Looking to purchase some packs, need some reccommendations

Horse Ranch: great pack, definitely if you enjoy Cottage living. The horses, mini goats and mini sheep go very well with the cottage living animals. You can even use wool of the sheep and milk from the goats if you have both packs. The world is pretty but has a totally different vibe from cottage living. There are some gorgeous views in the upper neighborhood. There's a cave to explore and the town has a shop that even sells sugar and flour which you need with the simple living lot trait. A lot of the build items go well with older, more historical kind of builds. I like the kitchen and to my surprise even the beds a lot. Nectar making is also fun and at a higher level you can use many kinds of fruit. If it reminds you of how you felt about snowy escape you should know there is one big difference. Snowy escape is very much tied to the world. Cottage living allows horses, sheep and nectar in any world.

Life and Death: I haven't had a lot of time to play the pack but it looks like one of the better ones in recent years. The world is gorgeous but has no snow in winter, unlike real Romania on which it is suppposed to be based off. There is a lot of attention to details in every neighborhood with a crypte in every neighborhood and other items like haunted houses you can enter, a wishing well, a giant face rock, a bell tower. After empty worlds like toomarang and San Seqouia this really feels like a stp up.  I think funerals, wills and heirlooms offer a lot for people who like generational gameplay and legacies. The castle kit goes very well with the build items from this pack.

Bust the dust: I thought I would use it a lot but I have the system turned off most of the time. I don't like that there is no off the grid way to get rid of dust. And outside of the dust system en vacuums there is literally nothing in this pack. Now if you really like to play with realistic challenges like laundry and simple living, you might like it. But even then I would suggest to get all the other stuff you are interested first.

Mochino Stuff: I like this pack despite greatly disliking overpriced branded clothing. To me this is a photography pack, not a fashion pack. I ignore the CAS and don't use it. The photography part of it works very well. I use the tripod whenever I want to create photo's with poses. It also comes with an option to switch poses while you are in CAS. It's very useful. And has a fantastic window for building. 

For Rent: I own the pack but have not yet played with rentals because I have heard stories about save corruption. The world is beautiful and there are nice items both in build/buy and in CAS. The kettles unfortunately keep disappearing during gameplay.

Book nook kit: I personally really like this kit. The bookshelves snap together and I have not yet noticed them disappearing, unlike the glitchy dream home decorator modular furniture. I like that each wood swatch has 2 or 3 versions with different colored books. It makes them look less repetitive. The couches in this kit are also very nice.

Lovestruck: don't own it

Crystal creations: the furniture in this pack looks amazing and goes very well with paranormal stuff and realm of magic. The crafted furniture unfortunately game me lots of lastexception errors so I am not using that feature at the moment.

I do not have the two newest ones, but I do have the others, so here are my two cents: 

Horse ranch: If you like cottage living I can't see how you cannot love horse ranch. Raising and breeding horses is fun, the gameplay attached interesting and I personally have enjoyed the horses immensely. It's also easily combinable with farm work, although the nectar making is a bit repetitive, especially as it only gives one bottle each time (there is a mod for that though). Chestnut Ridge is beautiful, but the town centre somewhat lacking with lots of empty spaces and shells. A bonus for the shops in town though, even if they are rabbit holes. I find the BB extremely useful for the rustic farmhouse look and also for historical gameplay. On the downside, with rotational play the horses won't develop while you are playing the other families, and if you combine a farm with a rental (say you rent a room at a farm, or want two families to share a house) then the horses will only show up if you're playing the family that owns them. 

