Member Reviews

Thank you @netgalley for this arc! I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I'm not sure where to start. This book was ... 🤷🏻‍♀️ to me. I did appreciate how it started and how refreshing it was to see a FMC who was straight forward. The writing felt YA to me and I enjoy a good YA book but I didn't go into this expecting that.

There were some bits that were cringey to me - like when Rhys would constantly say "Awe, Maisy." Because I know no guy that speaks like that in every interaction but that may just be who I'm surrounded with 🤣

The book as a whole had a nice idea to it - it's what caught my attention in the first place. But once I got halfway through it, it started to feel like a chore to try and finish this book. Just felt there could've been more development in my opinion. 🤷🏻‍♀️

This book releases on October 25!

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Maisy inherits a key unexpectedly from an Uncle she didn't know she had. With it comes a grumpy half-angel and a responsibility to keep Hell in Hell ...

This is a fun, irreverent romantic fantasy with good characters that I enjoyed getting to know. The world building was fairly good, and the plot quite tongue in cheek. If you're looking for something fun, this is the book for you!

Thank you to the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Imperfect Angel by Christi Barth

Thank you to Entangled for the gifted arc and chance to read and review this novel.

A grumpy half angel tasked with protecting humans. A sunshine artist who inherits a mysterious key and responsibilities she could never have imagined. This one has a rom-com feel together with the supernatural vibes make it a great little fall read.

The pacing was a bit odd and the relationship wasn’t super convincing - very hot and cold but this will delight fans of paranormal romance.

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Delightful and unique. This is only the second book I've read from this author and was happy to see such a different kind of tale. It was all completely and totally unexpected and a joy to read. Christi Barth's characters are endearing and relatable. She's certainly going on my list of authors to keep a look out for!

Thank you so much for the advanced copy, I enjoyed it immensely. I will be doing a more detailed review on my blog on the release date.

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This is an original and very clever novel that has Maisy inheriting a key that makes no sense to her. When strange things start happening and an angel/human being, Rhys, who assigns himself to protect her. What follows is an entertaining story filled with lots of heart and a bit of the demons of hell.

I'm giving this 4.5 stars as, to me, there were parts of the novel that seemed to drag. However, even with this, this is a wonderful novel. I'm rounding up to 5 stars just for the originality of the concept.

Fans of the genre will love this book. I'm a fan of the author and have her on my must read authors' list, however, this novel is not a lighthearted as her other books.

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I really enjoyed this one! The heroine in the story is snarky and doesn't fawn all over the hero in the story. This is a fun one to read around Halloween because it has spooky angels and demons lore. I liked that an average Jane unknowingly became the keeper of the keys to the gates of hell. Overall a fun, sexy read!

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Ok this was my bad. I recently read and LOVED a book by Christi Barth, so when I saw this on NG I grabbed it without even bothering to read the blurb. I got started, got confused and then realized this is a fantasy romance,, something I'm just not personally into! Oops! Make sure to check out the blurb! I think if you like fantasy romance, you'd like this because Christi Barth is a fantastic writer!

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Maisy is living a fairly dull quiet life when she discovers an uncle she never knew existed has died and left her a key, which makes her the Keeper of the key to a gate in Hell. This brings Nephilim Rhys in to her life and changes everything. He sees her as a weak human who might not be able to handle what’s to come and she sees him as an obnoxious know it all. He tries to help her navigate her new reality. Heaven,hell, demons, angels and lots of other beings do really exist and she needs to be able to deal with them. The more time they spend together the more Rhys sees what an amazing, loving, caring and kind woman she is. Maisy starts see past his serious side and finds a loyal, strong, half man, half angel who really needs to be loved. They must battle together to keep Maisy and the key safe. I really enjoyed the banter and the heat level between them and their friends were a good addition to the story. A thoroughly enjoyable read

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I'm going to be honest (as usual), if this weren't an ARC, I would've DNF'd this around the 15% mark. But I feel guilty when I don't finish ARCs, so here we are. This book gave me a reading slump, rage and made me lose at least a third of my brain cells. Was it worth not feeling guilty? Absolutely not.

