Book Reviews: 5 stars

Review & #DGRFave: Ruthless by @Gina_L_Maxwell

January 27, 2017 by Lana · Leave a Comment

RUTHLESS
Series: Playboys In Love #2
Genre: Erotic Romance
Author: Gina L. Maxwell
Release Date: January 30, 2017

People call me Ruthless for a reason.

Whether I’m in the court room or in the bedroom, my reputation is well-earned. I’m either working hard, working out, or working my way into some woman’s panties. But none of them share my particular kink, and I walk away feeling unsatisfied.

Until I met her.

She’s a friend of a friend, which makes her off-limits in my book. But then temptation had me by the balls and I had her up against a wall. She literally fucked my world off its axis, but it can’t happen again.

My plan was avoidance, but that got blown to shit when my firm hired her as a new junior attorney. Now I’m her boss, and I’m supposed to act like I don’t want to bend her over my desk every five minutes.

But I’ve never held myself back with anything before, so consequences be damned, it’s time to show her how damn good it feels…to be ruthless.

AMAZON | iBOOKS

I’ve never met a woman I wanted to either fuck or strangle so much in my entire life.

Well, well, Miss Maxwell, you naughty naughty girl. If I knew this new series of yours was THIS hot, I’d have jumped on it way sooner than this. As it is, I’m kicking myself for taking this long to discover it. I’ve been a huge fan of this author since I first discovered her with Rules of Entanglement (which I absolutely adored). This series of hers is certainly a lot spicier, and you won’t find this girl complaining one bit!

This book checked all of my yaaaassss boxes. And I do mean ALL of them.

1. Hot as sin, tatted up and pierced for your pleasure bad boy stripper by night and all alpha hotshot lawyer by day hero?

I know fighting this battle is futile. The man is weaving a spell I’m hesitant to break free of.

2. A sassy, confident, take charge heroine that’s not afraid of going after she wants and makes no excuses for who she is while laughingly referring to herself as a honey badger?

3. A perfect amount of humor thrown in to take it from sexy to fun and back again?

His. Cock. Is. Glorious. You know in the movies, when a wide shaft of light pierces through parting clouds like a spotlight from God to illuminate the Magnificently Monumental Thing that everyone should be looking at? That’s what should happen every time Roman Reeves takes his dick out. It’s that amazing.

4. Enough sizzle to light up 30 city blocks?

Our lovemaking isn’t slow and romantic, it’s hurried and feverish. It’s not chick flicks with tissues, it’s office porn with sweat. It’s half-dressed and half-crazy, forceful thrusts and labored breaths. But this is how we started. This is us. This is perfect.

5. And if all that wasn’t enough to get your engine revving, it also has one heck of a hot MFM menage.

My gaze stays firmly rooted on the man in front of me, even as my body sings for the man behind me.

Suffice it to say I enjoyed this book. A lot. The heroine is sassy without being brash, which is not easy to pull off. I loved her easy confidence with an underlay of vulnerability. The banter between her and Roman “Ruthless” was off the charts hot. These two sizzle in and out of the bedroom and I couldn’t get enough of them.

He takes over my mind, my ability to reason, leaving me with nothing but my four remaining senses.

What I loved most of all is that wrapped into all the smoking hot sexy times was a fantastic hot story that only revved up the hotness factor of this book. I seriously loved every page of it and i’m already salivating for the next book. One of the guys happens to have a particular kink that happens to be my catnip. I won’t tell you who or what it is but OMG I NEED HIS BOOK!

Ruthless was a one two punch to the ovaries. It was entertaining and downright sizzling. It had everything; humor, steam, fantastic story telling, and a hero that you will lust after from cover to cover. Guaran-damn-teed.

DON’T MISS THE FIRST BOOK IN THIS SEXY SERIES!

SHAMELESSGOODREADS | AMAZON

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, DGR Favorites, Dirty Talkers, Erotic Rom · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 5 stars, DGR Fave, Gina L. Maxwell, tatted hotties

Review & #DGRFave: Crown of Lies by @PepperWinters

January 25, 2017 by Lana ·

CROWN OF LIES
Series: Crown of Lies Duet #1
Genre: Dark Romance
Author: Pepper Winters
Release Date: January 31, 2017

“I met the boy I wanted. But then he vanished and a new man claimed me instead. My father approved, my colleagues congratulated, and behind closed doors, I was bedded by a stranger.”

Noelle Charlston lived a fairy-tale life: a doting father, a powerful job, and a future blessed with financial security.

However, two meetings with two men changed her happy existence forever. First, she met the boy who made her heart sing. Second, she met the man who made her blood quiver.

Noelle’s freedom was no longer hers. It belonged to the man her father believed was the perfect match. The man who pulled his lies over everyone he touched.
Including her.

Seduced and manipulated, Noelle lives two lives. The one everyone sees on the outside and the one no one sees on the inside. The lies he spins, the truth he hides, the mystery he webs—it’s all enough to slowly erode the woman she’d been and turn her into something else.

Until her past collides with her present.
And it’s her turn to lie.
To everyone…including herself.

AMAZON | iBOOKS

Thieves can become saints. Saints can become thieves. Most of us deserve a second chance.

Without fail, this woman’s writing managed to blow me away once again. Lies wrapped in truth. Truths wrapped in thinly veiled threats. A mysterious draw wrapped in animal magnetism. This book completely owned me. It hypnotized. It enraptured. It was pure literary magic, weaving a story so spellbinding, it was impossible to put down.

I don’t know if I’d been the one to seduce him, but he’d utterly decimated me.