For Rent: I have personally enjoyed this a lot and played it A LOT. I like the apartments, the way you can make a town more alive because more people can live on the same number of lots. I really enjoyed living in an apartment or having family members live "next door" and the game play for owning apartments are as immersive as you want it to be but you can also mostly ignore it if you just have a high standard enough and turn off events. The one bug I experienced is the fire-bug where a family will be cursed and the fire bug stays. It took a lot of effort to make it go away and for a while the game was almost unplayable, but you can get rid of it, and if you have rental events turned off it won't appear. The BB is extremely useful, and I use it a lot for everything. The major downside for me is the world, which is beautiful but boring, useless and with nothing much to explore other than empty space, useless shell buildings and rabbit holes. Also the new kids games are great. I use them in every world, especially in parks and kids will gather and play. 

Book nook: One of the best kits. I use the shelves for everything all the time. I have nothing negative to say, it's brilliant. 

Chrystal creations: I haven't played the actually jewelry making part yet, as I bought it for bb and cas, but I do like both those aspects. Will try the game play when it fits into my story. 

Bust the dust: I like being able to vacuum but the system seemed a bit aggressive to me in how fast dust builds up. It's also impossible to vacuum in rooms with lots of furniture, the sim will walk outside to do it. I've gotten a few mods that tones it down and now I like it, but without the mods I couldn't recommend it. 

Moschino Stuff: Meh. I like taking photos, but I often forget, so yeah, maybe. Not my favourite pack. BB and CAS both rather useless. But you can take better photos of people with it. 

Wish I could be more behind on the Castle Kit. Just not enough variety for me to buy it. Not even certain things I'd expect to have for a castle opposed to a lot of outward looks.

Horse Ranch: Honestly that's all the highlights are to the pack unfortunately. Definitely not worth full price for me. It does expand more on farm life and the like if you have Cottage Living, but on it's own I'm pretty 'meh' to it. CAS is good and BB is decent though nothing that stands out too much especially in terms of furniture. Majority of gameplay is on the animals, then you have nectar making, horse competitions which is pretty meh as well, and ranch hands to help you with your animals and the like. The world is pretty vast, but mostly so you can roam around with your horses. Not too much to interact in the world with got a general store in town opened at certain time you can buy certain things and then the horse competition which is also a rabbit hole. Also got an event where you can host a petting event. Kinda like a petting zoo and people can come pet and feed your animals. Lot Challenges: Prairie Grass

Don't use much of build/buy less i'm in this world or going for more rustic decor. LOT of wood toned furniture. Think the mos tI like from this pack is the nectar making and it being sold at bars which sims can pass out from if they drink too much of it.

Life & Death: 👌 This pack adds a lot of gameplay to it and gives more meaning for a Sims death. Makes you feel like you care more about what happened to them. Can even have memorials for pets as well. Sims actually behave accordingly in funerals unlike mini managing so much with Wedding Stories. CAS is very lovely with dark to neutral tones for more conservative and macabre looks and a good selection between females and males. BB is VERY nice has that midcentury aesthetic to it, but different enough from others for me to like it.. Then you have new careers, festivals happen in town, a mausoleum you can explore and some quests. If you do rotational play it's definitely good for it. That and if you're into occults ghosts seem more interesting with more added gameplay. New traits are Macabre, Chased by Death and Skeptic along with new aspiration. New careers that's Grim Reaper and being a Undertaker. New collectibles which are tarot cards but you can also do tarot readings (and make some money off of it too). New Death: Death by Crow (Also elder sims can die in their sleep in bed though it's still death by old age). New channel Static channel  (may be more effective with sims that are skeptic hinthint) New Skill: Thanatology Lot Trait: On Hallowed Grounds

Sims can now make wills before they die and have a inheritance to distribute to other sims  or just give it to charity. Can pass down heirlooms as well. Got a lot of choices to what you can make into one.

Moschino Stuff: Actually enjoy it especially with the unique poses for the photography career. You get some unique poses for sure with it and pretty lucrative as well. CAS is alright with some pieces I enjoy probably like the hair and pair of heels it come with more than anything. I love the new multi photo frames and moving ones. You don't get them in any other pack.

