OYENTE

Jovan

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  • 466
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welp...

Total
2 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
3 out of 5 stars
Historia
2 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 04-21-25

1.75⭐️
Audio: 3.5⭐️

This book is alternately boring and annoying, and now I’m just cranky. It’s full of inconsistencies, unearned/unsupported familiarity, odd and contradictory statements and head-scratching actions/details. The prologue begins where the real prologue masquerading as a short story ends—Rayne bent over a desk then bolting. It’s abrupt and doesn’t explain why Everett is “still that bitter”. Everett’s unwarranted saltiness is (more) ridiculous without the insight the “prequel” provides. He expected it to be a one-night stand so making Rayne feel bad about dipping after a quickie at a party is wild. So begins the weirdness.

I found little to like and none of it pertains to the lackluster suspense or the MCs and their romance. They aren’t interesting and have nary a drop of chemistry. The sexual “tension” and sex are as dry as that salt Everett’s carrying. Their first sexual encounter is a handy Rayne cajoles Everett into bc he wants to show his gratitude. La Pasión! El Romance!

The story is overlong and poorly paced. Much of the suspense hinges on Rayne’s mysterious behavior and what he’s hiding, but it’s tiresome instead of compelling. ~98% of Rayne's time is doing a Mission City walking tour to meet Everett’s friends and reconditioning a traumatized dog (👀 for leaving him in a crate in a freezing car for at least 30mins right after rescue).

The kill shot that almost made me DNF at ~80% is the stupidity and anti-climax of Rayne's whole deal. Tl;dr there's no reason not to tell Everett earlier bc ppl are in trouble, INCLUDING RAYNE, and Everett’s connections could solve the problem. And all that concern about Everett kicking him to the curb? Poof. Only a few angry huffs and blusters then it's off to a try-hard strip tease.

The scene is plagued by the book’s tonal weirdness and is unserious af bc one of Everett's sisters is involved. . .a sister who just pops up. She’s only in the scene to crack jokes but unsuccessfully diffuses tension. They’re reviewing grim info but she’s kiki-ing over a hot cop and her brother, the top. She takes up so much space at the end with her thirst and sass that it feels like setup for her book.

Dean’s narration is sound. It kept me listening where I would have skipped if reading, and the pace is great. Overall, his cadence is good, but the conveyance of emotion and nuance is less solid. He adds enough variety to the many voices to distinguish them, but many are similar enough that this wouldn't be the case in a large scene. His voices for Everett and Rayne are distinct (when he properly does them). However, he often slips between them, which exacerbates his struggle to differentiate inner monologues from dialogue.

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i like the newbies

Total
3 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 04-19-25

3.5⭐️
Audio: 4.5⭐️

I really like Del, and he and Lang make a great team. I enjoyed the original novella and was excited for the extension. For the most part, it's good. Lang's life is fleshed out; though I'm again confounded by Calmes's need to put weird family drama in her stories that is superficial and nonsensical apologia for selfish/sometimes violently atrocious behavior (Jory version 3?4?5? from "More Than Life" anyone?).

The action and situations are always interesting. It's also nice to see the team from the perspective of new marshals, and much of the Chicago crew make a cameo. The story actually falters when they get together bc the repetitious affirmations of love/desire/ownership, etc. are exhausting. I don't care how many times the characters say they need their feelings reaffirmed, a gajillion times in one day is beyond ridiculous for ppl as close as they are. It feels like filler, and it drags the pace and dims the joy of them getting together. However, this series is carried by nostalgia and vibes for me, and this book is a nice addition.

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unnecessary

Total
2 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
3 out of 5 stars
Historia
2 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 04-13-25