It could be said that Noelle Charlston lives a charmed life. Growing up in luxury and set to inherit a retail empire, she wants for almost nothing…except a taste of normalcy. The youngest CEO in the history of the company, she may be rich, but she’s not a stranger to hard work. She barely leaves her office and her work is all she knows and all she does. Yearning for just a few hours of normal, she makes a decision that irrevocably changes the course of her life.

Now three years have passed since that fateful night that she’ll never forget. She’s a little older, a lot wiser, and even more disillusioned. Given up on love and finding a man that will want her for more than her money and empire, she’s lost herself in her work…until a man demands her attention in a way that’s impossible to ignore.

He hypnotized me. He corrupted me.

This man is pure animal magnetism wrapped in alluring confidence. He’s not used to hearing no and he won’t take it for an answer. The sparks fly between them; a mix of antagonism and undeniable chemistry. A hate lust so strong, it practically burns through the pages.

He wants to own her. She’s her own woman. He’s determined to break her. She knows no man ever will. He’s determined to mark her. She refuses to let him close enough. What takes place is a back and forth that’s so delicious, it was enrage you as much as it will captivate you.

The story is flawlessly written in Pepper’s signature fluid and lyrical style. It kept me glued to the pages from beginning to end, completely incapable of putting it down. I read this in one sitting while trying to savor every word because I didn’t want it to end.

This is book one in a duet, and I’m already vibrating to get my hands on the conclusion. If you’re a fan of this author, this book is not to be missed.

He fucked me. He took me. He consumed me.

The conclusion, THRONE OF TRUTH, is releasing on February 28

ADD IT ON GOODREADS

· Filed Under: All Reviews, Dark, DGR Favorites, Erotic Rom · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 5 stars, DGR Fave, hate/love, Pepper Winters

Review: Raw Deal by @CherrieLynn

January 18, 2017 by Lana ·

RAW DEAL
Series: Larson Brothers #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Cherrie Lynn
Release Date: January 24, 2017

Savannah’s brother was killed in a cage fight with Mike “Red Reaper” Larson after a savage punch to the head.

When Mike shows up at the funeral, he’s nothing like Savannah expected. Gone is the fierce, brutal beast she’s seen in the cage. In his place is a beautiful man torn with guilt, seeking forgiveness, and willing to do anything to ease her pain.

Her family doesn’t approve, but her heart doesn’t stand a chance. Irresistibly drawn together, neither of them can deny the intoxicating desire unleashed between them, turning their pain into the most exquisite pleasure.

But every time Mike steps into the cage, Savannah knows she could lose him too. She can’t go through that again, but how can she let go of the one man who sets her body and soul on fire?

AMAZON | B&N | iTUNES | KOBO | GOOGLE PLAY

We have to take solace wherever we can find it, he’d said, and somehow, by some divine intervention or alignment of the stars or whatever the hell else determined their destinies…he was her solace.

Do you see that pathetic pile of emotional goo sitting there on the couch with her box of tissues and sniffling into her Ben & Jerry’s? Ignore her. She’s still trying to calm her tits after having her heart put through an emotional wringer that was this book. No really. She normally doesn’t cry through almost an entire book, and she definitely doesn’t refer to herself in the third person. So you know when all of this does happen, it’s definitely an unforgettable 5 star read. I’m talking have your tissues ready and prepare to have your hearts squeezed in a vice sort of read.

She didn’t know him, and no one would understand. But instead of letting go, she only squeezed his hand harder. The only anchor she had in this maelstrom of emotion was the hand that might very well have ended Tommy’s life.

What would you do if the man that may just be responsible for the single most devastating loss in your life is also the man that captures your heart and soul?

Losing her older brother is hard enough. Having to witness the blow to the head inside the MMA cage that caused his death is unforgettable. Savannah is the strongest link left in her family. Attempting to get through her own grief while consoling her parents and widowed sister in law is hard enough. But when the man that went head to head with Tommy in the fight that cost him his life shows up at the funeral, the last thing she expects is for him to enrapture her so thoroughly.

Mike Larson is the oldest of three brothers. Growing up hard, he’s made many sacrifices to support his brothers. He’s never hesitated to use his fists, after all, he’s made a successful career at it. Knowing that he’s responsible for a man’s death, no matter if it was a tragic accident, doesn’t ease his mind or heart. He’s haunted by his guilt and nothing will ease it unless he can make things right with the man’s family. Falling for his younger sister wasn’t in the plans, but their connection is simply inevitable.

He wanted her so fucking bad it terrified him, so bad it hurt.

Mike is a man wrecked by guilt and sorrow. He’s had a hard life, but nothing has been harder than living with the knowledge that it was his hit that cost a man’s life. He knows that falling for the guy’s sister is wrong, but he can’t stay away from her.

I cannot explain to you all just how much I adored Mike Larson. This is a man that is all alpha, but at his core he’s sweet, understanding, and as tender as he is devastatingly sexy.

He watched her, listening intently. No one had ever listened to her the way he did. Like every word was a treasure to be examined and considered.

This story was filled with so much emotion, it was impossible to read it with a dry eye. The connection between him and Savannah was incredible and undeniable. It was sizzling. It was utterly mesmerizing.

He could fall for this girl. So hard. So easily. Hell, he was fooling himself to think he hadn’t already begun that particular descent.

Savannah is woman that struggles with her own guilt. She knows her family and her sister in law will never accept her relationship, but she also sees a side of Mike that she knows not many have. The sweet and caring side. The side that will move mountains for the people he loves. A man that will do everything and anything at the drop of a hat just to be there for her and to make her smile.

