1.75/5 stars! I really enjoyed Brody as a character. He's the protective, alpha male that works so well in new adult stories. Paige wasn't as successful as a character for me. A lot of her actions contradicted each other. She had dealt with a traumatic past, but her actions wobble between still living deeply with her response to this and disregarding it entirely. I finished the book but the inconsistencies kept me from rooting for a happy ending.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

5/5 ⭐
5/5 🌶️

I picked up Nonverbal because I really enjoy supporting authors who write about neurodivergent main characters. I had never heard of this author before and wasn't sure what to expect... but I was stunned with how much I adored this story. It was hilarious, relatable, heartbreaking and super spicy; I enjoyed every moment.

Paige is so loveable. She's bright, sunshiney happiness on the cloudiest of days, despite her demons that are way darker than I thought they'd be. Her home life is so rough and she found this escape in the only person she's ever trusted or connected with. Amber helps her get away from the hospital and moves her in with her big brother where she soon learns what family really means. I loved Brody too. He's such a good guy and incredibly selfless, which quickly helps him earn Paige's trust. I love the way he treated her like an adult and was always asking for permission to invade her space. He was so freaking sweet.

I enjoyed the conclusion as well. I know some people felt like it was too quick, but I thought it was great. As much as this story is driven by Paige's abuse, the real story is her and Brody and even Amber and I'm glad her abusers didn't take up too many pages. I'm also really excited about the next novel in the series which is coming next month. I can't wait to read more about Amber and her guy.

This book was very refreshing as it is not very often you get to see Autistic main characters in romance books!

I loved the characters in this book and was enthralled by the story by the end of the first page!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
When I read the synopsis for this book I got so excited. Unfortunately upon starting to read that excitement quickly dwindled.
I was hoping for an uplifting story about a woman fighting to be seen and heard despite the difficulties of life as a non verbal autistic person. Instead it was more about her sex life. Don’t get me wrong, I love a bit of smut but this w as over the top. It could have been a great book but it was much to shallow for my liking.
Check trigger warnings before going into this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read a copy of NonVerbal.

This was a decent read, but just didn't hit the mark for me. I felt at times the story was going on and on. There were several parts of the book that lines just sounded to corny for me. I did enjoy Brody and Paige's relationship, who wouldn't want a buff man protecting them. This is my second book by this author and I liked Love & Panic MUCH better.

It was a good book, I feel like it played a huge part of how some disabled people get treated by family members without even really realizing it, sadly not always good. I also loved every moment with Brody and Paige

This was decent but just didn’t hit the mark for me. There was a lot going on at times but also nothing.. some parts felt super drawn out and unnecessary. Also, the entire book led us up to one part and it was over in a flash…

That said, I did enjoy parts of Paige and Brody’s relationship. Brody is super caring and supportive of Paige no matter what. Even knowing she has issues in the bedroom, he devotes himself to her and getting her past those issues. He was shown as a playboy in the beginning but is a completely different person with Paige.

This story was amazing, I enjoyed reading it and loved that one of the main characters was a nonverbal autistic woman. I loved Paige from the start and the fact that she was shown to be smart, resourceful and empathetic. I loved Brody and the fact that at the beginning he appeared to be nothing more than a playboy but was actually a very decent person. Their journey to their HEA was not easy but was a journey I enjoyed taking with them.

Riaina Ash has given us a great read filled with complex characters who all have their own issues/demons and difficulties in dealing with them. She has created a great cast of characters that I hope to see again in future books, especially Amber who I would love to see get her HEA.

Thank you NetGalley, Raina Ash and Xpresso Book Tours for this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed.

Thank you to Pink Fox Publishing and NetGalley for the e-Arc in exchange for an honest review. This wasn't the book for me, I'll be honest. Some parts were great, don't get me wrong, but other felt way too drawn out and just missed the mark overall. I did enjoy Brody and Paige's relationship, I thought it was supportive and loving, but there was just something missing for me.

A good story to fall into for a bit that had some really great depth on topics often not explored.

Let me first say that I deeply appreciate this book for the autism rep and the way that the author guides us through the nuances of Paige's brain without infantilizing her. The empowerment that Paige finds in herself throughout the story and the respect that Brody and Amber give to her autonomy is powerful. The way that sex was explored in this book was also something that you don't often see in "romance" novels and speaks to a larger conversation that we should be having in our society about pleasure over performance. This changed what would have been a 3 star rating to an automatic .75 addition for these factors alone since they enriched the story.

Now, for the overall story, I thought the development of the characters and their growth arcs were great, especially Paige and Brody's relationship development. They were cute, quirky, and yet deeply cared for each other in ways that they each needed. I would have liked to see more development in the cast of supporting characters, but enjoyed the little bits we got, nonetheless. I found myself a little frustrated with the plot and writing in some areas, because there were several instances of poor communication between the characters that were clearly meant to create intrigue and tension but didn't stand up for me as being necessary additions since the difficulty of the situations that they were in created enough of that "how will this work out?" feeling. I also would have liked to see more of Paige's time in the group home and her experiences.Cutting down on the communication issues and bringing the plot forward faster would have been my preference to get to those elements,

This was decent but just didn’t hit the mark for me. There was a lot going on at times but also nothing.. some parts felt super drawn out and unnecessary. Also, the entire book led us up to one part and it was over in a flash…

That said, I did enjoy parts of Paige and Brody’s relationship. Brody is super caring and supportive of Paige no matter what. Even knowing she has issues in the bedroom, he devotes himself to her and getting her past those issues. He was shown as a playboy in the beginning but is a completely different person with Paige!