2.5⭐️
Audio: 3.5⭐️

Update: 4/16/25

I started Rayne's Return, and it proved that this short story should have been the prologue since the novel's prologue is ON THE SAME NIGHT, minutes after the hook-up. It's just from Rayne's perspective as he leaves the party. It is literally 4 pgs. Some ppl don't feel like an author is playing in their face when they expect them to pay for an extended prologue. I'm not the one.
~~~~~


Ngl, I have no idea why this isn’t simply the prologue/flashback in the novel. Grey does a good job establishing a sense of connection between the friends but falls flat for the actual MCs. It’s a primer into Everett’s character and unprecedented interest in Rayne but apparently also one into all the couples in the series.

Their relationships, visa woes, kids, etc. are given as much importance as the interlude that is the foundation for Everett and Rayne's novel. Much of the additional info doesn't set the scene better; doesn't offer more insight; and could be incorporated naturally into the novel. It feels like filler to create a short story where none is needed.

Though Everett’s personality is interesting—confident in his skills as a lawyer but considers himself run-of-the-mill and humorless in that way where he misses social cues for jokes but isn’t a wet rag—nothing about the story interested me enough to read the novel. I had more of a desire to read Everett’s friends’ books than his. The story beat me over the head with its goal to intrigue but misses the mark.

I also didn’t connect well with Michael Dean’s cadence and inflection choices. The voices are solid enough but don’t feel dynamic, and Dean makes Everett’s affect so dry that differentiating between his inner monologue and his dialogue isn’t smooth. Maybe I’d adjust to Dean’s style in a novel-length narration but here, not so much. The writing is solid, and I like the glimpses of the cast. However, it just doesn’t do enough with the MCs to stand on its own, and the narration contributes to my “Ehh” feelings.

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tears for charlie

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 03-31-25

Audio: 4.5⭐️

Having known about the book from zeitgeist exposure, I went in relatively cold. However, I quickly realized that I was going to be sad throughout to varying degrees bc of the prospect of watching Charlie realize how society at large dehumanizes certain people and the potentially intensifying dramatic irony since I didn’t get the sense that this would have a Hollywood ending.

Charlie cataloguing his development through experiment progress reports is a very affecting way to access his interiority with a type of 1st and 3rd POV combination. The book touches on so many questions and philosophies: humanism, personal and scientific ethics, personhood, social value systems, the importance of connection, and more. It also struck a very personal chord that I was not ready for. The journey is lovely and painful, warm and sterile, and ultimately hopeful.

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standard true mate hormone bananza but eggy

Total
3 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
3 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 03-04-25

2.75⭐️
Audio: 4.5⭐️

This is a light, sweet and steamy read, emphasis on the steam as the unnecessary length of the book is filled with horniness and breeding talk. It starts off great then becomes just another true mate story that uses hormones to shortchange relationship development and smooth over conflict.

Jude and Al are both young adults with low self-worth bc they're made to feel like useless screwups. Between bouts of sex, they bond over this and help validate one another. They are fun together, but it bothers me that Jude doesn't learn to value himself and believe he's worthy of a family with Al. Instead, his egg brain takes over and makes it impossible to separate from his eggs and Al.

While Al is adorable, there is only so much “oh silly alien doesn’t understand” before it’s just annoying, especially when there’s a telepathic link which carries emotion, made stronger by touch, and they do SOOO much touching. Al expects all these feelings about being true mates and pregnancy but glosses over the fact that Jude doesn’t have them. At All. Ever.

Frankly, I don’t love stories where someone knows their partner isn’t aware they can get pregnant (with *ducking* eggs no less) but still raw dogs their mate like it’s going out of style. At least Al has a communication barrier as an excuse since he knocked up Jude within days of meeting bc Jude is so d!cknotized.

However, Ferraiuolo does a great job, and I probably would have skimmed through had I been reading. I ended up more invested in Ezra, who is my MVP lol.

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Hannah knows best

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 12-08-24

3.75⭐️
Audio: 4.5⭐️

Fun, classic Calmes fare that may have more of a payoff for readers of her newsletter as we were reintroduced to Kurt (Steamroller) as a psychologist of the Kage extended family after a traumatic event and got to know George, Hannah's bodyguard, as he became more of a fixture in Hannah's life.

Once Hannah loves you, she desires your happiness above all else (except if that means listening to you disagree with her) and decides that George and Kurt are perfect for one another even though Kurt feels George's actions were more traumatizing than helpful and George isn't in the mood to be psychoanalyzed by someone who has no clue about who he is, his job, or military training. When Hannah invites Kurt to a fundraiser she's attending, Kurt and George of course butt heads, but also find unexpected common grown and when the event explodes into violence (natch), the two find that maybe Hannah was right after all.

