Review: A Royal Mile by Samantha Young

June 19, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

A ROYAL MILE
Series: Return to Dublin Street #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Samantha Young 
Release Date: June 19, 2025

A steamy enemies-to-friends-to-lovers romance from New York Times Bestselling Author Samantha Young.

It’s hard to stay in the friend zone when the attraction is this hot…

Going into my senior year of university at war with a member of the British royal family wasn’t in my carefully laid plans. Sebastian Thorne might be the grandson of a princess, but it’ll take more than a royal pardon to get me to forgive him for pretending to be someone he’s not.
 
But Sebastian is determined to be my friend. Even if it means signing up to a psych experiment just to get me to talk to him. Who knew a sincere apology and him saying my name in that posh English accent would make me weak in the knees?
 
This year was supposed to be about my dissertation and graduate school. Only, Sebastian has thrown my ordered world off kilter. He makes me bolder, more confident. A braver version of me.
 
Yet every lingering glance and stolen touch has me realizing one thing…
 
I’m falling for my best friend.
 
There’s just one problem. Sebastian has demons, ones that make him determined to keep me in the friend zone no matter the cost.
 
And even when temptation sends his walls tumbling down, the beauty we’ve found might not survive against the will of powerful outside forces…

AMAZON

Are you incapable of concentrating?” “I am very capable of concentrating.” He opened the note’s app on his tablet. “I’m going to prove it by staring at your mouth for this entire session as you talk.”

It’s official, I am completely and utterly obsessed with this series. Sam’s Dublin Street series is one of my all time favorites so of course I’m going to be just as obsessed with the second generation spinoff. A Royal Mile features Lily Sawyer, the daughter of Nate and Olivia from Before Jamaica Lane, which is my favorite book from the series. So to say that I was super excited for Lily’s book is a mild understatement.

If you’ve read On Loverose Lane, then you already got a peek into Lily. She’s the painfully shy and introverted to her younger sister’s boisterous personality. But as shy as she is, she’s no pushover, and I loved that about her. We start the book partially into Lily and Sebastian’s story. We know that Sebastian deceived her and she’s not giving him the time of day to apologize. But we don’t yet know why. That gets revealed as the story goes on and I loved the way those flashbacks were interwoven into the story. I also loved the nods and parallels to her parents’ story and I swear you would appreciate it so much having read their book as well. Trust me. But I digress.

Sebastian is determined to get Lily’s forgiveness and once he finally breaks down her defenses, they begin an amazing friendship. But no matter how amazing they are as friends, Lily can’t swallow her feelings for him. Feelings that she believes are not reciprocated.

I’d met my unicorn. The guy who made me feel so comfortable I could talk to him about anything. And yet whom I was so attracted to, I felt like every fiber of my being came alive in a way it never had until him. A bloody unicorn. Yet he didn’t feel the same way. Of course not.

I loved the way Sebastian was with Lily, even when I wanted to shake him for his hard headedness when it came to anything between them. Though, the more the layers get peeled back from him, the more you understand his fierce avoidance of anything beyond a friendship. I also loved Lily’s quiet and unassuming strength. She isn’t shy about putting Sebastian in his place and I loved the way she understood him and his behavior more than he understood himself.

They definitely had their moments when I wanted to shake them both to see reason, but I did love the way they find their way to each other. It was a delicious slow burn full of emotion and angst and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I also loved the way that Lily stood up for herself with her sister, because she had moments where I wanted to shake her too. Though I cannot wait to see the man that is January’s perfect match.

If you’re looking for a swoon, steamy, and highly emotional friends to lovers romance, this one will check every box. The series is now a favorite and I cannot wait for more!

Samantha Young is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. She’s been nominated for several Goodreads Choice Awards. Samantha writes adult contemporary and paranormal romance, YA urban fantasy and YA contemporary fiction and is currently published in 31 countries.

She resides in Scotland.

 

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Review: Tenderfoot by Kristen Ashley

June 17, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

TENDERFOOT
Series: Avenging Angels #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Kristen Ashley
Release Date: June 17, 2025

Harlow O’Neill is waiting for Javier Montoya to make his move. She has it bad for the gorgeous new investigator at Nightingale Investigations and Security. She’s sure he knows it. She’s also sure he’s just as into her.

