Review: HOT Honor by Lynn Raye Harris

HOT HONOR
Series:
Hostile Operations Team® – Strike Team 2
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Author: Lynn Raye Harris
Release Date: October 24, 2023

Waking up with a wife is not how black ops soldier Zane “Zany” Scott pictured his first trip to Las Vegas ending. Forever isn’t in his vocabulary anymore. So why did he marry a woman he just met?

Nerdy Eden Hall isn’t the kind of girl people notice. She’s always lived in her twin’s shadow, always been plain and sensible compared to her sister’s big personality. But when her sister gets engaged to the man Eden secretly loves, it’s inevitable she’ll drink too much at the bachelorette party.

It’s not inevitable that she’ll impulsively marry the hottest guy she’s ever laid eyes on, though. Of course they’re going to divorce, but it takes more time to do that than it did to get married. Time in which they’ll discover they’ve got more in common than simply burning up the sheets together.

Just when they think they might have something worth keeping, it all goes wrong and Eden becomes the target of a killer. Zane will have to risk everything to save his wife. Because if he doesn’t, he could lose the woman who, against all odds, kickstarted his heart into beating again.

 AMAZON 

 

Zane Scott was an addiction. And he was her husband. For now.

It’s been a hot second since I read a Lynn Rate Harris book and I totally forgot how addictive they are. Why has it been a hot minute? I have no idea and I plan on having a small binge on the rest of this series because I honestly can’t believe I haven’t read it yet considering how much I’ve loved all her other series.

I was immediately drawn in to this story, even though this is the first book I read in this series. Zane is in Vegas for his little sister’s 21st birthday. While there, he meets a woman that immediately enraptures him. The surprise is that after a wild night together, they end up married. Whoopsy!

Eden has spent most of her life in the shadow of her vivacious sister. Her insecurities have insecurities, but there was something so endearing about her, that something that would usually bother me, barely blipped my radar. Eden has been secretly in love with her sister’s now fiancé for as long as she’s worked for him. But when she meets the enigmatic Zane who oozes danger and sex appeal, she’s basically all Mitchell who? And I don’t blame her one bit.

She’d thought her life was bad a little over a week ago when she’d believed she loved a man who loved someone else. Turns out that wasn’t nearly as bad as loving a man who couldn’t love at all.

Zane is shut down to love because a woman who he believed was the love of his life broke his heart years ago. And now he’s trying to make sense of the fact that she wants him back. But he’s also accidentally married to a woman who much to his effort otherwise, draws him in like no other. And when Eden’s life is in danger, he’ll stop at nothing to protect her.

This was a quick read full of action, suspense, and all the steam you can wish for. I read it in a sitting. And while I had moments where I wanted to shake the insecurity out of Eden and slap the “love isn’t for me” out of Zane, I still enjoyed the story quite a bit.

Highly recommend for any fans of steamy romantic suspense with uber protective alphas and females who bring them to their knees.

Review: Love The Way You Spy by Lexi Blake

LOVE THE WAY YOU SPY
Series: 
Masters and Mercenaries: New Recruits Book 1
Genre: Romantic Suspense, BDSM
Author: Lexi Blake
Release Date:
September 19, 2023

Tasha Taggart isn’t a spy. That’s her sisters’ job. Tasha’s support role is all about keeping them alive, playing referee when they fight amongst themselves, and soothing the toughest boss in the world. Working for the CIA isn’t as glamorous as she imagined, and she’s more than a little lonely. So when she meets a charming man in a bar the night before they start their latest op, she decides to give in to temptation. The night was perfect until she discovers she’s just slept with the target of their new investigation. Her sisters will never let her hear the end of this. Even worse, she has to explain the situation to her overprotective father, who also happens to be their boss.

Dare Nash knew exactly how his week in Sydney was going to go—attending boring conferences to represent his family’s business interests and eating hotel food alone. Until he falls under the spell of a stunning and mysterious American woman. Something in Tasha’s eyes raises his body temperature every time she looks at him. She’s captivating, and he’s committed to spending every minute he can with her on this trip, even if her two friends seem awfully intense. His father will be arriving in town soon, and he’s excited to introduce him to a woman he could imagine spending the rest of his life with.