Maisy is the most insufferable, stupid, [insert any other negative adjective] character. She's continually stupid and makes the dumbest decisions. Her decisions pissed me off non-stop. She's also praised for being the most average human to exist. She's happy? She doesn't cower down like an "ideal" woman from centuries ago? Damn, one of a kind I must say.

As for Rhys, his only personality was being horny for Maisy (for legitimately no reason) and being The Protector. Basic, bland and boring.

There were several cases where the characters randomly did something that didn't make any sense because of their personality. I have 2 examples: Rhys, the big, grumpy half-angel man, says aww?? Makes no sense. And Maisy constantly references and knows about mythology, but when they say Lilith she decided she doesn't know that one? Mkay.

The writing was weird. It was a case of telling instead of showing. At times we suddenly skip to a different scene with no warning and I was just confused. Also, the way the characters' thoughts were written felt unrealistic. No one thinks like that.

Finally, the romance was confusing, they hate each other but also want to fuck each other immediately. They kiss and then "Actually, no, I still hate you". And then out of nowhere (literally in the span of 2 weeks) "I think I'm in love with you". As for the smut, not even entertaining. There are only 2 scenes if I remember correctly, and it was just bad.

Overall, really, REALLY, not for me. If you like paranormal romance, this might be for you but I highly doubt it. Officially the worst book of the year so far.

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I’m an avid fantasy and romance reader so paranormal romance is a genre i love and Imperfect Angel hit every one of my sweet spots! This was such fun read that kept me hooked throughout the entire book!

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This was a super cute book. No better way to start off spooky than at the gates of hell. I was unable to put it down from start to finish! Will definitely be a reread for me😊

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This one was a bit harder to get into. The story was well-written, but it started disjointed for me. Once the story got rolling, I couldn't stop.

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20% in and I’m still confused at to what type of world is being created. Instead we dive straight into character development which is normally ok but Maisy is a very whiny, petulant thing that makes me dislike her straight from the start. Rhys is supposed to be this badass protector but he’s just not giving me the right vibes either.,, sadly I know this is supposed to be a light hearted paranormal romance, but it’s falling flat,

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Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of the novel in return for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Overall, good premise but it just didn’t fulfil my expectations.

I don’t read a lot of paranormal/supernatural romance, but the blurb of this story really appealed to me. I think the idea of the story is great, and some of the characterisation was good. It’s just… the story kind of felt… off, to me. I like the premise in theory, but I think I needed more plot development in areas.

I loved the idea of Rhys, Gideon and Zavier as a trio, and some of their interactions were great. But more time could have been given to this relationship, and more of the humour/bromance could have been used throughout.

Maisy was an interesting character - always sunny and happy - but she felt a bit two dimensional. It wasn’t until over 50% in that we get an insight into her perspective on life.

I would say that this is more paranormal than romance as the romance feels quite rushed and not particularly deep between the protagonists.

I think the story would greatly benefit from a prologue that sets up the world the story is set in. It would give the reader a better sense of the world and characters.

I think this is likely to be first in a series, and I will (probably) read the next if this is the case, as I think this is the case of where a setting/world and characters created by an author are likely to be developed with more time and stories…

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When Maisy receives an inheritance from an uncle she didn't even know existed, she is surprised, to say the least. That inheritance being a mysterious key only adds to her confusion. Sprinkle in a visit from a Mr. Tall, grumpy, and handsome, telling her that she is now the Keeper of a key to the gates of Hell? She's had just about enough surprises.

The overall plotline is really enjoyable and unique while still having lots of elements known and loved by fantasy readers. There are a lot of moments where readers won't know what to expect, keeping readers on their toes.

However, the writing itself comes across as a little disconnected, and doesn't flow properly. There are many instances of "telling instead of showing" and moments where characters go from point A to point B without any explanation of how they got there. This is most prevalent in the intimate scenes, leaving readers in the dark about who did what and how.

