Tag: 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 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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Worst of 2018: The Books

Posted January 6, 2019 by Rowena in Features | 1 Comment

Casee

Rookie Move (Brooklyn Bruisers #1) by Sarina Bowen: Holy hell, but I hated the heroine in this book. It was hard to reconcile my feelings for this book because I really liked the hero. A lot. I didn’t understand what he saw in her. She was so bitchy.

Consumed (Firefighters #1) by J.R. Ward: Ugh. This book though. It was hard to read. I really thought the heroine was TSTL at the end, though many disagreed with me. I really disliked the heroine and how hardheaded she was. I thought it really took away from the book as did her bitterness from her childhood and her feelings for her mother.

Of Blood and Bone (Chronicles of the One #2) by Nora Roberts: This book just wasn’t what I was expecting, which is why it’s on this list. It’s probably not that bad of a read for most people. For me, it was a major disappointment.

Shadow and Ice (Gods of War #1) by Gena Showalter: I was so disappointed with this book. It was just so boring. I didn’t really care for either the hero or the heroine.

Devil’s Cut by J.R. Ward (The Bourbon Kings #3): I was so looking forward to this book because I loved the first two in this series. This one was an extreme let down. It just didn’t have the magic that the first two did for me. It was like the author just wanted to finish up the series as quickly as possible and tie it with a neat little bow. That didn’t work for me at all.

Holly

I read some really great books in 2018. Sadly, I also read some pretty terrible ones.

Ache for You by J.T. Geissinger: The heroine of this book was such a whingeing bitch she ruined the whole book for me. From beginning to end she was selfish, angry and unpleasant. I have no idea why the hero wanted to be with her, or how she managed to keep any friends.

Raphael by D.B. Reynolds: I love Casee so much, but sometimes I question her taste in books. From the too stupid to live heroine to the giant plot holes, this was a total miss for me.

Shadow and Ice by Gena Showalter: Honestly, this wasn’t a terrible book. It was mostly just boring and slow.

Hot Dad by Whitley Cox: This started off well, but it quickly went downhill. The plot went from cute to WTF in a hurry. I don’t know what happened, but it was super disappointing.

The Only One by Lauren Blakely: I loved a lot of books by Blakely in 2018, but this wasn’t one of them. The heroine was so immature she completely killed the book for me.

Heart on Fire by Amanda Bouchet: Everyone raved about this series, so maybe I had high expectations going in. Maybe that worked against me. I’m not sure. Whatever the case, this book was a major disappointment. The heroine acted like an idiot for 90% of the book and it should have been at least 100 (maybe 200) pages shorter.

Rowena

If You Don’t Have Anything Nice to Say by Leila Sales: Ugh, this book drove me up the freaking wall. It was a mess and the delivery didn’t work for me at all. I need to not think about it and get myself worked up all over again. I’m so glad to be leaving this book in 2018.

Say You’ll Stay by Corinne Michaels: Here’s another book that pissed me off with how dumb the characters acted. You can read my review of the book to see why I hated this book so much. This book gets a great big, “BYE FELISHA!”

Hot Dad by Whitley Cox: Holly and I went through a phase in 2018 where we wanted to read all of the single Dad romances and this one made its way onto our radar so we had to read it together and well, it was a hot fucking mess and never again will this book find its way onto my Currently Reading shelf on Goodreads. No thank you.

Ache for You by J.T. Geissinger: The heroine in this book was so bad that she ruined the entire book for me. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to smack anyone as much as I wanted to smack her this past year. I mean, the characters in the above could give this heroine a run for her money but ugh…this book pissed me off.

Save the Date by Carrie Aarons: Gah, I wanted to like this book because I adored the cover and have been looking forward to trying out this author but this one just didn’t work for me. The best friends thing started off pretty great but the heroine started being dumb and the hero started to look a bit desperate over the relationship and it just didn’t make any sense. So yeah, blah.

Dishonorable Mentions: Other books that were flops for me were The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory, Love Between Enemies by Molly E. Lee, and Shadow and Ice by Gena Showalter.

What were some of your worst reads of 2018?

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