obstinateheadstrongcurl's reviews
1328 reviews

Along Came Amor by Alexis Daria

emotional 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? Yes

5.0

One of my top reads of the year, if not the top. This book is really for all the eldest daughters. I loved Ava so much. I think so often in the hands of a less skilled writer, a character like her can come across as blowing things out of proportion but Daria builds things so perfectly that you’re completely with Ava every step of the way. I also really loved the journey Roman goes on, he’s just so freaking adult about everything and I’m with Ava, this is incredibly sexy. The settings are lush and the side characters are a delight. All of the rum-drinking in here has inspired me, time to start researching some cocktail recipes 🍹

Declaration of Courtship by Nalini Singh

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Short, sweet and predictable, with a power dynamic that we haven’t really explored yet in this series. I think changling/changling couples are kind of the least interesting in this series, because I just don’t love the way Singh handles the issue of “dominance”. Very excited to finally be at Sienna and Hawk’s book though.

Camera Chemistry by Chelsea Curto

lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.5

Phew this was hot and delightful. Maggie and Aiden are so lovely together and I love a list as a plot device.

Leg: The Story of a Limb and the Boy Who Grew from It by Greg Marshall

emotional funny fast-paced

4.5

I laughed, I cried, it was better than Cats. Such a delightful memoir and I highly recommend the audiobook.

Whisper of Sin by Nalini Singh

lighthearted fast-paced

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

2.5

If we’re giving every named character a book, I guess this was fine, but it was two characters I wasn’t all that curious about. Their relationship dynamic (young woman who lives at home with a kind of controlling family and older man who assigns himself as her bodyguard) felt a bit dated.

Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

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? Yes

4.0

A sweet second chance romance. Not sure if I liked this as much as the first two, despite my obsession with Persuasion. As a former Washingtonian, one of the things I love most about this series is the setting, and this one was great in that we got out of Seattle for most of it. A cute conclusion to the series.

For Her Consideration by Amy Spalding

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? Yes

3.5

This was cute but I swear to god if I had to read about Waze one more time I was going to scream. It did seem to me that Nina’s previous relationship had bordered on abusive, given how much she checked out of her whole life afterwards, and I wish this had been dealt with in a more careful way.

Dreams of a Dark Warrior by Kresley Cole

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A controversial read for sure but I found myself really liking Declan. He’s went through so much at a young age and then does so much grovelling at the end that I felt Cole made it work. Regin also has sympathy for him from the beginning because of their shared past which I think really helps you as a reader get onside.

I was so glad that Declan didn’t simply turn into Aiden at the end, because I found him incredibly unlikeable. Give me Declan over a himbo any day.

The side characters here are so great, particularly Thad and Brandr. And Lothaire! This has made me so excited for his book.

Reel by Kennedy Ryan

emotional hopeful sad 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? Yes

4.5

Kennedy Ryan did it again, this was amazing. I loved Neevah, she was so real in her excitement, anxiety and fear as she navigated everything Ryan threw at her. I wish we’d gotten a bit more from Canon, as he pretty quickly moves from a grumpy, doesn’t-believe-in-romance character to a relationship king. But Ryan’s couples are always relationship goals, and these two are no different.

I did think the epilogue was a bit silly, where they get engaged after the movie premier, because shouldn’t they see how things go when they’re not with each other 24/7, i.e. when they’re making films independent of each other? Obviously they’ll go the distance, but still, a little common sense please!

Play of Passion by Nalini Singh

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.5

I enjoyed Indigo and Drew’s chemistry, but I’m getting a bit tired of the hand-wringing around dominant women. I wish this series was less rigid in regards to gender roles.

I really didn’t like Mercy telling Indigo that Drew was still growing in dominance, as if this somehow made everything fine because he’ll end up more dominant than her.