And she’s read the Rock Chick books. She knows how those Hottie Squad men are supposed to win their women.

Javi is just not trying to win her.

Then one evening Harlow is undercover on a mission for the Avenging Angels, and Javi blows her cover. She’s not happy about it. They share words and some of the ones Javi uses aren’t all that great.

Harlow retreats. Javi goes on the advance.

And the man Harlow was investigating winds up dead.

The Angels go all in to discover what’s happening with a dating app scam that ended up with a dead guy. The Nightingale men aren’t fans of the women wading in on such a dangerous case, and they’re doing something about it.

It’s a race between the Angels and the Hottie Squad as to who’s going to solve the mystery.

While all of that happens, Javi’s not taking any chances with Harlow’s safety. He moves her into his place and Harlow learns firsthand what it means to be in the romantic crosshairs of a member of the Hottie Squad…and the heartbreaking reasons why Javi kept her at arm’s length.

AMAZON

His gaze grew intent on me, so much so, I felt like I’d suddenly been engulfed in an inferno. “I want you so fucking much,” he growled.


Oh the way this book hit the spot for me. Heck, it hit spots I didn’t even know I had. I binge read it in a giddy fever and swear to you, if I was in a position to kick my feet as I did it, I would have.

Now Rock Chick Regret is one of my all time favorite Rock Chick books. If you haven’t met Hector OMG Chavez, you haven’t lived. And dare I say I now have a favorite from the Rock Chick spin off with Javier “Javi” Montoya. This man was everything. All the ovary tingling things. ALL OF THEM.

This isn’t a date. I’m getting mine.” Register guy started ringing me up.
“Mine’s with hers,” Javi repeated. “And I’m paying.”
Register guy looked to Javi. Javi pushed me out of his way, pulling out his wallet. “I can get my own dinner,” I told him.
He looked down at me. “I know you can. That doesn’t mean you are.”
“Okay then, I don’t want you to buy my dinner,” I returned.
Javi switched his attention to register guy. “She’s full of it because we’re fighting. This is a date and I’m buying her dinner.”

Do you SEE what I mean? THE SWOON.

Now if you’ve read this series then you’re already in love with this girl gang and I don’t have to convince you of their awesome. And if you haven’t, then you need to get on this immediately.

Harlow was impossible not to love with her sweet and caring nature and penchant for self soothing with Taylor Swift. She’s been lusting after Javier for as long as she’s known him, but he never gave signs that he wants to go there. And then he epically puts his foot in his mouth with his assumption of Harlow being the quintessential rich girl who is essentially slumming it with her friends. And while Harlow definitely comes from money, she still yearns for the one thing she never had; love and acceptance. I loved all of her vulnerable layers. But what I loved the most was the way that Javi immediately realized his mistake and pursues her relentlessly. And you don’t know woo until you read a KA alpha woo his woman. SWOON.

Now I gotta work to fix it, and I’m gonna do that, mi pequeña Lolita. I promise.”

Of course it wouldn’t be this series without the fun suspense subplot that runs parallel to the romance and I loved the way that both of those things seamlessly wove into the other.

This is the kind of romance book that made me fall in love with KA’s writing to begin with and it was pure nostalgia. I loved these two together so much. The story was emotional and the characters multilayered. My heart absolutely broke for Javi and everything he survived to be the man that he is. And I hope we continue some more development with that in the future books. I don’t want to spoil it and say with what, but you’ll see what I mean when you read it.

The romance was sheer perfection. No extra drama, no third act breakup. Just a man who gives his all for a woman who deserves it all. And mad oh man did I gobble it up. 

For more information on Kristen Ashley, visit: https://www.kristenashley.net/

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Review: Nemesis by S. Massery

June 5, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

NEMESIS
Series: Sterling Falls Rogues #1
Genre: Dark Romance
Author: S. Massery 
Release Date: June 5, 2025

A new darkness is seeping into Sterling Falls, and I’ve drawn its ire.

