Tag: Holly’s Worst of Lists

Worst of 2023: The Books

Posted January 22, 2024 by Casee in Features | 2 Comments

It’s that time of year (a little late) for us to share our least favorite books of 2023. Thanks for joining us this month as we reflect on our favorite (and least favorite) books!

Casee

Smoke and Steel (Wild West MC #2) by Kristen Ashley: This book was not just a big no from me, it was a hell the fuck no. I read in a review that there was domestic abuse, but I decided to read it anyway. Big mistake. I hated this book.

Hemy (Walk of Shame #2) by Victoria Ashley: I’m all for male strippers, but this just went over the top for me.

Wolf Marked (Magic Side: Wolf Bound #1) by Veronica Douglas: I read about half this one and honestly don’t remember why I DNFed it. It was that forgettable.

Pestilence (The Four Horsemen #1) by Laura Thalassa: I tried to like this one. The premise is so interesting, but I couldn’t see how the “hero” could be redeemable. Just no.

Dragon Heat (Air Dragons #1) by Charlene Hartnady: This book sounded so good, but all the exclamation points took me out of the story each time!

Holly

Loverboy (The Company #2) by Sarina Bowen: I am a huge Sarina Bowen fan usually, but this book was a hot mess. As much as I love her contemporary and sports romances, I don’t think her strength is romantic suspense.

The Dark Elf’s Surprise Baby (Secret Babies for Prothekan #2) by Celeste King: I’m actually disappointed in myself for this one. He was physically aggressive with her and acted like a controlling, jealous abuser. Do not recommend.

When He’s Ruthless (Olympus Pride #4) by Suzanne Wright: I read a lot of Wright in 2023, to include many re-reads of this series. But I had to DNF this book. The FMC was immature and acted like a child for most of the book. The pranks were immature and overall I felt very old reading it. Your mileage may vary.

Icebreaker (Maple Hills #1) by Hannah Grace: Another book with immature main characters. They blew hot and cold and, in general, acted like teenagers. I DNF’d at 30%.

Spring Breeze by Lily Alexander: I initially rated this book 3.5 out of 5, but the more I thought about it the more I realized it didn’t deserve more than 2 out of 5. The romance was boring and the rest was pretty silly. I only kept reading because I was curious what would happen with the family drama (and in the end I was disappointed in the resolution for that, too).


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Worst of 2022: The Books

Posted January 18, 2023 by Casee in Features | 2 Comments

It’s that time of year again. The time where we come together and look over the books that we’ve read over the course of 2022 and list our favorites. Today’s list will include our least favorite books of 2022. Thanks for joining us on our 2022 reading journey these past few weeks!

Casee

The Viper (Black Dagger Brotherhood: Prison Camp #3) by J.R. Ward: This book was not for me. I generally like or feel ambivalent when it comes to JRW. Still–I read every book that she releases. I really regretted reading this one. It was a waste of time.

Free (Chaos #6) by Kristen Ashley: The whole ending to the Benito Valenzuela was just lame. It was just too much.

Shadow Music (Highlands’ Lairds #3) by Julie Garwood: I decided to try to reread this book (on audio). Unfortunately I couldn’t finish it. The heroine was just about unbearable.

Dream Chaser (Dream Team #2) by Kristen Ashley: I DNFed this at 55%. Both Ryn & Boone were awful. I don’t know what they saw in each other because I saw nothing.

Annihilation Road (Torpedo Ink #6) by Christine Feehan: This book was just okay. It was part of a duo within the series & after reading this one, I didn’t read the next.

Holly

A Farewell to Charms (Mystic Bayou, #6) by Molly Harper: I usually love Molly Harper’s books and this series in particular, but A Farewell to Charms was painful to read. Alex crossed a serious line in the beginning and I was never able to move past what he did.

All Is Faerie in Love and War (Fangs and Feathers, #2) by Isla Frost: The terrible things the MC did and the way they were addressed in this book ruined my reading experience. I’m sad about it since I enjoyed the first book.

Heart of Hope by Lucy Score: I really enjoyed a lot of books by Score this year, but while the premise of this one was interesting, the execution left a lot to be desired. The secret he kept and her reaction to it kind of killed the story for me. Plus, the whole organ donor thing was a little cheesy.

The Purveli (Aldebarian Alliance, #3) by Dianne Duvall: This is the third book in the Aldebarian Alliance series. If it had been book 2 I think I would have enjoyed it more. As it is, literally every single aspect of it, save one, was spoiled in book 2. There were no surprises or intrigues because we learned everything there was to know about this book in the previous one. It was a total disappointment to read.

Black Moon (Alpha Pack, #3) by J.D. Tyler: I ended up DNF’ing this book. I just couldn’t connect with Kalen or Mac. They both acted immature and weak. I thought about powering through, but honestly nothing worked for me and I didn’t see a point in continuing.

