginning. Trevor was very vocal to Michael on how he wanted Michael to stay away from Rika, so this was obviously a ploy to ruin Michael's life and a way to try to guarantee that Michael would lose feelings from Rika. I cheered when Michael took that boy out on the yacht. Which is an entirely other scenario to address - Rika being kidnapped for about the sixth time in the book leads to Damon and Trevor holding her hostage on this boat because... get this... they're mad that Michael fell for her and does not want to continue the plan of ruining her life. Trevor more so because he wants to get back together with Rika and knock down Michael.

This entire book was nearly 600 pages of sexual harassment and straight up kidnapping. The smut was mildly decent towards the end of the book, which of course did not make up for the fact that the first 450 pages were the boys putting Rika through Saw traps left and right. I wish I could say that I would be abandoning this series because of my views of this book, but unfortunately I low-key want to know what happens with Kai, Will, and Damon.

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Ruthless Arrangement (Gallo Famiglia Series, #1) by Brooke Summers Review

This is a spoiler-free review! Please read trigger warnings - reader discretion is advised.

My past discretions from a Stuff Your Kindle day downloading haze have come back to bite me. I genuinely felt like I was being put through the wringer while reading this book - every single turn of the page ended up with Teagan being smacked around or abused, or someone literally not taking the time of day to understand that this girl is traumatized!! The author describes a number of abuses she endures in graphic detail, and considering she made it out alive is an achievement in itself. I wish it did not take until being two thirds into the book to really see how she was dealing with everything that she had to go through when she was living with the Dirty Demons. 

Elio as the male lead made me want to scream externally into the sky - there was not a single thing he did that made me want to root for him except for the fact that he had Teagan go to therapy. That is the only nice thing he ever did for her that actually warranted a good reaction out of me. The entirety of their relationship is based on the fact that her father wrong him and his family, and he seeks revenge by taking Teagan and forcing her to be his bride. The girl has never left the house in over eighteen years and somehow Elio thinks this is the perfect torture for her - she literally has only ever known torture and abuse, so this ends up being just another Tuesday for her, trapped with a mob family and revenge-obsessed Elio.

I did not love the glamorization of Elio and Teagan's relationship at all. It felt as though he was keeping her as a sex slave - which he basically was - and using her as a toy. Sure, his plan all along was to basically torture this girl for the rest of her days, so why would he treat her with any form of respect? Even his entire family was like dude what are you getting out of doing this to a girl who does not even know the extent of what her father did outside of what he allowed people to do to her? The brothers were much more enjoyable to read about when they appeared on page, and even the two friends Teagan had made before being "taken" by Elio were better entertainment than the man himself.

The most intriguing plot line of this entire book was when Teagan was being sought out by another mob family - it provided actual stakes to the game and showed the dangers that waited for her outside of Elio's home, even though Elio's home was basically a danger in its own right. Those scenes of Teagan being pulled between two rival families were the only times that I was actually locked into the book - I frankly did not care about her and Elio's relationship because I simply could not stand Elio at all. Even when he was "turning a corner" and realized what he was putting Teagan through was wrong, it still left a sour taste in my mouth. Maybe it is because the book is not marketed as taboo and instead just a dark mafia romance - if it was something they were both into from the start, then my opinion may have ended differently. The set up for the next book has me intrigued - I may find myself back into this series if the timing presents itself.

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God of Fury (Legacy of Gods, #5) by Rina Kent Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my reviews of God of Malice, God of Pain, God of Wrath, and God of Ruin on my blog, now! Reader discretion is advised.

Nikolai is YOUNGER than Brandon??? How did I miss this??? Also immediately throwing us back into the initiation night.. oh how I have been waiting for this moment since God of Malice. Rina Kent's tendency to describe the family trees and two schools at the beginning of every single one of the books in this series is starting to get on my nerves, but it is understandable if someone is reading these as stand alones and not as a series. This is the first time reading this series where I did not go crazy when the parent perspectives were brought up - I actually enjoyed them this time.

Someone needs to protect Brandon at all costs - the man is going through it constantly and is plagued with so much every day, and it feels as though he is the one that everyone expects to keep it together. Watching his inner turmoil fester and grow was heartbreaking. He is going through a sexuality realization and dealing with a ton of mental health issues, while trying to understand Nikolai's actions towards him and accept some form of love from someone who unexpectedly came into his life. We get to see a lot of different sides of Brandon throughout this book - more than just his video game playing with Mia and the occasional appearance next to Landon and Glyndon at family gatherings.