When Dare discovers Tash isn’t who she seems, the dream turns into a nightmare. She isn’t the only one who deceived him, and now he’s in the crosshairs of adversaries way out of his league. He can’t trust her, but it might take Tasha and her family to save his life and uncover the truth.

AMAZON 

 

He was the perfect amount of nasty Dom and sweet potential boyfriend.

When I saw that there will be a spinoff with all the kids of the original characters, I may have peed myself in excitement. And I’m not particularly a lover of second generation spin offs but boy was I chomping at the bit for this one. Why? Because I never want this series to end, for one. And also because I will never tire of Ian, and daddy Ian of adult children who give him a run for his money? Sign me up.

Tasha Taggart is the eldest of Ian’s brood and I just knew her story would be good. This is a bit of a flip on the usual, where we have a kick ass female spy and the unseeing business man who she falls for. The set up was utterly delicious. Tasha wants a night off for some fun before going all in on a mission. She meets a handsome man at the bar and is all the more excited to discover that he’s a Dom. They spend one unbelievable night together and she sneaks out of his room, only to discover the next day that he’s also her new target. She may have some concerns but she’s also eager to jump at the chance to see Dare again.

Dare is just coming off a nasty divorce that was arranged by his even nastier father. To say that the man has some trust issues, is saying it mildly. But he’s also 100% golden retriever energy when he’s not a big bad Dom in the bedroom. He falls hard and fast for Tasha and he doesn’t even try to fight it. That is, until he finds out that his Tasha is not who he thought she was.

The entire gang is back, and seeing Ian in protective daddy mode is even more entertaining than in his friend mode. There are some new secondary characters introduced who I can’t wait to read more about. There are some cameos from old favorites. And all of it is wrapped up in a suspenseful and sinfully sexy romance that I devoured from beginning to end.

Review: A Stop In Time by RC Boldt

A STOP IN TIME
Genre: Romantic Suspense, PNR
Author: RC Boldt
Release Date: February 21,  2023

I’ve been an outcast my whole life. If my scars don’t scare people away, my attitude certainly will.

I don’t know what I am or how I got the power to stop time. What I do know is, there are far too many questions I need answers to.

When I cross paths with a local gang member, his presence unravels a part of my past I never knew existed.

At every turn, danger leaps closer, and I realize that stopping the killer will mean losing everything—including the first man I’ve ever loved.

But I should’ve known better. We were never meant to be anything more than a brief stop in time.

AMAZON | iBOOKS | NOOK | KOBO | GOOGLE PLAY

 

Damn him. No man has ever made me want to punch him in the junk while simultaneously turning me on.

I have been obsessed with RC Boldt’s romantic suspense for years. There’s just something about her stories that immediately grab me and suck me right in. But this new world that she created that combines a spark of paranormal with the suspense? I cannot get enough.

While this book shows to be a standalone (and it is), you’d do yourself a favor by reading Beyond My Darkness first. While each book is a standalone, they are set in the same world, and you get the introduction to each character throughout the series. We get introduced to Daniel Madrano in Beyond My Darkness as a secondary character, best friend and second in command to the notorious leader of the gang, Scorpions. We also get a sneak peek into the beginning of his journey at the end.

I’m not gonna sugarcoat this for you; I’m losing my patience with you, Danny.”
The edges of his mouth twitch. “It’s Daniel.”

When Daniel’s sister gets violently murdered, he’s left desperate for answers and vengeance. The final words shared with him through the help of his friend’s woman who speaks with the dead helps guide him in a vague direction with nothing but a name…Mac.

The way this book is written reminded me a bit of the movie Memento. Not in the way that it goes backwards, but there’s a vein of intrigue there that I also felt with the movie. Mac suffers black out episodes where she wakes not remembering anything that happened. She’s left deeply scarred from a traumatic event that skirts the edges of her memory, but never making themselves knows. She finds mysterious notes that hint at the truth and written in her own handwriting but she has no idea what it means. Desperate for answers of her own, she undergoes hypnosis therapy in her search for answers. But the answers are more troubling than she suspects.