For Rent: Haven't ran into any game breaking bugs and some have been fixed from what I've seen in patches. I enjoy it a lot due to sims being able to share shared spaces. Kinda what I would have liked to be improved upon for apartments that are already premade. Liked it since I can utilize more space with having more sims in apartments on one lot, so it helps when worlds don't have enough lots. Various events that happen. Pot lucks, pool party, tenants going on strike, power outage or water needing to be fixed. Decent gameplay whether you want to be a landlord and own property or have you sims live there. The world I think is very beautiful very pretty at night. Got your usual food stalls and misc ones (think you can buy the collectibles that are tassles in the game to create an item for it in CAS). There's a tiger sanctuary you can go to and get a cute tiger plush. New gameplay for sim children to play marbles and hopscotch (adults can play with it too).

New traits like Wise (elders only), Nosy, Child of the Village, Generous and Cringe.  New Death: Death by Mold. Lot Challenges: Mold, Maintenance Troubles

New Foods pertaining to the world.

Use a mostly bar stools and chairs since most of the furniture is particular. I use a lot of the radiators, dirty plastic chairs and worn decals. I really like the new appliances. Pressure cooker and kettle that can be on the counter.

Just like it feeling like Sims are always on the lot going about their lives doing whatever and lively rather than in their apartments all the time.

Lovestruck: The dating app is pretty simple to use and not over complicated. You get some interesting dates and sometimes cna be awkwardly catfished. I like a lot of the new romance interactions. If you find attraction important for your sims, then it's a good for that in gameplay. Definitely helped in keeping a lot of my sims from being in a multitude of relationships because other sims will flirt with them randomly. Match Making career, New Deaths (Broken heart and death by choking on sweets). Heart bed makes it's appearance finally, costume chest for your sims to dress in pretty spicy outfits, a new seductive dance. a quest system involving a broken hearted bear. New traits: Romantically Reserved and Lovebug with two new aspirations. Place in the world where you can go hook up in a hotel whether on a date or you might get a random call form a weirdo to meet up there. Also new random phone calls. New sweet heart box you can now share and feed to another sim with a romantic interaction. New Romance Skill. New Lot trait: Singles Hangout New Woohoo:  Blanket Woohoo and Closet Woohoo

I like CAS as it gives some pretty spicy clothing to be wearing for blind dates and the like. Definitely different than any CAS we've gotten. In the end I enjoy my Sims having varying attraction to sims or not liking them at all. Keeps their preferences in check for sure and makes dating more of a challenge. Can make custom relationship tags for you sim profile.

The only two I own from your list are Horse Ranch and Crystal Creations.

Horse Ranch: This comes with an extensive BB collection that is a mix of rustic farmhouse items and some distinctly wild west-themed pieces. The rustic items blend well with a variety of other collections: Cottage Living, Outdoor Retreat, Base game Farmhouse, Base Game French Country. If you like cottagecore, I think you would really enjoy building with these assets.

I don't think the game play is an expansion pack's worth of content. On the other hand, I bought it on sale for $25 and don't regret a penny of it. It depends on how much of a discount you get. I would divide the game play into two themes: Ranch and Nectary. 

The Ranch game play is about taking care of mini-goats, mini-sheep and horses on a ranch. You need a property that's properly equipped with plenty of space in the neighborhood for horses to ride around. I do not recommend setting up a ranch in a suburban house in WIllow Creek for example. All of the neighborhoods in Chestnut Ridge are suitable, as well as several neighborhoods from other packs (Cottage Living, Get Together, Werewolves). Goats and Sheep are cute and low maintenance. Training horses is another story. It's basically a career. If you train up the horse in different skills, you can enter it in different competitions. I've enjoyed running horse ranches, but it's not something you can dabble in. A sim either has ranching-farming as a big part of their life, or they have nothing to do with it. Speaking of farming, goats can eat the weeds away from plants. 

Running a Nectary does not require as much space, but you still have a fairly bulky nectar-making barrel that your sim dances in to crush the fruit. It also helps to have a cellar under the house so that your nectar can age. I enjoy running a nectary too. It's very hard to improve the nectar-making skill if you don't get into an energized moodlet, so be warned. It also fits in with an old-world vibe. 