Raw Deal is aptly titled because it certainly left me feeling raw. Raw with so much feeling, my heart near burst at the overwhelming emotion of it all. It was beautifully written, gripping, and poignant. It was a painful sort of beauty. A phenomenal story of love in the unlikeliest of places.

Of course it had Cherrie’s signature punch to the ovaries….

I want you begging, Savannah. Fucking begging me to come. If it takes all night, I’ve got it. If you have to miss your flight, I don’t care. Even if it has to be the last time, I don’t want you to ever forget.

I adored everything about this book. EVERYTHING. I think I was sniffling though the entire thing. I couldn’t stop. I’m beyond excited for this brand new series from one of my favorite authors. And if this book is anything to go by, I already know the other two Larson brothers will be well worth the wait. A rockstar and a poker king? Bring. It. On.

· Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance, Fighters · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 5 stars, Cherrie Lynn, DGR Fave, fighters, MMA

Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: Vicious by LJ Shen

January 17, 2017 by Lana · Leave a Comment

VICIOUS
Series: Sinners of Saint
Author: LJ Shen
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 1, 2017

Emilia

They say love and hate are the same feelings experienced under different circumstances, and it’s true.

The man who comes to me in my dreams also haunts me in my nightmares.

He is a brilliant lawyer.

A skilled criminal.

A beautiful liar.

A bully and a savior, a monster and a lover.

Ten years ago, he made me run away from the small town where we lived. Now, he came for me in New York, and he isn’t leaving until he takes me with him.

Vicious

She is a starving artist.

Pretty and evasive like cherry blossom.

Ten years ago, she barged into my life unannounced and turned everything upside down.

She paid the price.

Emilia LeBlanc is completely off-limits, my best friend’s ex-girlfriend. The woman who knows my darkest secret, and the daughter of the cheap Help we hired to take care of our estate.

That should deter me from chasing her, but it doesn’t.

So she hates me. Big fucking deal.

She better get used to me.

AMAZON

“You’re pissing me off,” she said quietly, her eyes still searching my face.“And that’s turning me on,” I retorted, my voice flat. “So you might wanna tone down the hate glares if you don’t wanna find yourself being fucked on this desk with the blinds still open.”

I was still staring at my screen, working on the merger deal I was eager to get signed before Christmas, but I could see from my peripheral that she had paled. I liked how—once again—I’d gotten under her skin. Quickly.

“You’re disgusting,” she muttered, still staring at me—but not in a way that suggested she was appalled.

I cracked my neck, opening my browser and checking the stocks on the screen, skimming through the greens and the reds. “That may well be, but I’m balls deep in your fucking head, Help, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Her eyes glittered with rage, and fuck, I was so hard, and fuck, she was so beautiful. This was so on. I was going to fuck Dean’s ex-girlfriend, use her for my personal needs, and toss her away when I was done.

And after choosing the wrong guy, there was no doubt in my mind, she deserved it too.

“You just gave Floyd a lecture about the inter-office fraternization policy. No mixing business and pleasure.” She leaned forward. Her elbow touched my finger accidentally, and she jerked it away.

I met her halfway, erasing the space between us across the desk. “Correction—guys like Floyd won’t give you pleasure. Men like me would. Besides, the man likes Arrow,” I drawled, as if this alone was a reason to fire him.

To me, it was.

“You know what your problem is, Vicious? You still haven’t decided if you hate me or like me. That’s why you act like this every time I’m around other men.” There wasn’t a trace of embarrassment in her voice. She owned up to this.

What she didn’t know was that I knew exactly how I felt about her.

I hated her, but was attracted to her. It was really that simple.

“You know what I feel right now, Ms. LeBlanc? I feel like you need to pack a fucking bag and start making the necessary arrangements. You’re coming with me to California, whether you like it or not.”

My obsession. My muse. My enemy.

It’s official. L.J. Shen is a witch. How else could the woman possibly crawl inside my mind and create a story that seriously felt custom written for me?
Uber angst? Check!
Hot alphahole hero? Holy hell, CHECK!
A heroine that’s the perfect blend of innocent but with a steel backbone? Check!
An enemies to lovers story that left me practically salivating? CHECK!
A sexual chemistry and a burn so good it makes you want to slap yo mama? CHECK!
An addicting, obsessive read from cover to cover? ABSOLUTELY FREAKING CHECK!!!

This guy is going to break my heart if I let him.

The Four HotHoles rule All Saints High. All the guys want to hang out with them and all the girls want to sleep with them. It doesn’t matter that women are more disposable to them than a pair of socks, they’ll gladly give up their dignity for a night…or a few hours in their bed. Vicious is the most brutal of the four. He’s a coldblooded asshole that practice bubbles over with barely surprised rage. And the target for the brunt of his anger is Emilia, his classmate and daughter of the hired help living at his father’s mansion.

Vicious was vicious. It was too bad that my hate for him was dipped in a thin shell of something that felt like love. But I promised myself I’d crack it, break it, and unleash pure hatred in its place before he got to me.

Emilia was a heroine you can’t help but like. They say the line is thin between love and hate and that’s definitely the case here. She wants to hate Vicious and he surely gives her plenty of reason to…and yet, he’s like a magnet drawing her in.

Shen did a phenomenal job with character development, that you don’t just read what they’re feeling, you feel it. That couldn’t be more true with Emilia. I clicked with her from the very first page. Here’s a heroine that’s down on her luck, down to her last penny, barely making ends meet working two jobs to support herself and her sick sister, but she still has this undercurrent of strength that you can’t help but respect.