Suddenly, Daniel ends up at her door with questions that she doesn’t have answers to. But something about him draws her in. Mac is not a woman that wants a relationship, and Daniel has never sought one out himself. And yet they’re drawn to each other like moths to a flame. But neither of them are prepared for the incendiary flame that the truth will bring.

I binge read this book as desperate for answers as these characters. It was magnetic, suspenseful, mysterious, and completely captivating. You know those books that seem to be like a movie reel behind your eyes as you read them? This was definitely it. Spine tingling good and unputdownable. Everything about it worked; the story, the romance, the chemistry, the mystery, and the jaw dropping ending. I was a woman obsessed. Now I’m desperately hoping we get a mysterious someone’s book next because OH MY GOD!

RC Boldt is a USA Today bestselling author currently living in part of the Costa Rican jungle with the love of her life and her mini-me.

If you’re in the mood for some killer mojitos or can’t recall the lyrics to a particular 80s song, she’s your girl.

Connect with RC Boldt 

Website: http://www.rcboldtbooks.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14543027.R_C_Boldt

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Kq1H9C

Facebook: http://bit.ly/RCBoldtFB

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BBBReaders/

Instagram: http://bit.ly/RCBoldtIG

Bookbub: http://bit.ly/RCBoldtBB

Verve: https://bit.ly/3jEf18z

Review: The Dom Who Came In From The Cold by Lexi Blake

THE DOM WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD
Series:
Masters and Mercenaries: Reloaded Book 5
Genre: Romantic Suspense, BDSM
Author: Lexi Blake
Release Date:
February 21, 2023

Kyle Hawthorne once believed his future would be a job in the private sector—a simple, normal life. Fate had other plans and he wound up in the military. Some newly discovered talents caught the eye of the CIA, and in no time he was working with a covert team. He found himself in a relationship with fellow operative, Julia—until she turned out to be the enemy. When her betrayal was uncovered, things got bloody and Kyle returned home broken, searching for a chance to walk the road not taken.

MaeBe Vaughan has never been interested in normal. Her happy place is a dark corner of the Internet, where she disrupts all the bad guys. She has a great circle of friends and a full life. She doesn’t need a man. Until Kyle Hawthorne walked into her life. He’s all wrong for her. Surly. Damaged. His uncle is her boss. But she couldn’t help getting close to him. When his past threatened her safety, Kyle walked out without saying good-bye.

Kyle will do anything to keep MaeBe safe. He faked his death, hid in the middle of nowhere, and watched over her from afar. But when Julia resurfaces, he knows that to protect MaeBe, he’ll have to get close. So close that if they manage to survive, he will never let her go.

AMAZON | iBOOKS | B&N | KOBO | SMASHWORDS | PRINT | GOOGLE PLAY

You are not an itch I want to scratch, MaeBe Vaughn,” Kyle said, his eyes solemn on her. “You’re a blanket I want to pull around me because I think you might be able to keep me warm for the rest of my life.”

I have spent years waiting for this book. YEARS. Kyle has been a predominant secondary character for far too long and I couldn’t wait to finally get my hands on his book. Particularly after the way No Time to Lie.

And while this book is technically a standalone with a new couple, I highly recommend you read the series in order because the story arc for this couple begins early in the series and you really need to understand all the nuances between them through the year to really appreciate this book. It does cover most of the basics, but glosses over some that have been covered in previous books (like the pining. GOD but I loved the pining)

People in love discuss their problems. Dumbasses fake their deaths.

Kyle has been in love with MaeBe from the moment he saw her. He may have fought their connection but his fall was inevitable, no matter what his inner demons said. But when Kyle’s psycho double agent ex comes back from the dead, he knows he’ll do anything to protect MaeBe, even fake his own death. Though his “death” is honestly like the worst kept secret and everyone pretty much knows he’s on a mission to catch Julia, including MaeBe.

When circumstances allow him to reveal himself to MaeBe, she’s no longer the woman he left behind. Her edges are sharper, and she’s also not afraid to drop him on his ass. And she does.

I really liked parts of this story, but admittedly, parts of it did drag a bit for me. The suspense plot sort of overrode the romance for me. I would have loved to read more about these falling for each other to appreciate their reunion even more. But on the flip side, I loved the progression of their relationship. I loved the way Kyle cares for Mae and the way he finally proves it with his unwavering trust. I loved watching Mae grow into a field agent in her own right. And while this wasn’t my favorite book in the series, it still hit the spot just right.

