Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.
Today’s category: Books I Wish Had More/Less [Insert Your Concept Here] In Them (for example: more/less romance, more/less world building, less info dumping, more/fewer pages, more character development, fewer characters, fewer descriptions, more suspense, etc.)
I decided to share my most recent romance novels that could have been 5 star ratings, but were 4½ stars because I wanted more __ from. Honestly, the blank space could be suspense, magic, sexy times, or character details. It’s been a long year, and I am finding myself to be rather picky this year. So let’s get started with this list!
Let’s start with Chantal Fernando’s Fated Love Series. I am loving this romantasy and, in all honesty, the two books that started this series could have easily been 5 star reads. Let’s chalk it up to spoiled reader syndrome. I wanted a tiny bit more from both of these books.
Forewarned by Chantal Fernando: …there were a few small moments that I wanted more from. I felt like a scene was cut too short and I wanted just a little more detail.. If I remember correctly that scene had to do with Astrid and another character Pandora and a certain conversation revolving around the main male characters, best friend, Soren. We were given a nibble and it was stripped away…. Read my full review HERE!
Foretold by Chantal Fernando: …The only reason why i dropped a ½ star on my rating is due to the fact that I wanted more of that magic/power through Astrid’s perspective. She had strength in her power and I wanted that element to shine more…. Read my full review HERE!
The next books within a series that I needed a bit more from are books two four and five within the Georgia Smoke Series by Abbi Glines, Slay King, Storm and Demons.
Slay King by Abbi Glines: …I wanted to see King in his extreme element. There is talks about past women and past extra-curricular activities inside the sexy-as-sin scheme of things. Talks of rope and tying people up. And I kind of wanted to see King in his element. An hour ago this was a four star rating for me, and then I thought long and hard, I understand why King didn’t take it that far with Rumor. She is a victim of domestic abuse. So that would have probably put fear in her heart…. BUT, I still wanted that moment with King in his ultimate sexy time element… You can read more of my review HERE.
Storm by Abbi Glines: …the only thing that felt flat, to me, was the ending conflict between Briar and she who shall not be named. I felt like this was the only moment that was a little too fast paced for my liking. I knew the face-off was coming, I just wanted more from that moment… You can read more of my review HERE.
Demons by Abbi Glines: … It all stems from a moment in time that was brought up a couple of times and never talked about again. Aside from the town being scared of Thatcher due to a murder-esque situation. If you’ve read this novel and know what I’m talking about, I wanted more from this moment in the present tense. I wanted the realization that Thatcher was the man who saved her. I think this detailed moment would have made their connection stronger, but it seemed like that topic was dropped off the face of the earth, or rather this novel…. You can read more of my review HERE.
The next book on my list is The Wife Situation by Lyra Parish.
The Wife Situation by Lyra Parish: … I dropped a ½ star rating on this review and that was for the mere fact that the ending felt a little rushed. I wasn’t ready to see these two go! I wasn’t ready to close the book on their story… You can read more of my review HERE.
The Next two books are from the Stone Riders MC Series by Ashley Munoz. They are the first and second book in the series, Where We Started and Where We Belong.
Where We Started by Ashley Munoz: I remember feeling like I wanted more from the ending of this novel. I forgot to add it into my review. Basically this novel was spectacular and came as a surprise to me. Everything from the romance to the suspense was epic. I think I did a little too much fangirling in my review and forgot to add the reason why I dropped a ½ star on my rating. OOOPS. Anywho, if you want to, you can read my review HERE.
Where We Belong by Ashley Munoz: … The reasoning why I dropped a ½ star on my rating had to do with Laura and her past/secret. I wish this fact was weaved through the story a little bit more than just a mere mention or two. I wanted more suspense from her side of the tale. And her family life and childhood could have had a greater climatic effect on this story. … You can read more of my review HERE.
To make this top ten list complete, I decided to throw in a duet that I rated both books four stars, but, this duet came as a surprise to me. Nacole Stayton was a new to me author and I’m so happy I took the jump and read the Ink and Lyrics Duet! It was a treat, in so many ways. But there were a few issues I had which in return dropped my rating on both books.
Kings Of Jupiter by Nacole Stayton: … I didn’t post the reason why I dropped a star during my review… I think it had to do with Sophie’s tattooing during the second half of the novel. I wanted to see her more in her element, like it showed in the first half… You can read my review HERE.
Queen Of Jupiter by Nacole Stayton: I dropped a star on my rating due to the fact that I wanted more towards the end. Without giving spoilers away, I would have liked to see what happened in between the ending of the novel and the epilogue. Instead of it just being discussed in the epilogue. There is ten years worth of information that I seriously feel like I’m missing out on. Talk about having a case of F.O.M.O (fear of missing out). My heart was invested, and I wanted more. This is where I say, an epilogue can either have a reader swooning and feeling complete or it can have the exact opposite effect causing the reader to want more from the ending. … You can read more of my review HERE.
Peace Love and Happy Reading,
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4.5 stars is really good! Too bad they couldn’t be full five-star reads for you. 🙂
The 4.5 star rating is good but can be a little discouraging at times.