Intersected with flashbacks to their high school years, the story develops in the present. Years after Emilia left All Saints High and Vicious behind. But circumstances soon bring her face to face once more with a man that made her teenage years a living hell.

I want to fuck you and watch your face while I do. To see how you drown in me as I hurt you as much as it hurts me to have to see your goddamn face every day.”

Now if you’re an angst lover like me, you will gobble up everything about this book and be left begging for more. The sexual tension between Vicious and Emilia crackles with electricity. I loved that added burn of hate lust between them. The woman definitely gave him a run for his money and for all his thinly veiled insults that he throws her way, you can see just how much he craves her underneath it all.

You’re pissing me off,” she said quietly, her eyes still searching my face.
“And that’s turning me on,” I retorted, my voice flat. “So you might wanna tone down the hate glares if you don’t wanna find yourself being fucked on this desk with the blinds still open.”

The writing was absolutely brilliant. Shen simply gets better and better with each book she writes and she truly outdid herself with this one. She gave us four heroes that you not only click with but obsess over. Sure, this book is focused on Vicious and I loved every page of it. But I also loved the three other HotHoles and if the set up for two of them is anything to go by, I already know I need their books.

As for this book? This is what obsession is made of. This book. These characters. This romance. It was too delicious for words. Simply. Addicting.

This is not a relationship. It’s two people fucking the obsession out of each other.”

L.J. Shen resides in sunny California with her husband, son, chubby cat and wild, wild dreams.

Her passion is to write badass stories, sushi, UFC and her awesome family and friends (not in this order, though. Obviously, sushi comes before writing. Oh, and also the family part.)

She spend the first half of her twenties traveling the world and is now paying all the fun with extra shifts in front of her MacBook. Feel free to contact her on her Facebook page. She loves to hear from her readers.

https://www.facebook.com/authorljshen/

Social Media links:

Amazon ➜ http://amzn.to/2jKBd1l

Pinterest ➜ https://www.pinterest.com/authorljshen/

Email ➜ msleighshen@gmail.com

Newsletter Sign up ➜ http://goo.gl/FwfMzr

Facebook➜ https://goo.gl/fKCSo4

Twitter➜ https://goo.gl/ceV3RQ

Goodreads ➜ https://goo.gl/T4YU71

Website ➜ www.ljshen.com

Instagram➜ https://www.instagram.com/authorljshen/

Also Available On Sale (Limited Time)

Tyed

Sparrow

Blood to Dust

Head over to LJ’s Facebook Page for multiple giveaways

https://www.facebook.com/authorljshen/?fref=ts

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Blog Tours, DGR Favorites, Excerpts, Giveaways · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 5 stars, LJ Shen

DGRFave & Review: On Broken Wings by @ChanelCleeton

January 2, 2017 by Lana · Leave a Comment

ON BROKEN WINGS
Series: Wild Aces #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Chanel Cleeton
Release Date: January 3, 2017

The author of Into the Blue and Fly with Me returns with the newest, hot and high-flying Wild Aces romance…

A year after losing her husband, Joker, the squadron commander of the Wild Aces, Dani Peterson gets an offer from his best friend, Alex “Easy” Rogers, to help fix up her house. Dani accepts, and their friendship grows—along with an undeniable attraction.

Racked by guilt for loving his best friend’s widow, Easy’s caught between what he wants and can’t have. Until one night everything changes, and the woman who’s always held his heart ends up in his arms. Yet as Easy leaves for his next deployment, he and Dani are torn between their feelings and their loyalty to Joker’s memory.

But when Dani discovers something that sends them both into a spin, the conflicted lovers must overcome the past to navigate a future together…

AMAZON | iBOOKS

I could drop a bomb without breaking a sweat, had been to war, nearly died more times than I could count, but she was the scariest thing I’d ever faced, my feelings for her sending me into a spin.

Do you know that feeling when you meet a secondary character in a series that steals your attention from the second he appears on the pages? That was Alex “Easy” Rogers for this girl. Now it’s no secret that I have a weak spot for the unrepentant manwhores, but there was also something much more to Easy. He was the goofball of the group, the easy going one always quick with the jokes and a smile, but you knew that beneath that is the heart of a man much more complex that he first appears. I’ve been slowly dying in my wait for his book since first meeting him in Fly With Me, and all I can tell you after finishing this book is he was absolutely worth EVERY SECOND of the wait. Every. Second.

I don’t know what to do anymore. She needs me to be her friend; I can’t stay away from her. And I can’t stop loving her.”

If you’re expecting your typical manwhore hero, think again. Alex is such a complex character. His jokes and smile a facade to the deep feelings he hides, but his love for his fallen friend and brother in arms is his worst kept secret. Alex has been in love with Dani Peterson since he first laid eyes on her… as the loving wife of his best friend. Dani has been an unreachable and unattainable dream for him, so he drowned himself in easy and forgettable women, but nothing erased his feelings.

A year after the tragic accident that took Dani’s husband from her, she’s still trying to pick up the pieces of her life. Her one constant has always been Alex. Unlike everyone else of their friends, Dani is absolutely ignorant of his feelings for her. He’s never made a move, always respecting her boundaries and their friendship while being her rock. But soon Dani’s feelings begin to take a turn from the friendly camaraderie she’s always had for Easy to something much more. But will the guilt they both have over their feelings get between a love that may save them both?