Review: Pieces of a Life by Jewel E Ann

PIECES OF A LIFE
Series:
Life Series Duet #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Jewel E Ann
Release Date:
September 13, 2022

The summer before fourth grade, Colten Mosley moved into the house across the street from mine, and we became inseparable.

He played the piano and baseball.

I had a penchant for dead things while at the same time imagining what it would be like to kiss Colten.

We were filled with curiosity and overly active imaginations.

We were also forbidden to be more than friends.

But that didn’t stop us.

Weeks before graduation, he annihilated my heart, and it’s been seventeen years since the day I knew I’d hate him forever.

Now he’s back in my life—a single dad and a homicide detective looking over my shoulder while I perform autopsies as one of Chicago’s most gifted forensic pathologists. Then fate throws us a curveball.

Colten saves my life, but he can’t erase the images that now keep me awake at night. And I can’t explain them.

Am I still the girl he’s always loved? Or nothing more than pieces of that life?

*This story contains sensitive and graphic content.

AMAZON

I don’t remember falling in love with Josephine Watts. I just remember the day we met and the day I let her go for good. For me, she wasn’t really my girlfriend. She was my everything.

There are three things I love; second chance romance, suspense, and Jewel E Ann books. So when those three things combine into one addictive read, you know I’m here for it. And what a ride this one was!

Certain feelings, deep emotions—the haunting kind—can’t be outrun. Colten has been the unshakable shadow of my existence since the day I met him.

First, I love a sex positive heroine, who doesn’t spend the years away from the hero in a second chance romance pining in celibate sorrow. Josephine spend more years away from Colten than they ever did together, but she’s never managed to move past the heartbreak. They grew up together, and had a tumultuous on again off again teenage relationship, until he broke her heart. She’s now a successful forensic pathologist, who isn’t interested in any entanglement outside of the satisfaction of a warm body next to hers. She’s not interested in marriage or happily ever afters. She has her career and that’s enough. Until the man who so thoroughly broke her heart makes a sudden reappearance in her life as the detective on a case she’s also working on.

I lived wholly, eternally, unequivocally for Josephine Watts. Why didn’t I tell her when it mattered the most?

The story is told in a combination of past and present. I’m not a reader that loves too many flashbacks, and while the pacing was great, the flashbacks did still take me out a bit. Perhaps the way they transitioned? That aside, I loved getting more details on how these two fell together and then fell apart. I loved that Josephine was a bit of a hard ass and didn’t just forgive and forget. She made Colten work for it and boy did he work for it.

Colten was this wonderful combination of alpha and cinnamon roll. He worked so hard and lays himself bare for her. At times I almost found Josephine to be too much of a hard ass, but it just worked. But the show stopper was definitely that ending. Holy mother of plot twists, that ending. I think my heart may have stopped beating when I read that last sentence. If I don’t have the next book in my hands immediately, I’m going to riot!!!

Jewel is a Wall Street Journal & USA Today bestselling author with a quirky sense of humor. When she’s not saving the planet one tree at a time, you can find her role modeling questionable behavior to her three boys, binge-watching Netflix with her husband, and writing mind-bending romance. 

Connect with Jewel

Website: https://www.jeweleann.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7505427.Jewel_E_Ann
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jewel-E-Ann/e/B00IJYHDIG/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjeweleann
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/485996228236493
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Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeweleannauthor

Review: No Time To Lie by Lexi Blake

NO TIME TO LIE
Series:
Masters and Mercenaries: Reloaded Book 4
Genre: Romantic Suspense, BDSM
Author: Lexi Blake
Release Date:
September 13, 2022

A grandmaster of lies and deception

Drake Radcliffe has spent half his life in the shadows. Recruited by the CIA when he was barely out of high school, Drake doesn’t know how to have a normal life. While most people his age were playing sports or video games, he was playing spy games with the world’s most dangerous adversaries. It has been a life filled with thrills and adrenaline, but it’s also been lonely. All that might change when a mistake from Drake’s past rears its ugly head and he’s forced to face the only woman he ever loved—the one he pushed away.

