My February 2024 Reading Roundup – A Book Review
Wow, we’ve now circled back to February. Can you believe it? It was February of last year that I decided to do these monthly reading roundups since I was having so much fun reading and discovering new authors.
It’s been a fun journey and I’ve found authors I probably wouldn’t have discovered without the help of booktok. I started doing this because I wanted to help other readers with tastes similar to mine to sort through the good, the bad and the over hyped. You can check out my very first book review post from last February here. What a ride!
Without further ado, here’s a review of the 12 books (2 of them novellas) I read in February 2024.
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Block Shot (Book 2 of the Hoops series) by Kennedy Ryan
I would recommend reading book 1 (Long Shot) first because some of the characters mentioned in that one show up here. You can read my review for that book here.
I listened to this one on Audible. Block Shot was different from other romances I’ve read before and I liked it. I loved Jared throughout. I heard him. I felt him. He didn’t want anything to stand in the way of him and his woman and he was unapologetic about it. The cheating wasn’t great but I understood it. I felt Banner’s (the FMC) boyfriend was a douche, playing to her sympathies while he was sick. So not cool in my opinion.
Overall I loved this book. Hella sexy.
5/5 stars
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Hook Shot (Book 3 of the Hoops series) by Kennedy Ryan
I also listened to this one on Audible. The two leads were perfect for each other. For me, it wasn’t as hard hitting as the first two, but still enjoyable. It had my heart racing toward the end when you didn’t know whether one of the main characters was going to be okay after a car accident.
Overall it was a cute love story.
3.5/5 stars
Loathe to Love You – Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood
I read the hard copy from my local library. This was a novella, so it was roughly just over 100 pages. Of course we wanted the two main characters to get together, but were they my favorite couple? Not really.
It took forever to get to the inevitable sex and then the sex wasn’t even good. It was weird. And him overhearing how thirsty she was for him and then being so bold as to basically have sex with her before even kissing her? Weird. It was probably one of the weirdest sex scenes I’ve ever read. It was just okay to me.
2.5./5 stars
Deliver (Book 1 of the Deliver series) by Pam Godwin
I listened to this one on Audible. I had no idea how this story, which is centered around sex slavery, was going to develop into a love story, but due to the genius of Pam Godwin, it did.
Liv (the FMC) did awful things to Josh (the MMC). A lot of sick twisted sex stuff occurred. Seriously, freaky deaky. There’s non-consensual sex/sex acts (rape) depicted in this book. Van, one of the sex slave captors, raped Liv in front of Josh. Liv is the one who chose to steal Josh and enslave him so I had no idea how she was going to redeem herself, but she does and then some.
I loved how Josh grew to love her. She was like him, a slave as well. The ending is pretty brilliant. This is not my usual story but I ended up liking it.
4.5/5 stars
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Loath to Love You – Stuck with You by Ali Hazelwood
I read the hard copy from my library. This is the second novella in the Loathe To Love You series. This was a misunderstanding romance.
It was a little suspenseful in that we don’t know what Erik did that was so awful to make Sadie hate him, but I figured it had something to do with work. I felt sad for him in that he was struggling with their 3 weeks of non-communication. The sex depicted was actually good this time though. Overall, I liked it better than Under One Roof. Erik was a good boyfriend.
I felt like this was more like a fairytale cuz this shit doesn’t just happen where you fall in love in 24 hours. The ending also felt rushed. But overall, I enjoyed the story.
4/5 stars
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Vanquish (Book 2 of the Deliver series) by Pam Godwin
I read this one on Audible. This story revolves around Van, who was depicted in Book 1 as a sex slave boss and rapist. I had no idea how the author was going to melt my heart and make me fall in love with him, but she did. Genius!
I didn’t know how I could come back from Van punching Amber and still being like ‘oh he’s great‘, but I did. Van and Amber were perfect for each other. I loved watching him grow as a character and falling in love with a woman with many demons of her own (agoraphobia, bulimia and bad self body image).
Their relationship was one of the strangest relationships ever. He whipped her and she liked it. She eventually liked calling him master. She enjoys bondage. Their first sexual encounter was rape, but in the end, he was redeemed. We learn about his rough childhood in this one, which helps explain why he is the way that he is. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
5/5 stars
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Disclaim (Book 3 of the Deliver series) by Pam Godwin
You guessed it – I read this one on Audible. Matias was hard to like. Matias was in love with Camila since they were really young, but when he finally gets his chance with her, he rapes her mouth after beating her. I was like, what?
He does redeem himself in the end, but I’m not sure I liked him as much as I wanted to. He kept so many secrets from her, making her kinda the fool. He wanted her to love him for him, cuz he was so far gone in love with her, he couldn’t have it any other way. How he went about building this relationship with her, it was a little too much for me. Overall, it was okay. Not my favorite.