Crystal Creations: Very limited BB collection. It's just one room, a study/jewelry studio. Nice stuff. It blends well with assets from Realm of Magic, Paranormal, Cozy Bistro and Cottage Living. I wouldn't buy this just for building, though. 

I absolutely love the game play. It's especially good in combination with either Nifty Knitting or Get to Work. You can make good money as a Plopsy jeweler, or enjoy running a cozy little jewelry boutique. This is my personal preference. I love the arts and crafts game play. I also like handing down home-made jewelry as a family heirloom . . . unofficially, I mean. I don't own Life and Death yet. Just like storing herbs and veggies in the fridge, you can store metals and crystals in the jeweler's table. You can charge jewelry in the moonlight so that wearing it gives your sim special buffs/abilities. Different crystals give different benefits.

I suggest for rent because rentals 

Horse Ranch would be a good fit. There are a couple of large lots that would give you room for the llamas and cows, and the world has much to explore. My only warning is that your horse will require a fair amount of attention.

Life and Death is definitely worthwhile long-range. Funerals, wills, and bucket lists now seem essential for family play, and there is a good-sized lot in one of the neighborhoods, so you would have room for the animals. Plus every cottage needs a resident crow. If you play rotationally, you could pass heirlooms and even traits to other families in your game.

Horse Ranch is great if you like to play cottage core. There's nectar making, horses, goats, it completes the experience from Cottage Living, both in terms of gameplay  and in the BB catalogue. World is lovely.

Life and Death is ok if you like to play with ghosts and enjoy funerals and let your sims die. Apart from a very few build items it has no cottage core elements which is quite a feat if you ask me considering their inspiration for the world, and the world comes with autumn season only, so it's not much use for gardening or if you enjoy different seasons in your game. Tarot cards are nice but too little gameplay from them. The family portrait is also nice. The CAS and BB catalogues have mostly dark swatches so not very versatile.

Bust the Dust is not buggy, but you'll probably grow tired soon of the constant need to vacuum the dust and bunnies, especially if you like to play big households in big houses. Works great with the Cats and Dogs robot vacuum, so that's a plus, most of my sims use that.

Moschino Stuff CAS is an after thought, nobody buys the pack for the CAS, it's like 6 items of clothing and that's it. It does expand on photography which is great skill for everyday use, vacations, family occasions and what not. 

For Rent world is lovely despite the lack of tigers, and the rental system is still busted so I have yet to try it out in my game. Love the electric kettle and instant pot and the marble and hopscotch games. 

Book Nook has only one or two little shelves that slot together like the Home Decorator shelves, the rest of the book cases are like regular bookcases so no disappearing acts from them. 

Lovestruck comes with lots of new kissing interactions. Love the picnic blanket and the chocolates and the cuddle in bed interaction. The world is lovely too.

Crystal Creations has a nice new crafting skill for your sims and some nice new jewelry. You can grow crystals in a crystal tree so you can include that with the gardening activities. Even if your sims won't wear the jewelry, you can sell it on a sales table or gift it and charge the crystals under moonlight for extra powers.

I wouldn‘t recomment Bust the Dust because the constant blinging of the clean floors and the sniffing around is really annoying. I turned it off in my game. The dust bunnies are cute, but I lost interest very quick. 

What I can recomment is Horse Ranch. I love playing with horses and making nektar. I think you get a lot for your money. I also love the world. It is nice riding around in it. I also like the bb. It is a nice style. I don‘t experience any mayor bugs from Horse Ranch. 

I also like Live and Death. It is something new. It is totally different from what I usually play but I like it. I enjoy playing the new careers, especially the active one. I like playing with ghosts. The overhaul is really good. I just got a child from Grim. I really like the bb in this pack. I enjoy building houses with it.