A beacon of love and compassion

Taylor Cline committed the cardinal sin for an analyst—she fell for the operative she was working for. Drake was everything she wanted in a man, until he broke her heart. She had one unforgettable night with him and then he never looked back. Her career threatened, she shut down and moved on, hoping to never see him again. Just as she is beginning to put it all behind her, a critical assignment puts her under his authority and right back in his arms.

A deadly mission that brings them together

From the wilds of Wyoming to the glittering cities of Europe, Drake and Taylor must race against time to uncover the truth and expose an evil organization. The stakes couldn’t be higher. If they fail, the world could crumble. If they succeed, they could finally have everything their hearts desire.

AMAZON

 

I won’t bottom for you. I’ll probably walk into this dungeon when it opens tonight because I need a session given the amount of stress I’m dealing with and maybe I’ll pick out some hot cowboy top to help with my stress relief, but it won’t be you.”
“And what do I win if it is?”
“You’ll win my dead body because that’s what it would take.”
“I like a challenge, Taylor.”
“I’m not a challenge, Drake.”

I feel like I’ve been forever for Drake’s book. He’s been a vivid secondary character for so many books and a complete and utter mystery. I’ve been eagerly anticipating every morsel of detail about this enigmatic CIA operative and I just knew that his story would be a juicy one. And you know what? I was not wrong.

I love a good second chance romance, especially when that second chance romance has a good grovel. And when said grovel lasts for almost the entirety of the book? GAH. Delicious.

Taylor Cline is no stranger to the life of a spy. After all, her father is one of the most notorious agents there were, and he taught her everything there is to know since she was a kid. Sliding into the role of being her father’s handler was not a difficult one and she’s d*mn good at her job.

When a mission gone wrong lands Drake at the safe house he thinks should be empty, he has a hard time understanding how Taylor is there. Taylor takes care of the injured Drake and then quickly bond over their life and it doesn’t take long for the chemistry between them to burn too hot to ignore. They share one night together before it all goes catastrophically wrong and Taylor realizes that Drake is not the man she thought he was.

Years later, a critical mission lands these two together and while Drake is thrilled for the second chance he’s been craving, Taylor wants nothing to do with him. And when Drake learns just how epically he screwed up with Taylor based on some wrong intel? Well, the juicy parts start.

I loved how Taylor makes him work for it, and boy does he. This is no meek woman. She may not have as much experience, but she’s so fierce in her own right. She’s set on revenge and she has no intention of letting Drake break her heart again. But the mission can’t be done without both of them, because the target they’re hunting has a shared link with them both.

My favorite parts of this series is all of the cameos from my favorite characters and every bit of Big Tag’s inappropriate humor. I love this man and will never get enough of him and his ball busting and matchmaking ways.

This was a high octane, thrilling page turner with a sizzling second chance romance full of heart and a delicious grovel. And this girl? Devoured every page.


#DGRFave & Review: The Mindf*ck Series by S.T. Abby

THE MINDF*CK SERIES
Series:
The Minds*ck Series (entire collection)
Genre: Dark, Romantic Suspense
Author: S.T. Abby
Release Date: November 29, 2016

They took too much.
Left too little.
I had nothing to lose…until him.
*****************
~Lana~
I didn’t expect him.
I didn’t want to fall in love.
But I can’t let him go.
Logan Bennett makes the world a safer place.
He’s brilliant.
He’s a hero.
He locks away the sick and depraved.
But while he’s saving lives, I’m taking them. Collecting the debts that are owed to me.
Ten years ago, they took from me. They left me for dead.
They should have made sure I stayed dead.
Now I’m taking from them.
One name at a time.
I’ve trained for too long.
I’ve been patient.
I can’t stop now.
Revenge is best served cold…
They never see me coming, until I paint their walls red.
Logan doesn’t know how they hurt me. He doesn’t know about the screams they ignored. He doesn’t know how twisted that town really is.
He just knows people are dying.
He doesn’t know he’s in love with their killer.
No one suspects a dead girl.
And Logan doesn’t suspect the girl in his bed.
They’re looking for a monster.
Not a girl who loves red.
Not a girl in love.
I’m a faceless nightmare.
At least until I tell them the story they’ve pretended never happened.
But in the end, will Logan choose them? Or will we watch them burn together?
**Graphic
**Adult language
**Some triggers could be too much for the easily disturbed reader
**Sexual content
**Fucked up moral compass; read at your own risk.

