by Penny Angeles-Tan | Mar 7, 2023 | Book Reviews
I am trying really hard to appreciate Bullied By My Alpha Stepbrother by Joy Apens. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I hate bullies and bullying in any form but I gave this story a shot because I was curious to see how the author would develop the romance between the lead characters.
Having read so many bully romances I was prepared for the male lead, Hardin, to be Jasmine’s bully. What I didn’t anticipate was how many times he sexually assaulted her. I’m sorry, is this supposed to be okay? We are just supposed to accept that since Hardin and Jasmine are the lead characters no matter what happens it is okay because they may end up together.
Pardon me, but there is nothing right about sexual assault, whether it is something as “minimal” as fondling or all the way to penetration. IT IS NOT OKAY.
As a story arc and trigger, I get it, especially at the beginning when they don’t know each other and Hardin is still horribly bitter. But 25 chapters in and it is still happening? And Jasmine is still not reporting it? How is this right? Like most prolific readers I immerse myself in the story and embed myself in the character. This means that I put myself in Jasmine’s persona and I am not okay with being violated repeatedly.
He called her a slut, whore, etc., took her virginity, and all she can do EVER is cry. SIGH. Victim mentality.
I know at some point in the future we will see a change of heart with Hardin and he will somehow fall for her. At some point, it will probably be revealed that they are mates. Fyi, at the part I’m at there isn’t any sign so I don’t even know if the author will allow for fated mates or if this is a human-like romance in a werewolf romance setting.
At the moment, I don’t ever want them to be together. I want Jasmine to end up with Lorenzo. In her shoes, I would never forgive someone who has done what he has been doing. It doesn’t matter if her body responds. If the girl you are with is saying NO and crying the entire time (even if she is supposedly wet) that means her mind does not agree. It is still rape.
IT IS NOT OKAY. If you are curious and want to weigh in, you can find Bullied By My Alpha Stepbrother by Joy Apens on several reading apps including Goodnovel, where I found it.
I finally caught up to the latest chapter (Chapter 37 as of this update). It is her birthday and, what does Hardin do? He rapes her. SERIOUSLY?!? And this is a romance novel? Even if it categorized as a dark romance I think there has to be a cap on how much abuse a girl can take.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Jan 18, 2023 | Book Reviews
“What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, and never in a thousand years?” Whoa! I loved that riddle! Do you know the answer?
When I decided to review We’re All Mad Here by Leann Belle it was mostly because I was curious about how the author would reimagine Alice in Wonderland which is a dark tale that Disney manage to tame it for the kids.
This story is really, really good. It is actually very dark and gory. This usually isn’t my thing but I was fixated and couldn’t stop reading. If Lewis Carroll was into BDSM I think he would possibly have written this story in much the way Leann Belle did. I think that she was able to perfectly capture the essence of a dark and twisted Wonderland with a healthy (some would say unhealthy) mix of sex in many forms.
Her interpretation of the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum (yummy twins!), and the Mad Hatter and the March Hare are just delicious! All those luscious men! I’m glad Alice was able to show them a thing or three. Also, I was imagining Nina Dobrev as Alice the entire time, at her current age, not her age in The Vampire Diaries.
Am I recommending this book? Hell, yeah! But it comes with a warning. There are several scenes that could be triggering so if dark romance is not your thing, proceed with caution.
If you have a Kindle Unlimited account that means you can read it “for free” at Amazon or you can purchase it for 3.99. I promise this is really good! It took me 2 days to read because there were some scenes that were just really … challenging, I think that is the word I am looking for, but once I got passed them it was all good.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Jan 10, 2023 | Book Reviews
I’ve been seeing Plain Jane by Celice Wylder pop up so often and I did add it a while back but I could not seem to start it. Part of it was because I wasn’t too keen on the cover art but another was because I read a book from Celice Wylder last year that I was not happy with.