I enjoyed seeing Kurt all grown up and finding out some of the reasons he changes so much (aside from no longer being a 20yo dude-bro), and I'm always up for more George and was glad to see him take center stage. Sweet, entertaining and OTT-Calmes's wheelhouse.

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Good OTT fun

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 12-08-24

Audio: 3.75⭐️

Romily has turned going with the flow into an art-form; he's so adaptable and unflappable it's borderline supernatural, which is fitting for the story. After witnessing a man named Fox commit mass murder three times, Romily is brought on as Fox's Harbinger. As a reaper for good, Fox takes out serious evil doers—human or otherwise, and Romily's presence announces someone is soon to be reaped. The showmanship!

Romily decided Fox is the love of his life after their first encounter so being employed by him means keeping him close and getting them to marital bliss. The story throws the reader into the deep end, filling in the blanks at its own leisure to hilarious results imo. Romily is a gem of a character and while Fox doesn't have POV moments and remains a bit mysterious, I think this works for the character and frankly jives with Fox being swept along in Romily's wake given the type of person Romily is. However, the audio version does include a short POV from Fox about his feelings when they met.

The worldbuilding is pretty straightforward, and I like how Cody uses Romliy's personality and introduction into the supe/para world to make it fun for the reader as well. The plot follows Romily as he does his Harbinger thing, which becomes more precarious than it should be, eventually hinting at a larger conspiracy but ending the current story line. There are plenty of secondary characters that shine in fun ways who I can't wait to see more of. It's insta-love but is honestly the most believable aspect of the story.

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it's always good to get more George

Total
3 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
3 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 12-05-24

3.25⭐️
Audio: 4.5⭐️

It's good to spend time with George and Kurt again. For all George's warrior toughness, he's terrified of meeting Kurt's family—convinced they will see all his flaws, think he’s a terrible partner, and convince Kurt to leave him. What better way to bypass all that rigmarole than by saving all their lives in spectacular fashion. Huzzah!

I was excited to get more of the fellas but was a bit disappointed. The romp is fun, but Kurt’s character isn’t developed more here; his personality is almost less than in the shorter novella. There are still his capable and caretaker sides, and we learn he’s fastidious. But here, his main personality trait is lamenting about George almost being killed (when deployed and otherwise). George is capable and deadly, but Kurt shows little upset about his sister’s fam almost getting iced. He has a reasonable response to it, but will not let George being in the line of fire go—again the capable black ops operative. I get it, George is his partner, but kids in serious danger should get more play. Bro, find some perspective.

The trope is common for Calmes (especially since she loves her LEOs and contract killers) and is not a misplaced sentiment, but with so little time to get to know Kurt better, it becomes a shortcoming rather than simply a reaction. Kurt's sister and BIL are fine, though part of what bothers me about the story is some blame-shifting/faults on both sides happening during an upset that seems overly weighted given the cause of the discord. I like Kurt's nephews, and the action is great per usual. As always, I love the call-outs, and there are many to choose from in Calmes’ ever-expanding roster.

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another entertaining Morton/Leslie collab

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 11-24-24

3.75⭐️
Audio: 4⭐️

The Player is sweet, piney friends-to-lover fun. Frankie wakes up one-morning healed and ready to wear colors and date again. In the past few months, he’s subconsciously been having non-platonic feeling for his rock and business partner, Con—feelings that come roaring to the surface when Con comes back from a month-long business trip with tw@tty Tim.

He can’t believe he let Con slip under his radar and laments he can’t be with Con bc Con is his dead husband’s best friend, his business partner, and in a relationship. He thinks Tim must be important to Con since Con has never brought a man home before, and Frankie is intimidated by Tim’s looks. Con, however, has been in love with Frankie since they met.

After Frankie became a widower, he needed to support Frankie, not confess his love. Three years on, he’s lost hope that Frankie will see him as more than a friend and is growing increasingly frustrated and angered by his inability to move on. Both men suck at recognizing and acting on openings, but Tim’s presence and their meddling friends help them see and respond to the neon signs they're showing.

I love Morton’s style of dialogue and witty banter, and Leslie continues to convey it well. Frankie, Con, and their friends are colorful characters, and their constantly aborted flirtations and conversations are mostly funny. I will say that the obstacle of Tim isn’t handled that well. Con knows that Frankie thinks they’re dating and that Frankie has been cheated on before so him being frustrated or downtrodden when Frankie cuts short their flirtations or moments of chemistry is silly and contrived. Con created his own roadblocks by not telling Frankie the score when Frankie first emotion-blocked them instead of at the end of the drama. All in all though, this is a quick, entertaining listen that Leslie performs well.

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really sweet mcs

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