For a moment I stopped pretending everything was okay, that loving her wasn’t broken glass slicing through my veins, leaving me bleeding out, that the sheer fucking torture of wanting someone I couldn’t have wasn’t a constant ache that brought me to my knees and made me feel as though I’d broken an unspoken promise. “Don’t you get it by now? There is no one else. There never will be anyone else. There’s just her.”

Can I just say how much I loved this book? Words can’t describe all of my feels for it. It’s so poignant and sweet, emotional and gutwreching. I absolutely loved the way that Alex is with Dani. There’s no one else for him. He doesn’t try to deny it, or spend his time on meaningless hookups. He’s well past that point. The man was just perfection. He’s patient, understanding, sweet beyond words.

Dani struggles with her building feelings for Alex and her memory of her beloved husband. My heart simply broke for her. I respect the fact that this author didn’t go the easy route and try to make light of her relationship with her husband. She still loves him immeasurably but her feelings for Easy are not discounted either. It’s no small feat to pull that off. To make the reader truly invested in their relationship and BELIEVE it, while still honoring the memory of her husband.

I get scared with romances with a dead spouse because so often an author will try to discount that relationship in order to more easily sell the present one. That was not at all the case here and man but I loved it.

This was no typical or cliche; it was a story that will stay with me for a long LONG while. The feelings between Dani and Alex wasn’t less or more…it just was. It was a different kind of love but a love nonetheless. There’s no stereotypical drama at the end; just two people dealing with a hard past in order to build a future.

I’m happiest with my feet planted firmly on the ground. But my heart—It flies.

On Broken Wings was a poignant and beautiful romance packed with emotion and meaning. It was full of swoons and steam. There was no clutter to take away from what Dani and Alex go through on their way to their HEA and I loved it. I loved every second of it. I loved every page of it. I. Just. Loved. It.

WILD ACES SERIES

: Fly With Me (Wild Aces #1)

: Into The Blue (Wild Aces #2)

: On Broken Wings (Wild Aces #3)

FLY WITH ME | INTO THE BLUE | ON BROKEN WINGS

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 5 stars, Chanel Cleeton, DGR Fave, Military-men

DGRFave & Review: Vicious by LJ Shen

January 1, 2017 by Lana ·

VICIOUS
Series: Sinners of Saint #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: LJ Shen
Release Date: December 27, 2016

Emilia

They say love and hate are the same feelings experienced under different circumstances, and it’s true.
The man who comes to me in my dreams also haunts me in my nightmares.
He is a brilliant lawyer.
A skilled criminal.
A beautiful liar.
A bully and a savior, a monster and a lover.
Ten years ago, he made me run away from the small town where we lived. Now, he came for me in New York, and he isn’t leaving until he takes me with him.

Vicious

She is a starving artist.
Pretty and evasive like cherry blossom.
Ten years ago, she barged into my life unannounced and turned everything upside down.
She paid the price.
Emilia LeBlanc is completely off-limits, my best friend’s ex-girlfriend. The woman who knows my darkest secret, and the daughter of the cheap Help we hired to take care of our estate.
That should deter me from chasing her, but it doesn’t.
So she hates me. Big fucking deal.
She better get used to me.

AMAZON

My obsession. My muse. My enemy.

This guy is going to break my heart if I let him.

Vicious was vicious. It was too bad that my hate for him was dipped in a thin shell of something that felt like love. But I promised myself I’d crack it, break it, and unleash pure hatred in its place before he got to me.

I want to fuck you and watch your face while I do. To see how you drown in me as I hurt you as much as it hurts me to have to see your goddamn face every day.”

You’re pissing me off,” she said quietly, her eyes still searching my face.
“And that’s turning me on,” I retorted, my voice flat. “So you might wanna tone down the hate glares if you don’t wanna find yourself being fucked on this desk with the blinds still open.”

As for this book? This is what obsession is made of. This book. These characters. This romance. It was too delicious for words. Simply. Addicting.

This is not a relationship. It’s two people fucking the obsession out of each other.”

· Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 5 stars, DGR Fave

Blog Tour, J’s Review & Giveaway: The Pawn by @skye_warren

December 16, 2016 by Lana · Leave a Comment

THE PAWN
Series: The Endgame #1
Genre: Dark Contemporary Romance
Author: Skye Warren
Release Date: December 6, 2016

“Sinfully sexy and darkly beautiful, The Pawn will play games with your heart and leave you craving more!” – Laura Kaye, New York Times bestselling author

The price of survival…

Gabriel Miller swept into my life like a storm. He tore down my father with cold retribution, leaving him penniless in a hospital bed. I quit my private all-girl’s college to take care of the only family I have left.

There’s one way to save our house, one thing I have left of value.

My virginity.

A forbidden auction…

Gabriel appears at every turn. He seems to take pleasure in watching me fall. Other times he’s the only kindness in a brutal underworld.

Except he’s playing a deeper game than I know. Every move brings us together, every secret rips us apart. And when the final piece is played, only one of us can be left standing.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

THE PAWN is a full-length contemporary novel from New York Times bestselling author Skye Warren about revenge and seduction in the game of love. It’s the first book in the brand new ENDGAME series.

Amazon | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Skye….Skye!!!…..SKYE!!!!!!!!! I have read a lot of Skye Warren books, and this is my top fave!!!! I have been a fangirl of Skye for a long time, and I always enjoy her books. She is one of the best dark romance writers, in my opinion, and she has outdone herself with this book! All of the feels! The plot is just genius. This story has been written before, but not Skye Warren. When Skye writes it, it’s just better.

This is the type of book where the only reason you put your kindle down is to jump up and down because the characters said or did something so badass that you can’t help but fangirl in the moment.