Who were your worst reads of 2022?


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Worst of 2021: The Books

Posted January 7, 2022 by Casee in Features | 2 Comments

It’s that time of year again. The time where we come together and look over the books that we’ve read over the course of 2021 and list our favorites. Today’s list will include all of our least favorite books that we read didn’t read in 2021. Join us for a week of reflecting on our favorites and not so favorite reads, authors, heroes, heroines, and series.

Casee

I had more DNF’s last year than I have in the last five years combined. The whole adage “So much to read, so little time” really forced me to decide that I need to be more selective. I don’t need to stick to it until the bitter end unless I want to.

When Heroes Fall by Giana Darling: I don’t love or hate mafia romances. I love the characters more than the trope. This one was a bit over the top for me & I threw in the towel pretty early.

Vigilante by Jessica Gaziala: This one pains me. I’m a huge Jessica Gadziala fan. I absolutely could not stand the hero. I don’t even remember his name. I do remember that he was insufferable.

Violent Delights by Jessica Hawkins: I don’t remember why I DNF’d this one, but I vaguely remember it being the heroine I had a problem with. And the whole cartel thing really didn’t work for me here.

Explosive by K.E. Osborn: I DNF’d this one at 72%. I was annoyed as I was reading the book, but I liked the hero. Considering who she was and what happened to her, the heroine’s story should have been more poignant or something. Instead, she made decisions and started doing things that were so out of character that I had a hard time suspending my disbelief. A big no from me on this one.

Trigger by J.L. Drake: I remember exactly why I DNF’d this one. It happened early on in the book, which I am forever grateful for.

Holly

I was a lot better this year about quitting books if I wasn’t into them or if they weren’t working for me. Still, a few slipped through. A couple of these weren’t bad reads, they just didn’t live up to my expectations for them.

Red by J.E. Taylor: This was pretty bad all the way around. The writing was choppy and the story was disjointed. There was no clear direction the story was moving and it ended very abruptly.

Heart on a Leash by Alanna Martin: This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021. The cover, the premise…all of it appealed to me. Sadly, the whole family feud was really over the top and just killed it for me. Not a bad book, but definitely not as good as I was hoping for.

Hardest Fall by Juliette Cross: I didn’t dislike this book, it just wasn’t what I was hoping for. I loved Bone, the heroine, in the first book and expected something different than I got from her. This was definitely a case of my expectations getting in the way, but still. It was disappointing to not get the story I anticipated.

The Monster MAS*H by Angie Fox: Parts of this worked for me, but there were a lot of inconsistencies in the story and the writing, so it didn’t feel like a cohesive book. Plus, the ending was…not my favorite.

Apprentice of Magic by K.M. Shea: This was a DNF for me. I didn’t understand the motivations of either character, the attraction between mentor and student felt a little icky (even if it wasn’t explored) and more importantly, I just didn’t like the main character. She was pretty awful.

That’s a wrap on 2021. Thanks for reminiscing with us this week!


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Worst of 2020: The Books

Posted January 11, 2021 by Casee in Features | 2 Comments

When you read as much as we do, you come across some books that just don’t work for you. Maybe you DNF’d the book because it wasn’t for you or you rage read the entire story and hated the story or the characters with every fiber of your being. Whatever the case may be, you’ll find the books that didn’t work for us here. Check out our not so great list of the year.

Casee

I had an unfortunate year when it came to bad books. There are other books I didn’t like, but these are the ones that really stayed with me.

Perfection by Kitty Thomas: It had the lamest plot. I don’t know what I was thinking.

Hawk’s Property by Chiah Wilder: The hero was unbearable as was the heroine. I finished the book, but it was hard.

Guard Me by J.L. Beck: This book was effing horrendous. The hero was a sex trafficker who was sleeping with the heroine all while planning on selling her off.

You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley: Holy hell, but this book was simply awful. The heroine was terrible and I hated the ending.

Breathe by Kristen Ashley: Yes, KA actually made it on this list. The hero was terrible. A complete asswipe. I wanted to junk punch him but just decided to DNF the book instead.

Holly

The Duchess in His Bed (Sins for All Seasons #4) by Lorraine Heath: The heroine ruined this book for me. I loved the Trewlove family, and I loved the hero, but her actions made me so angry. Her selfishness was too much for me.

Sin & Surrender (Demigods of San Francisco #6) by K.F. Breene: I actually didn’t dislike this book. There were parts of it I actively enjoyed, in fact. The problem is that it left a lot to be desired as the end of a great series. I really loved the series and this book didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

Enthroned (King Arthur and Her Knights #1) by K.M. Shea: The first half was boring and featured a lot of tell, don’t show. There wasn’t much emotion or connection to the characters. It was like reading script. I actually went on to read the rest of this series, but this book was a mess.

Wishing for a Highlander (Highland Wishes #1) by Jessi Gage: This book was campy and ridiculous. I don’t know why I didn’t DNF it. It was just too over-the-top for me to enjoy.