2.5/5 stars
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Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren
I read the hard copy from my library. This was a slow burn that took forever to get to the point. People on TikTok compare this book to the enjoyable book Every Summer After (click here for my review of that one), but I wholeheartedly disagree.
Similarities sure. But exactly the same? No. The bad thing that Elliot did while he was drunk was just so out of nowhere, especially since alcohol never seemed to be his thing. I don’t want to get into what happened, but it’s some grey area stuff. Was he at fault here? I’m thinking no. And for her to be so distraught that she leaves and won’t talk to him for 10 years because of it? I think she was really being unfair there.
With love stories, it’s the journey. This one was tedious. I found Macy frustrating. Macy, with being in her head and never expressing herself and saying I want you but let’s be friends or don’t date anyone else but I don’t want to ruin the friendship. All those mixed messages. Poor Elliot.
It was okay. It could’ve been shorter. Don’t believe the hype. Side note – I would’ve liked to see her friend, Sabrina, come back at the end but that’s just a little critique.
Macy was boring. I didn’t see the appeal. And why wouldn’t she let people in?! I liked that this featured a mixed black girl as the FMC, but she was so annoying to me, it was a missed opportunity I guess, especially since we’re in her head the whole time.
I enjoyed that they started as friends and then became something more. Going on that journey, meeting them in their pre-teens, then teens, then adults, I liked that aspect of it. But the ending left a lot to be desired, especially after all the tedious buildup.
2.5/5 stars
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Devastate (Book 4 of the Deliver series) by Pam Godwin
I guess I really liked this series. I read it on Audible. I liked Tate and Lucia together.
Lucia’s captor (Tiago) was one of the most twisted characters I’ve come across. The things he forced his prisoners to do was insane. The torture he inflicted upon his prisoners was horrific. But in the end, we come out of it loving Van even more. Didn’t think it was possible, but it was.
Tiago instigates the beating and rape of Lucia, but it’s not on page. Which I’m glad it wasn’t, because that would’ve been hard to get through.
Tate and Lucia fell in love pretty quick for me, which I didn’t love. Overall, it was okay. Towards the end, there was some action-packed badassery involving Lucia, which was cool. By the end of this, you’re just filled with so much revulsion towards Tiago. And then in Book 5, he’s the MMC? I just had to keep reading!
3.5/5 stars
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Take (Book 5 of the Deliver series) by Pam Godwin
The bad guy from Devastate (Tiago) is redeemed. Pam Godwin did it again!
I listened to this one on Audible. I’m glad it took a long time for Kate to come around to Tiago. He deserved that. All their sex was hot though. All of it. The grey area rape (him taking her virginity) at first was uncomfortable, but still kinda hot. I loved their love story.
He was hard to love but I came around. He was badass. He didn’t flinch when killing people who betrayed him. He was brutal.
This was another different strokes, different folks kind of love story. One thing I didn’t like, but that she ultimately allowed, was his need to cut her. I thought that was weird. But he did have a cutting thing in the previous book, so I guess. Overall, I enjoyed it. Not my favorite book boyfriend, but his devotion to his woman was admirable.
4.5/5 stars
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The People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
I listened to this one through my library’s audiobook system. This was a cute story that made me all sad at the end when they momentarily broke up. I loved the declarative speech at the end that Poppy gave.
It was weird since they were such good friends to each other and we’d only seen Alex in a just friends light. And then we’re supposed to see him in a sexual way? That was a hard transition for me. The friends to lovers trope is not my favorite I guess.
Why did he keep his love for her a secret for years? The not telling each other was a bit exhausting. Still, I enjoyed reading about their friendship.
I suppose it was good to have such a solid foundation built on friendship first. The bad thing that made them not talk for 2 years was kinda silly. They wasted a lot of time not being together and secretly pining for each other.
Cute overall story. Pleasant is how I would describe it.
4/5 stars
We’ll Always Have Summer (Book 3 of The Summer I Turned Pretty series) by Jenny Han
I listened to this one through my library’s audiobook system and read some of the hard copy through my library. Check out my review for Book 1 here and my review for Book 2 here.
I read this one in a day. It was super short. I was very disappointed with Jeremiah when he cheated when they were on a break. And then even more disappointed when he proposed and she said yes. They were so young and so dumb.
Conrad stayed true to character and was still moody throughout. But we spent a lot of time in a relationship (Belly and Jeremiah’s) that obviously wasn’t going to work. Jeremiah was portrayed as so immature in this one, with thinking a terrible apartment was a good investment and just the whole frat boy thing.
It was sad how Jeremiah always knew he was her second choice, but would still marry her anyway if she wanted.
I liked Conrad better in this one, but still the ending was rushed and we didn’t get to really see Belly and Conrad happy together. And Conrad’s letters to her at the end were useless and silly. Why did she meet some guy in Spain. Like who cares? All we care about is this love triangle.
It was okay. I guess I wasn’t the target audience.
2/5 stars
Thanks for reading!