Yesterday I decided to take the plunge and opened this book. I am so glad that I did as this is a jewel. The story is well written and probably the worst thing I could say about it is that the author would use terms like “bicep” or “clavicle” when she could just as easily say arm or collarbone. Jane is also always “strangling” Roman’s hair … last I check you can’t strangle hair – it has no neck.
That aside, though the story is riveting. It is a dark romance that breaks some shifter stereotypes that could be confusing. If you read on, though, you can forgive them and just enjoy the story.
From all the clues I expected more BDSM but I am still early in the story, only chapter 38 so far, so it could still manifest later. Roman has some hard nos that are frankly confusing but I am waiting to see how this story rolls itself out.
So far Plain Jane by Celice Wylder has 93 chapters and is still ongoing on Goodnovel. Since it is already going so much better than the other book I read (which I may review later) I’m one extremely happy camper.
If you are looking for a new story to read on Goodnovel, check out Plain Jane by Celice Wylder now.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Jan 7, 2023 | Book Reviews
Lycan background image by Patrick Tatopoulos
Not everyone is into dark romance and His Dark Obsession by Moonlight Muse is that while also a shifter romance at the same time. I mean, it’s even in the title. But while the story is tagged as a dark romance, what makes it dark is the savageness of Prince Zedkiel (in general) and Evangeline’s uncertainty about their relationship. In addition, there may be some scenes that could be triggering so, be forewarned!
The story is fast-paced and written so well that I easily found myself immersed in the story. I admit to being impatient with how long it is taking Zed and Evangeline to get to the closeness I want, but that has more to do with my personality, not Moonlight Muse’s writing. I definitely cannot identify with Evangeline at the moment as her character is generally meek.
So far 50+ chapters have been written and the story just gets better and better. His Dark Obsession by Moonlight Muse is an ongoing story on Goodnovel. Click on the link to get brought straight to the story.
There are still a lot of secrets that have yet to be told and their romance still has a long way to go. I certainly hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 10, 2022 | Book Reviews
Auctioned to her Stepbrothers by Stephanie Brother was first published as Room Twenty-Eight: Their Willing Victim as part of the Club Sin: Chicago Session 1 collection. It was a collaborative effort by various authors that all happen in the same place … Club Sin.
Even before opening the book, I had an inkling that there would be BDSM in this story and I was curious just how deeply into the lifestyle these characters would be.
Honor is a sweet, beautiful girl with simple dreams. But when she finds herself buried in debt with no feasible way to get out of the hole a lifeline was thrown her way and she grabbed it. She signed up on a website where men bet on women to be their plaything. Her beauty and innocence make her highly desirable. In the end, the highest bid was from three brothers.
From the start, the three men made it clear that they were making just one bid … that their bid meant that she would be shared by all three. Kylian, Nate, and Lyle are billionaires who can well afford to bid on her individually but in this instance chose not to. All of them wanted her and they were okay to share.
When Honor was a young girl her mother married the father of Kylian, Nate, and Lyle, a ruthless businessman with a vicious temper. The four of them spent many happy moments together. But their parents’ marriage was anything was wonderful and eventually Honor and her mom left. Their leaving made life for the boys go from bad to worse.
It’s twisted but Honor realizes that her feelings for the brothers are not filial and if it takes BDSM to heal them and bring them all back together then so be it.
The transformation is amazing to “watch”. Are there triggering scenes? Yes. Are there instances of sexual violence? Yes. Are they in context? Yes! Is this story worth reading? ABSOLUTELY. Their blossoming love is worth witnessing. You can grab a copy of Auctioned to her Stepbrothers by Stephanie Brother on Amazon for 2.99 or free with a Kindle Unlimited account.
After reading this book you can read the bonus content here.
“What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, and never in a thousand years?” Whoa! I loved that riddle! Do you know the answer?
I’ve been seeing Plain Jane by Celice Wylder pop up so often and I did add it a while back but I could not seem to start it. Part of it was because I wasn’t too keen on the cover art but another was because I read a book from Celice Wylder last year that I was not happy with.
Auctioned to her Stepbrothers by Stephanie Brother was first published as 
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