AMAZON

It’s all cloak and dagger right now. That’s what happens when you’re a serial killer dating a FBI profiler who hunts serial killers.

Have you ever had someone recommend a book to you and think, there’s no way this is as good as they say it is? No? Just me, then? Because I wear the cone of shame for letting the covers to these books sway me for entirely too long. Considering how much hype this story gets, you’d think that may sway me? But nope. I’m leery of surer popular books because I’m so tired of them not living up to their promise for me. But after losing the entirety of my day to binge reading this entire series in a day, I will tell you that I’m not seriously kicking my own ass for not believing what everyone was trying to beat me over the head with. This book doesn’t just live up to the hype, it blows it out of the water.

There’s a certain high you get from fooling the world into thinking you’re the lamb instead of the rabid wolf.

First of all, if you look at my shelf, you’ll see I’ve read a lot of romance, and dark is where it’s at for me. So please take that into consideration when I tell you that Lana Myers is easily my favorite FMC I have read. Ever. Period. No competition.

I’m a 5’4 package of vengeance that no one sees coming.

I was completely sucked into this story from the very first chapter. And after I finished the first book?

Oh.
My
GOD
Are you kidding me?

A female serial killer with a vendetta she’s plotted for years falls for an FBI profiler who hunts serial killers and is actively investigating her victims? Yes, please, and thank you. This is like the sexy love child of Criminal Minds and Dexter and I was so here for it, it physically hurt to put the book down for anything. Like I will now refer to things as life before Minfuck and Life After Mindfuck, because this story changed me. I don’t think I’ll stop thinking about it for years to come.

It’s one thing for the burn the world down if you hurt her trope, but when it’s reversed and she’ll burn the world down for him? GAH. And don’t get me wrong, Logan is no beta. This is a man who crackles with intense energy himself. But what made this book for me is not even the romance, which was absolutely epic. No. It was the actual plot. The mystery of Lana’s past that slowly gets unraveled with each book. The flashbacks of a night ten years ago that unequivocally changed the entire course of her life. And with every new kill she makes, more of those details become unraveled to paint a grizzly tale that’s full of corruption, evil, and revenge.

This is not your typical morally gray character. Lana is not an anti-heroine in my opinion. This is a woman who takes justice into her own hands knowing that the legal system won’t. And she’s who I want to be when I grow up. *dreamy sigh*

But I digress. I can talk about the brilliance of the plotting, the story telling, the clues hidden in plain sight, and the clues that get unveiled in time. I can talk about the incredible romance. I can talk about the friendship between Lana and Jake and all the amazing secondary characters like Hadley and Leonard, but I won’t. You need to discover it for yourself.

So if you’re an idiot who like me left this book skate right under your radar, get your life together immediately and read it. You can thank me after.

Review: The Night Blossoms by Leylah Attar

THE NIGHT BLOSSOMS
Genre: Romantic Thriller
Author: Leylah Attar
Release Date:
July 28, 2022

 

New York Times bestselling author Leylah Attar returns with a page-turning romantic suspense/thriller that careens down an emotional highway toward a chilling finale. Dark, thrilling, and ingeniously unpredictable.


“Do you ever really know someone, or do you just know the parts they want you to see?”

When her husband goes missing after a heated argument, Vee Roza finds herself caught in a dangerous web of deceit.

Not only must Vee clear her name and uncover the truth about Rafael, but also survive a high-risk pregnancy while guarding secrets of her own.

Is Rafael’s disappearance the ultimate betrayal or the ultimate sacrifice?

A full-length standalone based on a supporting character from the New York Times bestseller, The Paper Swan.

AMAZON

Memories had teeth, and sometimes they took a big chunk out of you.

Years ago, I read The Paper Swan and fell in love with Leylah Attar’s words. When I saw she’ll be releasing another standalone in this world, to say I was giddy with excitement is an understatement. I was desperate for this book.