3 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 11-24-24

3.5⭐️
Audio: 4.25⭐️


(Un)Lucky Fae is an entertaining and sweet story with a warm-hearted but wary fae and a cinnamon-roll wolf shifter who acts like a golden retriever. I really like some things , but it is uneven in several ways. I adored the MCs, and Remi is loving, patient, and understanding. He is the perfect boyfriend with the strong family ties Bel craves. He wants to give Bel the world and believes in him even though Bel has no faith in himself. He also has a strong, supportive friend group, especially his friend Tanyl who is obviously getting his own book. Remi could have been completely boring, but he works for me.

Bel internalized his country's hatred for fae so believes he’s a terrible person, but he’s a good guy who loves his five cousins to pieces and does what he can to help them. Outside of them and his friend, Antoine, he's learned to distrust everyone else. Bc of the discrimination against fae, Bel turned to a crime lord to help his family and is now bound to him. Bel hates that he has to lie, steal and other things to survive, but life hasn't beaten him down. He busks to make a living but also bc his soul is full of music. It brings him joy, and he shares that with his audience.

His relationship with Remi is charming and fluffy, if rocky. Bel is plagued with self-doubt and sometimes anger at Remi’s insistence in trusting him. He’s prideful but not pigheadedly so. He feels unworthy of Remi, and if the bond btw them didn’t cause them distress when apart, he would have ghosted Remi to save him from himself. For his part, Remi is always respectful of Bel’s fears and boundaries. He never pushes and is an open book, which leads to one of the story's weaknesses. Remi believes the best of almost everyone, but Notaro skirts the line of him being stupidly naïve for dramatic effect. The text tries to justify it, but it doesn’t hold weight.

The story’s pace and worldbuilding are also unbalanced. The book feels too long and is repetitive in its emotional beats. It doesn’t incorporate the lingering danger of Bel’s contract or his cousins’ interactions with Remi well. Bel’s remaining family is his life, but Remi only spends limited time with them on two occasions, and the second is taken up with set-up for yet another spin-off book. With all the time spent repeating things or dedicated to fated-mating two other couples, there could have been better integration.

The worldbuilding is full of “but why, tho?” and contradictory info, especially regarding Bel’s homelessness. Bel admits to not being too proud to beg for a job but won’t accept one from a friend who owns a bookshop he loves? It makes no sense that Bel wouldn’t be working there as he was going to Antoine’s before his parents died. I’m expected to believe a grief-stricken, newly orphaned and homeless adolescent wouldn’t ask for/accept a job from his friend and keep refusing for a decade? It also seems out of character that Bel’s pride would take precedence over caring for his family by decreasing their constant worry over him and by having a source of income that could have allowed them to all live together comfortably.

It’s also never explained why fae are so hated and distrusted in this country, but seemingly not the word in general. Did they go around abusing humans and other supernats? Bel says humans consider shifters as fae victims, but why? They’re progeny of fae and humans, but were they treated as slaves? Discriminated against bc of their human blood or being able to shift into animals? How did fae lose so much power/status that they’re third-class citizens now? The king is a dragon. As long lived as he is, does he hate fae too since he allows the despicable discrimination that keeps one group impoverished?

There are also things Remi says that make no sense given how he grew up. E.g., he’s forty-odd with fae siblings, a fae bestie, and a family home in the fae lands but believes all fae have the same affinity for nature? His fae brothers have different affinities but ok. Also, Remi mentions wanting to help the homeless, but there are not even a few lines to suggest civic works he’s thinking about by the end. Remi buys buildings left and right, buying the building Bel’s cousins live in to protect them without a thought. Why not buy an apartment building for fae or create a shelter or community center? They bought a huge house with a garden. Did Remi invite the cousins to live there, especially with the eldest actually having a nature affinity? Did he at least give them a better apartment in the building he bought?

The big bad storyline has a running theme where other ppl owned by the crime boss are suddenly opening up to Bel/being friendlier, seeming almost magical in nature. He exclaims upon it several times, but there’s no explanation or payoff. Also, the antagonist has Bel stealing artifacts from someone for months. He makes some cryptic comment about their ownership and is super pressed about them at the end. What does it mean? Why is he so fixated? Who knows! He’s there to torture Bel, make him do bad things, and give him the third act catharsis he needs to take back his life.

However, the book still gave me all the warm fuzzies needed to ignore the eye-roll inducing nonsense, helped by Michael Lesley’s narration. He’s always good with sass and snark, and conveys emotions so well. Occasionally, his delivery is a bit jarring bc of odd pauses and cadences, and all Remis’ friends sound similar. But the performance is still really good and definitely added to my enjoyment. Despite all my critiques, I’m a sucker for a gentle, patient person giving their loved one the space to grow, and this delivers in spades. Throw in some cute kids with an awesome older brother and a meddling (but not overly obnoxious) family and friends full of love, and I’m all in.

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