I look up at him, searching his eyes for some hint of kindness, of mercy. There’s none. I find only fire – and the thought that comes next makes me shudder: this is vengeance. It’s not a feeling he’s had, a fleeting thought for revenge. This what he’s made of, cell by cell, atom by atom. He’s pure fury, and he’s coming for me.

My Gabriel & Avery:

Avery has grown up with everything she could ever ask for. After a terrible scandal with her father’s company, she and her father are left with close to nothing. In order to do anything she can to save her house and care for her father, Avery goes to the one man who might give her a loan. Little does she know that she will meet the man who ruined her father and give her a proposal that she cannot refuse in order to save her house and her father’s life.

”Can you at least look at me after I suck your dick?”

Avery is a virgin…..A BADASS VIRGIN. This girl stands her ground. She may be naïve but she has got balls of steel! She gives back as good as she gets with Gabriel and I was rooting for her the whole time. She only has herself to depend on, but she doesn’t need anyone else because she does it all. She is willing to sacrifice everything to do the right thing.

…this man of precious metal and revenge, of carved wood and heartache.

GABRIEL. That’s it. Just his name sends shivers down my body. Gabriel is mine. Seriously. Back up, ladies! I know Lana wants to claim him, but NOPE! I refuse. He is ALL MINE, whore! He is a Grade A – Ass….Hole. My kinda man. He treats Avery with nothing less than disdain. She is the daughter of the man that cheated him, and he is willing to put her through hell and humiliation to get his pleasure. I loved the glimpses of compassion in his character, but he inevitably shows his true colors and is true to his inner asshole.

Here’s the thing about owning a virgin. For as long as I don’t fuck you, I still own one.

I can’t say much about the plot without spoiling, but I will say I could not put this book down. It was emotional and fast-paced and intriguing, and I want more! This book is beautiful and broken and genius.

Yes, there is a cliffhanger. Should you care? No, for 2 reasons. 1. Because you enjoy this book so much that is doesn’t even matter. 2. Because the next book, Knight, comes out next month so you don’t have to wait very long. And let me tell you, I am going to be pouncing on that book as soon as my grabby little hands can get a hold of it.

THE KNIGHT is now available for preorder!

The power of pleasure…

Gabriel Miller took everything from me. My family. My innocence. My home. The only thing I have left is the determination to get back what’s mine.

He thinks he’s beaten me. He thinks he’s won. What he doesn’t realize is that every pawn has the chance to become a queen.

And the game has only just begun.

* * * * * *

THE KNIGHT is book two in the Endgame series from New York Times bestselling author Skye Warren about revenge and seduction in the game of love.

PRE-ORDER TODAY!

Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of contemporary romance such as the Chicago Underground series. Her books have been featured in Jezebel, Buzzfeed, USA Today Happily Ever After, Glamour, and Elle Magazine. She makes her home in Texas with her loving family, two sweet dogs, and one evil cat.

Contact Skye:

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Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Blog Tours, Contemporary Romance, Dark, Giveaways · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 5 stars, Jennifer Reviews

DGR Fave Review: Someone Like You by @_LaurenLayne

December 7, 2016 by Lana · Leave a Comment

SOMEONE LIKE YOU
Series: Oxford #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Lauren Layne
Release Date: December 6, 2016

Lauren Layne’s bestselling Oxford Series continues with the poignant, heartwarming story of New York’s most eligible bachelor, Lincoln Mathis, a man who’s living a lie—until his dream woman takes away the pain.

Lincoln Mathis doesn’t hide his reputation as Manhattan’s ultimate playboy. In fact, he cultivates it. But behind every flirtatious smile, each provocative quip, there’s a secret that Lincoln’s hiding from even his closest friends—a tragedy from his past that holds his heart quietly captive. Lincoln knows what he wants: someone like Daisy Sinclair, the sassy, off-limits bridesmaid he can’t take his eyes off at his best friend’s wedding. He also knows that she’s everything he can never have.

After a devastating divorce, Daisy doesn’t need anyone to warn her off the charming best man at her sister’s wedding. One look at the breathtakingly hot Lincoln Mathis and she knows that he’s exactly the type of man she should avoid. But when Daisy stumbles upon Lincoln’s secret, she realizes there’s more to the charming playboy than meets the eye. And suddenly Daisy and Lincoln find their lives helplessly entwined in a journey that will either heal their damaged souls . . . or destroy them forever.

AMAZON | iBOOKS

If I did it, Wallflower, if I felt that way again, it would be about someone like you.”

If you’re anything like me, then you’ve been both eagerly anticipating and dreading Lincoln’s book. Anticipating it because you love those irreverent playboys, and dreading because you’re afraid that you’ve been building up your expectations in anticipation. Lincoln’s story was the one I’ve been waiting for since Irresistibly Yours. It’s been a long, painful wait. But after finishing this book in one sitting, I can tell you that it was every single minute, hour, day, and month of the wait. It didn’t meet my expectation. Heck no! It blew them away. Lincoln Mathis took everything I had thought I knew about him and took me on a rollercoaster of emotion. I laughed, I cried, I freaking swooned! I adored everything about this story. EVERYTHING.

And tell me, Daisy Sinclair,” he said, “why is it that you’ve been dubbed off-limits?”
She batten her eyelashes, looking every bit the Southern belle she sounded like. “Isn’t it obvious? Divorced, damaged, and ever so fragile. You? Why is it that you’re to be avoided?”
He leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice.“Consummate playboy, intriguingly unattainable, with just a dash of dangerous secrets.”