Now if you’re expecting a book in the same vein of Paper Swan, this isn’t it. While it has dark undertones, it felt all encompassing for a completely different reason. This is a romantic thriller with a mystery that has you questioning your sanity, gripped to the pages, and not knowing up from down. It’s a suspense that leaves you with your heart in your throat, an erratic pulse, and desperately turning the pages to figure out how it all ends. And when the end comes? You’re left absolutely reeling.

Leylah Attar masterfully crafted a page turner of a thriller full of twists and turns you never see coming and a love that spans years. It jumps between past and present, giving you morsel by morsel of details. It’s perfectly paced and it’s incredibly written in a way where it gives you not enough and yet just enough. It was sucked me in from beginning to end.

If you’ve read The Paper Swan, you’ll remember Rafael. And if you haven’t, I highly recommend you do. Interestingly enough, where the Paper Swan felt all encompassing for the romance, The Night Blossom felt all encompassing for the mystery. As much as I loved both Rafael and Vee as individual characters, their romance didn’t fully reel me in. I loved it, don’t get me wrong, but it also didn’t feel like the romance is what took center stage. Which is funny to say, because the romance was there. I think for me, I just didn’t feel that same gravitational pull to the romance as I did the story itself, if that even makes sense.

Did I love it? Absolutely. Will it stay with me? Without a doubt. Do you need to read it? Right now! My one recommendation? Do yourself a favor and go in absolutely blind!

Leylah Attar is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance and women’s fiction. A recipient of the Writer’s Digest Award (for Moti on the Water) and the Indie Reader Discovery Award (for Mists of The Serengeti), Leylah writes unique, emotionally compelling stories that range from rom-com to dark romantic suspense.

 

Connect with Leylah

Website: https://www.leylahattar.com/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8126161.Leylah_Attar
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Leylah-Attar/e/B00KPV5GRQ/
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Review: Beyond My Darkness by RC Boldt

BEYOND MY DARKNESS
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Author: RC Boldt
Release Date: July 12,  2022

USA Today bestselling author RC Boldt delivers a seductively unique romantic suspense with a paranormal twist in Beyond My Darkness…

Twelve years ago, I fled, vowing to never again use my power. But everything changes when I break that vow and bring two bodies back to life in the morgue.

It sends me spinning directly into his orbit.

Arrogant. Menacing. Enigmatic. That’s Bronson Cortez, the notoriously violent gang leader who remains elusive to authorities.

He breaks the law at every turn and answers to no one. But when he offers me an alluring glimpse of what lies beneath that iron-clad exterior, I realize there’s more to him than meets the eye.

The man who fiercely guards his heart somehow manages to claim mine.

But he doesn’t know the truth about me.

I wonder if he could be the first to accept me for who I am—what I am.

I wonder if he’ll be the first to see beyond my darkness.

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I’m prepared to rain down hell on anyone who tries to hurt her.

It’s official: I’m addicted to RC Boldt’s romantic suspense. Her stories are pure book crack, full of action, mystery, and incredible multilayered characters. But this book? Well, this book may have been my favorite of hers to date.

I do want a nice guy.”
“Yeah?” There’s a hard edge to his voice that sends unease tiptoeing along my spine. “I can be nice.” He dusts his lips over mine in the barest caress, and I know when he says the word nice, his meaning differs greatly from mine. “I can be real nice.”

This, while in a similar vein to her romantic suspense, packed a paranormal gritty edge. It was unique and completely unputdownable.

If you like anti heroes, prepare to fall fast and hard for Bronson Cortez. This is a dangerous man with blood on his hands, but with a heart of gold. He’s a man that does bad things to protect his community and his people. And he’s a man with a lethal reputation that is justly earned.

Georgia Danvers is a medical examiner with a dark secret. She’s a woman with a painfully dark past and a secret that haunts her present. Her job in the morgue is where she feels most comfortable. People are complex, but the dead aren’t, and she loves what she does. But Georgia carries a dark secret that could cost her everything like it once almost did. When a body that ends up in her morgue sends her in the path of the town’s most dangerous man, she doesn’t try to overthink it. She just needs to give him a message and move on. But you know what they say about best intentions?