Overall, I rated Imperfect Angel three out of five stars. It was an enjoyable read, but probably needed more editing steps to smooth it out and fill in some blanks.

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I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a unique plot and I enjoyed the concept! Definitely give it a try.

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This paranormal love story will definitely bring a smile to your face. I loved the story plot, something different with great characters. I loved how different Rhys and Maisy were but how they although their differences fall in love. A story full of suspense, action, funny situations, and love. I really enjoyed reading it.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for NetGalley

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A big thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Press for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This book was a bit confusing. I wanted to like it and for the most part I did. But, the characters were sort of off-I didn't like Rhys at first at all! I found Maisy sort of annoying. They were so hot and cold. A kiss then nothing-then another kiss then nothing. What?? Who acts like that? I did like parts of the story but parts were so out there. 3 stars

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Maisy Norgate has just inherited a strange key from an uncle she never knew existed... and suddenly she’s thrown into a world of angels, demons, and she might have accidentally opened the gates of hell. Maisy has just turned 30 and after her parents death all she’s longed for is family. When she is notified that she has an inheritance to collect from a family member she never knew she had she is left a little lost, what even confuses her even more is that it’s just a strange key. The next thing she knows a strange hot guy is at her door telling her he is an angel and that she is the new Keeper, the person in charge of keeping the gats of hell closed. Of course she doesn’t believe him and thinks he’s insane, so she gives away the key to the first person she meets... except the next thing she knows she’s being attacked by a demon and the guy who said he was an angel is actually an angel. Rhys Boyce is a Nephilim, half angel half human. His job is to protect humans and to protect the Keeper, he’s 87 years old and has been fighting demons for as long as he knows. When he tries to help the new Keeper who happens to be completely unprepared and unaware of everything you can only imagine how irritated he would be to discover she’s given her key away to a demon and opened the gates of hell. With only 12 days or so to lock up the gates and stop demons from overtaking the world they’ll have to work together to find the key, it doesn’t help that Maisy will fight him on everything and doesn’t really seem to care that the world is going to end or that she’s unleashed demons. There is also the issue of them both sort of falling for each other despite being hot and cold with each other. Unfortunately this story did not work for me, the characters weren’t memorable or even likable, the romance felt off and not really believable and Maisy and Rhys both irritated me. Maisy is suppose to be 30 but acts more like a 16 year old, she is attacked by demons and discovers she opened the gates of hell and doesn’t want to move in with the one person who has offered her protection from literal demons?? Girl??? Are you okay?? Honestly, this one just did not hit the mark, I was intrigued by the premise and the super cute cover, but it just did not work for me. If you enjoy Angel/Human romances definitely give it a go though, maybe it’ll be better for you than it was for me.

*Thanks Netgalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC, Entangled: Amara for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

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"Humans and Nephilim inhabited the same Earth but were part of two different worlds. They had different priorities. Different knowledge. Different lifespans. None of that changed the balance of how he’d grown to appreciate Maisy’s optimism and caring and heart."
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trope: paranormal romance, bodyguard romance, ennemies to lovers
pov: 3rd person pov-rating: 4,5/5
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Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
 After the death of an uncle she didn’t know about, Maisy inherits a mysterious key. A day later, a guy claiming to be an angel, Rhys, knocks on her door and tells her that this key is the key of the gates of hell and that she is now the Keeper of the key. But there is one problem, because she didn’t believed  him, Maisy gave the key away to the first person who asked for it who turned out to be a demon. Now Rhys has 2 jobs, make Maisy believe in angels and demons, and find the key while protecting Maisy from demons wanting to kill her for being the new Keeper.
I really adored this book, I had never read a paranormal romance before and it was really great. I really loved the cast of characters, the main and side characters were all amazing and had rich personalities. The plot was also really great, and I loved the evolution in the relationship between Maisy and Rhys. 
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genre: Adult Romance / Fantasy
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#NetGalley 
I will post my review on instagram @readsoflaura in a few days

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