If there’s one thing I can tell you is to go into this book ABSOLUTELY BLIND. You don’t want to know the smallest detail. Trust me on this. You’ll appreciate the emotional punch that much more. What I can tell you is that you’re expecting for this to be the typical playboy meets the right girl and changes his way sort of story, you couldn’t be more wrong.

Lincoln couldn’t explain how he knew it, but he and Daisy Sinclair got each other. Their respective walls had been acknowledged, a silent agreement passed that neither would try to scale the other’s.

Daisy is Emma’s (from THE TROUBLE WITH LOVE) twin sister. Coming off of a bitter divorce has left her a little cracked, but not broken. This was a woman with so much internal strength and it just took her a bit to get it all backed. Daisy was such a powerhouse of a heroine…in a perfectly understated way. She was exactly what Lincoln needed. She was patient, kind, understanding and never pushed beyond what she knew the boundaries were. She has her own past demons that she’s trying to recover from, and it just made her that much more endearing.

As for Lincoln? Man oh man, I never thought it’d be possible for me to love him even more than I already did. Still waters certainly run deep with this man and he’s so much more that what first meets the eye.

We’re all a little cracked, honey.”
“You ever wonder?”
“Wonder what?”
“What will fill your cracks? How to get better.”
“All the damn time.”

What you see is not at all what you get with him and soon the pieces begin to click together towards the heartrending secret that he keeps. My heart went through a ringer with him. It’s impossible not to fall for him, not to feel his pain, not to want to soothe and heal him. In between the easy friendship that Lincoln and Daisy instantly develop, there was such a deep emotion interspersed with a hidden craving. God. GOD but I loved these two together.

…I have nothing to give back, Daisy. Oh, I’d give you pleasure. We’d give each other that. But I’d take absolutely everything- I’d fucking consume you. You’d want something in return, and I’d have nothing. I’m hollow inside, and you deserve so much more.”

Someone Like You was an incredibly powerful, poignant and emotional romance. It was a story of second chances and healing. It was a stunning story of finding your strength again and moving on. It’s a story of courage and love. It was absolute perfection and reminded me all over again why I first fell in love with Lauren Layne’s writing. The woman can make you feel, laugh, and love all in 228 wonderful pages. If you’ve enjoyed the rest of the Stiletto and Oxford series and you’ve been anticipating Lincoln’s story as much as I have, this is a must read. But have a box of tissues ready, because you won’t come out of it unscathed. Be ready to shed some tears and swoon over the perfect imperfection that is Lincoln Mathis.

THE OXFORD SERIES

: Irresistibly Yours (Oxford, #1)

: I Wish You Were Mine (Oxford, #2)

: Someone like You (Oxford, #3)

: I Knew You Were Trouble (Oxford, #4)

IRRESISTIBLY YOURS | I WISH YOU WERE MINE | SOMONE LIKE YOU

PRE-ORDER- Releasing June 13, 2017
I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance, DGR Favorites · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 5 stars, DGR Fave, Lauren Layne

New Release & DGR Favorite Review: The Pawn by @skye_warren

December 6, 2016 by Lana · Leave a Comment

THE PAWN
Series: The Endgame #1
Genre: Dark Contemporary Romance
Author: Skye Warren
Release Date: December 6, 2016

“Sinfully sexy and darkly beautiful, The Pawn will play games with your heart and leave you craving more!” – Laura Kaye, New York Times bestselling author

The price of survival…

Gabriel Miller swept into my life like a storm. He tore down my father with cold retribution, leaving him penniless in a hospital bed. I quit my private all-girl’s college to take care of the only family I have left.

There’s one way to save our house, one thing I have left of value.

My virginity.

A forbidden auction…

Gabriel appears at every turn. He seems to take pleasure in watching me fall. Other times he’s the only kindness in a brutal underworld.

Except he’s playing a deeper game than I know. Every move brings us together, every secret rips us apart. And when the final piece is played, only one of us can be left standing.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

THE PAWN is a full-length contemporary novel from New York Times bestselling author Skye Warren about revenge and seduction in the game of love. It’s the first book in the brand new ENDGAME series.

Amazon | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

I’m the pawn, and he’s my triumphant captor.

This was easily my favorite by this author to date. Gripping. Captivating. Magnetic. Dark. Erotic. It was EVERYTHING I love about a dark romance. It’s not gratuitous violence and scenes thrown in for pure shock value. It’s a mind fuck. An incredibly written, twisty, and delicious mind fuck that I couldn’t put down from beginning to finish; with a heroine you’ll want to root for, and an anti-hero that you’ll want to hate only slightly more than you love him.

The Pawn reminded me all over again why I love dark romance. It’s that electric zing of the forbidden. That feeling of rooting for a man that’s supposed to be the bad guy, yet you know that someone deep inside is someone that may be just an ounce redeemable. It’s the flutter of butterflies in your belly when you watch a sweet, innocent and naive girl grow into a woman that’s much stronger than you think. It’s that delicious tingle you get watching the fly get trapped in the spider’s erotic web. It’s pure wickedness.

Soon, little virgin.”
“Don’t call me that.” My voice trembles only a little, revealing the turmoil inside me.
“What else should I call you? Princess? Darling?”
“You could call me by my name.”
He dips his head, his mouth right by my ear, his voice just a breath. “There’s only one thing I’m going to call you. Mine.”

Growing up in privilege and money, Avery had an enchanted life. She idolized her father, she looked forward to her future and starting college, she had a doting boyfriend that she suspected only wanted her for his status, she had little worries aside from questioning her relationship…until it all crashed down on her…

I look up at him, searching his eyes for some hint of kindness, of mercy. There’s none. I find only fire- and the thought that comes next makes me shudder: this is vengeance.