Bronson and Georgia together were absolutely incendiary. The chemistry between them is just as fiery as it is dangerous. These two were INTENSE. But nothing was more intense than Bronson. God but this man had me by the throat in the best possible way. He practically oozed danger and crackled with electricity off the pages. I couldn’t get enough of him. And while Georgia is a little awkward and quirky, she’s not a pushover. This is a woman full of sass and passion. She’s a woman that gives as hard as she gets, and doesn’t let Bronson steamroll her. There’s just this endearing quality to her that I couldn’t get enough of.

Now this isn’t your typical romantic suspense, and I personally loved the paranormal element to this. I was glued to the pages from beginning to end and devoured it in one sitting. And when I saw that Bronson’s friend is getting a book next? Beyond excited.

If you’re looking for something unique and addictive, you need this book in your life.

RC Boldt is a USA Today bestselling author currently living in part of the Costa Rican jungle with the love of her life and her mini-me.

If you’re in the mood for some killer mojitos or can’t recall the lyrics to a particular 80s song, she’s your girl.

Connect with RC Boldt 

Website: http://www.rcboldtbooks.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14543027.R_C_Boldt

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Review: Black Heart by Lynn Raye Harris

BLACK HEART
Series:
Black’s Bandits #5
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Author: Lynn Raye Harris
Release Date:
January 25, 2022

He’s untouchable. Unbreakable.
She plans to destroy him.


Former CIA agent Ian Black has done terrible deeds. Sacrificed his honor and reputation for God and country. He’s a fighter and a survivor. His mission is to rid the world of scumbags who prey on innocent people.

No price is too high, and no one crosses him. Not for long, anyway.

But then Natasha Oliver walks in, threatening to expose the one thing Ian thought dead and buried: his heart.

Natasha’s innocence was ripped away years ago when she was thrown into prison for crimes her parents committed. Now, as the assassin Calypso, she intends to hunt down those responsible for what happened to her.

Including Ian Black. Getting involved with him is madness, but she made a vow – and she will do whatever it takes to keep it.

Until she discovers that the line between hate and love often stands on a razor’s edge…

**Start reading the Black’s Bandits Series today and enjoy an action-packed, seriously romantic and steamy-good-fun military romantic suspense. Each book can be read as a standalone. No cliffhangers or cheating and a guaranteed happily-ever-after ending!

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Ian Black was an addiction. A dark, dangerous addiction that would get her killed if she didn’t escape. Except she didn’t want to escape. She wanted to stay.

I have been waiting YEARS for this book. YEARS! The second Ian Black appeared on the pages of HOT as a secondary character, he completely stole the show. I was desperate for every morsel of information on this enigma of a man. And the second we meet Natasha in Black List, I knew I needed her story desperately. After all, does it get any better than a redemption book for a female baddy? I think not.

Now I highly recommend that you read this series in order. I’ve loved every spin off since Lynn’s HOT series. But to really understand the dynamics and complexities of this book, you really should read Black’s Bandits in order. Or at the very least have read Black List. This is the book where Natasha is first introduced as Jace’s sister who he thought was long dead, having been executed along with their parents. Now Natasha is known as Calypso, the deadly assassin for the Russian syndicate, and the woman that’s enemy number one for Ian’s team.

When her brother deflected, Natasha and their parents paid the price. While her parents were executed, she was thrown into a prison, soon to become a deadly trained assassin. But in this story, the layers finally peel, and you get to see what’s truly been driving her all this time, and my heart melted and broke for her at the same time. Her and Ian have had a connection that they finally fully give into. And while I’m not usually a fan of the couple getting together in the beginning of the book because it looses a bit of the tension, it quite worked here.

Now admittedly, because this was my most anticipated book in all of the series, I built it up a bit. So it may have been my expectations getting ahead of me here, but I did find myself wishing it had a bit more edginess, considering who both Natasha and Ian are. This read a bit harlequin-y for me, and while that’s not a bad thing, I had hoped for more. But that minor quibble aside, I still devoured this story and loved the super satisfying conclusion with its multiple epilogues. If you like romantic suspense with plenty of steam, you simply can’t go wrong with this series.

Copyright © 2015 · Dirty Girl Romance

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