*I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review with my honest opinion.*

DNF at 23%

I was really excited after reading the blurb, but this book really did not work for me. I always try to push myself harder to finish books if they’re ARCs, but this one had so many toxic, difficult plotlines… It felt like everything was all over the place. The rest of the review has spoilers, but only about the first five chapters.

To be completely honest, being inside of Brody’s mind feels like a penance. The guy’s pretty gross. Firstly, he decides that, although there’s a strange woman who’s been clearly abused in his house, for her first day there he’s going to put on a porno on the living room TV and jerk off there while she’s in her room/the gym, because “this used to be my house” and now there are “all these females moving into my place and taking over.” Those are literal quotes. I’m sorry, but what the f*ck? Lack of self-awareness and human decency aside, the use of “females” triggers the sh*t out of me. Female is an ADJECTIVE and can only be used as a noun when referencing animals or plants. Even if you try to use it as one, the implication of it referring to a thing, a non-being, is still there. Women are not objects. Using vernacular that implies we are is part of the problem, and I’m so tired.

The extremely judgmental comments he makes about his own sister were hard to get past, as well. “Amber slathers on beige foundation as if it will restore her youth. Even though she dresses like a teen, men can tell she’s pushing thirty”. That comes from the guy who just minutes after this interaction almost throws a temper-tantrum when he’s told he needs to do the responsible thing and not visit his “favorite stripper”. I wish I was kidding – but, hey, I’m sure the stripper wore zero make up and was, what? Nineteen? Would that be good enough, or no? Would that be too young? Too old? Ugh, I just couldn’t stand the guy. Also, he’s a bodybuilder and trainer, and the ableist/ fatphobic comments coming from the MMC kept making me itchy, along with the inappropriate thoughts about his clients - all female clients, of course. So I’ll say it again for the people in the back: people who are fat can be HEALTHY! And visible muscles don’t necessarily to equate to health, of any kind.

The manwhore /sex-starved semi-virgin dynamic never works for me either, and I can already tell this story is basically going to be that in a nutshell. This book is also, I believe, trying to be sex positive in a way that feels kind of wrong and judgmental. I’m not putting those quotes here because I genuinely don’t want to read them again, but if you have a friend who’s a sex worker, and then you make comments about her being “cheap” even though she’s pretty much saving your life – I don’t care if you’re mad or worried- you suck. So yeah, I was pretty much done after that. And then there’s a rape/drugs chapter. It’s just too much, and none of it particularly good.

Like I said, overall this book felt like a penance that I’m not willing to pay. So I’m giving up.

*Thank you Net Galley for the eARC*

So many thoughts on this one....
I wanted to like it, I really did... and the idea behind the story was so promising, but it just felt "off" to me. Paige is a bubbly, happy-go-lucky autistic woman who is also selectively mute. She has the ability to speak, but for whatever reason, her vocal cords don't align with her brain signals so words just won't come.
Brody is a body-building, personal trainer who would do anything to protect the ones he loves.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love neurodiverse characters and inclusive, realistic stories - that is not the problem. But something about Paige's story just didn't feel right to me. She was a capable, intelligent, resilient woman, but I couldn't help but feel like she was being taken advantage of the entire time. She seemed so naive and and fragile at times - she wanted to get out from under her mother's thumb and loved that Brody let her have "choices" but when it came down to it, wasn't he just taking care of her and protecting her (albeit doing a much better job of it!) like the other caretakers in her life?

Not to mention, their relationship felt very one-track. I mean, what did they even do together (besides the obvious)? There were no shared interests or hobbies, no real quality time spent outside of the bedroom, they never even discussed their lives with each other - it was very much a "here and now" type relationship. There were definitely some interesting turns and some "will they or won't they" angsty moments, but overall I just couldn't get past feeling like Paige deserved more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pink Fox Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Every time I read this book it just gets better. The author put so much detail into the characters and their emotions and just the story in general. This book is so intense that you hardly see the pages go by.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Publisher for giving me this eArc to read.

Tw: abuse (not from hero/heroine), drug abuse (side character),

3.5🌟

This was a nice romance book with a hero who is just really nice from the start and absolutely head over heels for the heroine. The heroine was lovely and I loved her fixations and mannerisms.

There were a few things within the book that happened that I was not too fond of. One scene towards the end felt a bit like a soap opera and just a few small other things happened but overall I enjoyed it!

This story was amazing, I enjoyed reading it. I was so engulfed in the moments between Brody and Paige, instant attraction but forbidden from the start. It was emotional reading how people reacted towards Paige and how they treated her except for Brody and Amber. Overall a great book that I'd recommend to my romance friends.

I absolutely loved this book and could not put it down. We know from the title and cover that we are guaranteed a forbidden love, but Raina takes us on a suspenseful journey from both participants of the relationship, keeping us reeled in with secrets to uncover and a dash of spice on the side. I found Paige to be such a relatable character, and was constantly reminded throughout the book that we never really know the whole story.