Losing everything she finds herself penniless and desperate, and desperate times lead to desperate measures. Which is how she finds herself in the Den, agreeing to sell her virginity and body and soul to the highest bidder for a month.

You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know I could make you come in two minutes.”
A step back, my calves bumping the small chair where I sat. “You wouldn’t.”
“No, but you wish I would.”
“I hate you.”

Gabriel Miller is an enigma. He’s not a good guy, but his golden eyes lure her deep into a tangled web that she doesn’t know how to get herself out of.

The story was incredibly written. I love mythology and getting bits and glimpses of it only heightened my enjoyment. Watching Avery slowly come more and more into her own was almost as satisfying as watching the shadows lift from the mystery that is Gabriel but only leave behind more questions.

There’s something feral about this man, a fire that burns inside him, untamed.

The plot it filled with twists and turns that keep you absolutely riveted to the pages. The characters are multi-layered and enigmatic. You find yourself at the edge of your seat, heart beating wildly in your chest, just waiting for that final shoe to drop. This is one of those books that you will read in one sitting and it will leave you craving for more. It’s darkly erotic and entirely addicting.

You don’t taste sweet,” he says, pausing. “You taste like I’m fucking dying and you’re the only water around. You taste like goddamn air.”

If you’re a fan of this author, and you love a well written dark romance, this is one book that you do NOT want to miss. I may go crazy in my wait for the conclusion, but I don’t regret a moment of it because I have the best book high after finishing this. All of the stars!

THE KNIGHT is now available for preorder!

The power of pleasure…

Gabriel Miller took everything from me. My family. My innocence. My home. The only thing I have left is the determination to get back what’s mine.

He thinks he’s beaten me. He thinks he’s won. What he doesn’t realize is that every pawn has the chance to become a queen.

And the game has only just begun.

* * * * * *

THE KNIGHT is book two in the Endgame series from New York Times bestselling author Skye Warren about revenge and seduction in the game of love.

PRE-ORDER TODAY!

Contact Skye:

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance, Dark, DGR Favorites, Erotic Rom · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 5 stars, DGR Fave, New Release, Skye Warren

New Release & Review: Mischief And The Masters by @CheriseSinclair

November 15, 2016 by Lana · Leave a Comment

MISCHIEF AND THE MASTERS
Series: Masters of the Shadowlands #12
Genre: BDSM Romance
Author: Cherise Sinclair
Release Date: November 15, 2016

She wants a short, sweet Master. One Master.

The two devastatingly dominant Drago cousins have other ideas.

Her life destroyed by a stalker, Uzuri Cheval starts anew in Tampa and joins the exclusive Shadowlands club. Unconvinced of her claims that she can overcome her fear of big men without help, Master Z gives her a time limit. And she is improving–until she hears the stalker is out of prison. Now her time limit is up, and the Masters will intervene, which is okay–as long as whoever helps her is short. Okay, sweet and gentle would be good, too.

But two Doms? Dangerously experienced and dauntingly powerful cousins? No way.

Having volunteered in every hellhole in the world, Dr. Alastair Drago is ready to settle down. Detective Max Drago has joined him and, once again, the cousins share everything. A house, lives, problems…and whatever submissive catches their interest. One mischievous submissive has definitely caught Alastair’s. However, having been burned by a woman, Max remains detached…until little mischief’s troubles turn deadly.

AMAZON | iBOOKS

Kneel for us, princess.”

This series is by far one of my top favorite BDSM series out there. Cherise Sinclair has this knack for writing provocative mixed with emotional and gripping. Her romance is so far beyond simple eroticism and sex with BDSM. Her characters are multi-layered with so much depth that after 12 books in this phenomenal series, each time I pick up a new book it’s like coming home. These characters have become like friends to me. And even though you get a different couple in each book, you get to know each individual character well before. Enough so, that you yearn for the HEA and eager to get to the bottom of their secrets. This was exactly the case for me with Uzuri.

Uzuri was always such an intriguing character. You know she’s hiding some painful secrets from her past and she’s skittish in a way that can only imply something very dark. This is also a woman that’s a fierce friend, protector, and has a heart of gold. She’s a woman that’s damaged but not broken. This is someone that could have easily come through as a victim, but the way she’s written is more of a warrior and survivor. She’s strong in a highly understated way and that shines through more and more throughout the book.

Courage is endurance for one moment more.”

Now the Dragon Doms…*pervy shudder* Man oh man, these boys were something else. I’ve been curious about the Drago cousins ever since Servicing the Target. A Dom that’s a doctor with a British accent, and a badass Dom that’s a detective that like to top TOGETHER? I can’t even! Can’t even.

Could her life get any more confusing?She’d never felt this way about anyone—and now she was sliding right into…caring…for two men. Two Doms. No. No, this was insane.She couldn’t do this.

I absolutely loved the sexual tension and sizzle between these three. I loved the way that Uzuri’s true fierceness comes through more and more with each encounter she shares with them. I loved the way that they encouraged her to be her own woman fought for her at the same time teaching her to fight for herself. I loved that the Drago cousins were the perfect combo of intense and protective without ever crossing into domineering.

This was a touching, emotional, and emotional story of finding your own strength. It’s a story of learning to love past your fears. It was erotic and sensual. It was the perfect balance of romance and BDSM, all wrapped around an incredible plot. I loved every page of it. This series only continues to get better and better and I hope it never ends.