Nikolai is literally one of the funniest characters I have come across - every single thing that came out of his mouth had me rolling on the floor. I genuinely was cackling at some of the things he said, and his inner monologue was just as hilarious. "That would be crazy. Just kidding, I am crazy." is one of the earliest lines from Nikolai and it truly sets the tone for his entire attitude for the book. I used to bag on him in the other books for being completely unhinged, but finally getting to see what goes on inside his head makes everything make so much sense. He is very much aware that he has psychopathic tendencies and fully embraces them - he is honestly surprised when people do not resort to the type of violence that is his first reaction.

The smut is in this book.. insane. I thought Rina would not be able to top God of Ruin's levels of craziness, but Nikolai and Brandon take it to a whole new level - they are beating each other up and off - the duality of man! I know I said God of Wrath was the best of the series when I first read it, but good grief God of Fury definitely takes the cake. There were sentences in this book that truly had my mouth on the floor and had me doing laps around my apartment - Nikolai is already unhinged on a regular basis, but put him and Brandon together and it unleashes an entirely new animal. He is definitely the one that adds to the craziness of all of those scenes, considering Brandon is more on the reserved side - that does not mean that Brandon does not get down and dirty, literally and figuratively.

Brandon's internal struggles play a major role in the way he views himself and how he approaches his relationship with Nikolai. We see from Nikolai's perspective how confused he gets when Brandon's emotions and personality suddenly shift when he feels cornered or is confronted by a past trauma. I was literally sick to my stomach reading what he has been through, and readers bear witness to his struggles in a first-hand account in his perspective, along with Nikolai's reactions and attempts to understand what is going on with Brandon. Brandon and Landon's relationship as twins definitely grows and expands in this book, and considering their past qualms with one another, it was nice to see them actually work through things and become closer - as a twin, I cannot imagine not being close with my sister.

This is the fifth installment in this series and yet I am constantly still surprised by the way that nineteen-year-old Nikolai speaks and the things that come out of nearly every character's mouths - who taught y'all to speak like this!! I am sure that if I finally venture out and actually read all of their parents' books, I will clearly find my answering in those works. Considering God of War is the final piece in this series, I am intrigued to see where Kent takes us next with Eli and Ava - they have been relatively absent from this series other than the occasional mentioning, but just by taking a look at the summary, I know I will be in for a treat.

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A Debt to Repay (Lured to the Mob, #1) by Stacey Ortel Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

Y'all I was once again lured into a free mafia romance from Stuff Your Kindle Day and I will once again be questioning why I pick up some of these books. Whoever allowed to go to print should be jailed - was an editor involved?? The story is choppy and full of confusing character choices - the allure of the age gap romance was what definitely made me download this, but good grief it was only ever mentioned once or twice and did not even play a role in the main plot of this book. If I was Clara, I would have sold my dad out so fast, it would not have even been a question. He continues to put her in danger and is shocked when his actions have consequences that directly affect her - newsflash buddy, you mess with the mob, they mess with your family!

Sure, kidnapping someone may just be a regular Tuesday in a mob family, but how was no one questioning the kidnapping of a twenty-year-old student who clearly was there against her will? I love a good kidnapping trope, but make it believable and make the girl at least struggle a little bit before becoming besties with the entire family - it felt as though there was nothing at stake internally with the Ricci family. That being said, the other mob family was a lot "scarier" than the Riccis, and that plot point was the most intriguing to read. You could actually tell there was something on the line for Clara when Roberto would show up, unlike Antonio who was just not all that exciting to me.

This is a super quick read and honestly it went by so fast I felt as though I forgot the entire thing by the time it ended - there was not enough time to truly get to know the characters and form any type of attachment to them. I was also under the impression that this was a series following one couple, not a duology (possibly a series?) that is made up of interconnected stand alones. The super rushed ending definitely is explained by that set up, but it causes readers to lose out on seeing a more fleshed out relationship between Clara and Antonio. Antonio's character seems very one-dimensional and I did not feel drawn to him at all - he is quick to accuse and quick to judge - maybe if he joined Clara at college and took Communication 101 he would have avoided every bad thing that happened in this book.

I am glad that I finished this book so quickly, because if it took up any more of my time, I would have begged a genie to give the minutes spent reading this back to me. If you are looking for something low stakes and just a quick filler book in between reading larger books, this may be for you. If you are looking for a book that will make you attached to its characters, then this is definitely a pass.

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