Wackiest things I read this year.

Let me bravely start by stating: mom if you are reading this, PLEASE do not. Turn back. Stop. Do not enter. This is not a good place for you. We love you, but no.

As previously discussed, I’ve read just about 400 titles this year. Some great, some good, some meh, and some that essentially defy the ability to quantify them. I think at some point my picks went from, oh this sounds fun to, this better not awaken anything in me. And well. I guess you all know what you’re here today for.

I somehow stumbled upon booktok on the old clock-app at some point early this year, and wow am I thankful for that. So many amazing BookTokkers that have collectively powered my TBR (to be read) shelves. Shouts to @meemoreads, for helping me make the most of my Kindle Unlimited subscription.

A few books had gone “viral” with lots of reviewers, BookTokkers, and Redditors posting reviews, rants and raves that ran the gamut of “what the heck did I just read” to “I’m getting my husband / partner to read thus out loud to me, follow along”. And of course I needed to find out what the heck the buzz was all about. 

I want to also say, I’m not here to yuck anyone’s yum. The premise of some of these books may have been a little out there for some, but I read them each cover to cover and enjoyed the hell out of the absolute nonsense I was experiencing. 

Note: for my more sensitive readers, full disclosure it’s about to get extremely weird. Read ahead at your own *ahem* caution.




Den of Vipers by K.A. Knight (Free on KU)

This book blew up my for you page on TikTok for about a month straight, with no end in sight and it being free on KU, I thought: why the heck not. 

This is set in what I could only visualize as an alternate reality sin-city, with a gang of 4 men aptly named (The Vipers) essentially “running” the town. Roxy our main female character gives off strong slightly-more-well-adjusted Harley Quinn vibes and is skilled in beating the sh*t out of anyone that crosses her or her business. 


The men somehow need to take her to settled a debt her sh*tty dad needs to settle and then from there they just have a lot of sex amongst the 5 of them, literally spin the wheel and pick a pairing. Each brother has his own demons to settle / deal with but there are some truly unhinged scenes and moments that will have you never looking at tattooing or knife play the same way again.

Some of my fave 1 star reviews on Goodreads:

”i want death”

“Don’t ask me what the plot was”

“WTF DID I READ?😳 Review to come”




Morning Glory Milking Farm by C.M. Acosta

This was another BookTok find, and dear lord where do I even begin. So what I will say is that I did like the world building, especially the towns where all the fantasy species lived, that was SUPER interesting and I loved seeing the sub communities interact. 


The premise, whew. Millennial graduate Violet is in debt and needs a solid job. She stumbles upon a great opportunity at a medical facility (think Pfizer) that makes erectile dysfunction medication from Minotaur…..protein. Her job is extraction and you can, lord I hope, fill in the rest of where I am heading. You’ll meet Rourke pretty quickly and gosh if you don’t kinda enjoy his whole deal, immediately. This is a quick, surprisingly fun (and filthy) read that I don’t for 1 second regret. 


Some of my fave Goodreads reviews:

“Oh my god I did not expect to love this. Especially with that cover and title 😭”

“I hate how good this was, I was INVESTED”

“Completely unexpectedly a top 10 book of 2021.”


P.S. You’ll never look at 24 oz bottle of milk the same again.




Sherif Daddy by Laylah Roberts (Free on KU)

Next I moved onto the Daddy Dom/Little Girl genre, and I 100% picked up this book with absolutely zero idea of what I was getting myself into. I thought the guy on the cover was hot.


About 25% into the book, I had to stop and do some googling. Which lead me to some BDSM / LittleSpace communities to better understand kink, and its representation. I dunno if it was Laylah Roberts and I just lucked out or if this series is legit a good read, but I smashed through it in about a 1/2 day and regret nothing.

People genuinely love Laylah Roberts and this book currently has a 4.56 (out of 5) rating on Goodreads. 

(I’m people)




Ruthless King by Alison Ames

This arrived on my e-reader thanks to a redditor, and it introduced me to the Omegaverse. Which I had no idea about before cracking this one open. This is also a dark mafia Omegaverse book, which deals with some DARK vibes. So if you are interested, prepare yourself. 


The omegaverse deals with the concepts of Alpha’s, Omega’s and Beta’s and how they all function in whatever world the author has dreamed up. There are some other uh, specific physiological traits that Alpha’s and Omgeas experience, which not going to lie, gets pretty intense.

My fave reviews on Goodreads:

“Not my cup of tea.”


Omegaverse got you intrigued? For a softer omegaverse read, try The Alpha of Rickett Hall, which is a take on Pride and Predjudice but with Alpha’s and Omega’s.




Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon (Free on KU)

Y’all these big blue himbo’s took over the internet this year, and I am SO flipping glad they did. And you think I am joking, I am not. They got so popular (book 1 currently has 40 thousand ratings) this year that at one point, Ruby’s IPB were on the main Science Fiction best seller list next to the likes of Andy Weir. 

It 👏 was 👏 glorious 👏.

This is the story of a group of earth women that are abducted by aliens only to crash land on an deadly and inhospitable ice planet. They end up stumbling upon the aforementioned Barbarian’s desperate to find their fated mates, and populate their fledgling population. 

I wanted to dislike these, but try as I might, I could not even for 1% of me stop blasting through books 1-8 in like 3 days. I swear they are laced with some sort of highly addictive substance. They are great, great reads. 



And like my fave reviewer says:

“10/10 would bang a blue alien” 



Neon Gods by Katee Robert

This was hot as hell and my introduction to Katee Robert. Hades and Persephone had a real moment this year. From Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair, to my FAVE Lore Olympus they were everywhere. 

This one takes the myth and love story and puts a new spin on it. With upper and lower Olympus, the gods being potentially corrupt wealth amassing humans was kind of refreshing. Seeing Hades and Persephone fall in love, in the club no less was something else let me tell you. 

This book is sponsored by Bo Burnham’s All Eyes On Me, you’ll get it if you read it. 


The Lady and the Orc by Finley Fenn (Free on KU)

My last wacky, monster loving read is The Lady and the Orc by Finley Fenn. This one took r/romancebooks by storm after a redditor posted a book review exalting the “buckets of c*me” awaiting you within the pages of this absolute trip. 

And you know what, they were absolutely right. 

Here’s a couple of my fave Goodreads takes:

“It’s good. I’m not elaborating.”

“If I have to read the word "Prick" one more time I swear to gods I will rip my eyes out.”



And just to remind you, read what you love, and love what you read. 

Xo,

Kels