Whiskey Holiday (Mistletoe Montana #11) by Crystal Daniels and Sandy Alvarez: This is a last minute addition. I thought the blurb sounded cute, but it turned out to be a ridiculous farce of a romance. The hero was so jealous and high-key stalkerish I had a hard time understanding why the heroine didn’t call the police. Instead? She let him move himself into her house 24 hours after they met. There was a whole lotta nope here.

Rowena

I didn’t read a whole lot of books last year but I only really hated two of the books that I read so I’m only listing those two since I don’t have five. Check it out.

Devious Lies by Parker S. Huntington: I did not like this book, not even a little bit. Read my review of the book and it’ll explain why I hated it so much.

The Kissing Game by Marie Harte: This book didn’t work out for me. There were too many little things that annoyed me so it messed with my enjoyment of the story.

What were some of your least favorite reads of 2020?


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Worst of 2019: The Books

Posted January 11, 2020 by Rowena in Features | 10 Comments

Casee

Live for you by Michele Mills: Both the hero and heroine ruined this book for me. They were both unbearable. Not to mention the time spent describing the hero’s junk. I ended up wanting to punch his junk.

Lies by Kylie Scott: The heroine here was TSTL. I couldn’t deal. I liked her “go get ’em” attitude, but it didn’t work in this situation. At all.

More Than Want You by Shayla Black: The hero was awful. Simply awful. I couldn’t stand him or the plot. It was all very off-putting.

Keep Me Safe by Maya Banks: This couple didn’t work for me at all. I didn’t understand what they saw in each other. Their relationship was so forced that it hurt to read.

Fever by Maya Banks: I didn’t like Jace at all. He was such an ass. He had so much more power in the relationship than he did and it was just awful to read. Yuck.

Dishonorable Mentions: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, Still Not Over You by Nicole Snow, and Filty English by Ilsa Madden-Mills.

Holly

Good Girl by Lauren Layne: Rowena told me not to read this book, but I forgot and read it anyway. So.Much.Regret. The “hero” was such a fucking dick I wanted to junk punch him for the majority of the book.

Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey: Annie, the heroine, ruined this book for me. She was condescending and judgmental throughout the entire book. She jumped to conclusions and refused to admit when she was wrong. And that was before she seriously breached the hero’s privacy and completely ruined the book for me.

First Contact by Kat Green: Between the TSTL heroine and the predictable plot, this book didn’t work for me at all. I was sort of vaguely interested in the mystery behind the ghosts at first, but that didn’t last long.

Free by Kristen Ashley: KA has been more miss than hit with me for her last few releases, but Free was just so far outside of what I was expecting, I couldn’t help but be disappointed. The villain of the series had more page time getting pegged than the romance had. It was pretty bad.

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez: This fucking book, man. I can’t even. The heroine was such an awful person with all the games she played, I was shaking with rage by the time I finished it. It gets a bit fat NOPE from me.

Rowena

Bad Reputation (Bad Bachelors #2) by Stefanie London: I hated this book. I hated a lot about this book. The heroine’s taste in friends for one, then there was that shitty thing that the hero does, that pissed me off and there was also the way that I understood why the heroine felt the way that she felt but was still frustrated that she was real dumb about it. This whole book was a mess and I didn’t like any of it.

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez: Ugh, I haven’t thought about this book since I finished it. Like, I don’t even know where to start with how much I hated this book. I couldn’t stand the heroine and her stupid ass games, her stupid ass lies, and her stupid ass behavior throughout this entire book. Don’t even get me started on Brandon and the heroine of the next book. Just, don’t even get me started. I fucking hated this book and that’s that.

Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfree: Another book on my list with a heroine that pissed me the hell off. I remember wanting to pull her damn hair right out. All of it. She was ridiculous and the way she treated Drew, the way that she acted throughout the entire book, including writing a freaking screenplay about her best friend and her best friend’s boss and THEN SOLD the manuscript BEFORE she told her best friend? Yeah, I thought this book was trash buckets and I didn’t like it at all.

The Wrong Game by Kandi Steiner: This wasn’t the worst book that I read in 2019 but it was nowhere near close to the best. I just didn’t really connect with much outside of the hero. I thought the hero was a good one but the heroine left a lot to be desired and her game playing pissed me off far too often.

Heidi’s Guide to Four Letter Words by Tara Sivec & Andi Arndt: Heidi was raised in a small town, lived a very sheltered life and throughout this entire book, she annoyed the snot out of me. The shit that her hero found cute and adorably sweet? I thought was stupid. Just, this entire book had a lot of potential but it didn’t hit at all. The more I listened, the more I wanted to karate chop everyone and everything. Blech.

What were some books that missed the mark for you in 2019? Any books make it onto your worst reads of the year list? We’d love to hear all about them in the comments!


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