When a masked stranger declares he wants our ruin—mine, my brother’s, the whole town’s—I hope he’s bluffing.

A series of escalating events later, and it’s clear the threat is very present.
It’s not only present, but it drags up old nightmares from my past.

To keep my beloved city safe, I need to find this masked man and eliminate the threat.

I can’t do it on my own, but the three men poised to help are the ones I am almost certain I can’t trust.

Kade Laurent, the elusive and thrilling newcomer, leverages Olympus to get close to me.

Reese Avery, a ghost from my past, brings with him the trauma I’ve tried to bury. But he says he’s here to make amends…

Saint Hart, the partner of my dead best friend, and I will never get along. Especially since I’ve been tasked with keeping him alive. At least, I was convinced we were going to be mortal enemies forever—until we hate-screw in my kitchen…

Now things are all messed up, and I don’t know who I can rely on.

All I want is peace, but with danger climbing around me, it seems I’m destined for the opposite.

AMAZON 

You drive me insane. You’re…a glowing beacon in the dark, and I just want to smother you.”

Sometimes you finish a book, and other times the book finishes you. And this was most definitely the latter for me. I don’t know what I want to do first; beg and plead with the author for the next book, yell and rage over that ending, or send her my therapy bill. I’ll go with all of the above for a $100, Alex. Because OH MY GOD.

As a predominantly dark romance reader, truly good dark romance comes harder and harder to come by for me. One, because I’m a picky and moody sh*t. But also, because I find a lot of it to be full of gratuitous violence and shock value. But this book? This is what truly good, incredibly well written dark romance is about. That pit in your stomach feeling of dread and anxiety over turning the page because you have no idea what awaits you. The twists, the turns, all of it had me in such a choke hold that I couldn’t bring myself to put this book down for even a second.

I did myself a disservice by not reading the Sterling Falls series first, which this is a spinoff. Which I will be rectifying immediately. However, as this is also a brand new series, I had no issues keeping up.

The story is dark and I mean DARK, so definitely heed the trigger warnings because the story doesn’t mess around. Artemis’s story is full of trauma and true dark underbelly of humanity. She’s a survivor through and through and it was impossible not to fall in love with her take charge attitude. As the twin sister of the MMC in the Sterling Falls series, you’ll see the connection when you read it but I won’t spoil it for you.

This book is told mostly in Artemis’s POV with a few snippets into Saint, Reese and Kade. I love the way that the romantic element is paced to introduce each MMC in this story and what an introduction it was. Saint; her brother’s friend who lost the love of his life and still reeling from the loss, Preston; the blast from the past of the hell that Artemis survived, and Kade; the mysterious newcomer.

The romance is a s low build and I loved the way it developed. We only get a taste for it here and the hate/lust between Saint and Artemis was deliciously tantalizing. Reese is very much a mystery and Kade is a dark enigma that I couldn’t get enough of.

This was the edge of your seat kind of story that keeps you on bated breath and a razor’s edge without letting up. And just when you think you have some answers, you get hit in the head by a two by four that was the cliffhanger and are left absolutely reeling.

When I tell you that I am absolutely RABID for the next book, I am not even slightly exaggerating. I need answers desperately and will be rocking myself in a dark corner until the next release.

S. Massery:

S. Massery is a dark romance author who loves injecting a good dose of suspense into her stories. She lives in Western Massachusetts with her dog, Alice.

Before adventuring into the world of writing, she went to college in Boston and held a wide variety of jobs–including working on a dude ranch in Wyoming (a personal highlight). She has a love affair with coffee and chocolate. When S. Massery isn’t writing, she can be found devouring books, playing outside with her dog, or trying to make people smile.

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Review: Rush The Edge by SJ Sylvis

June 4, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

RUSH THE EDGE
Series: Blue Devils Hockey #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: S.J. Sylvis
Release Date: May 22, 2025

A brother’s best friend, enemies-to-lovers, hockey romance by Amazon Top 50 and USA Today bestselling author, S.J. Sylvis.

I never would have moved to Chicago, if I had known he would be there.

Moving to a brand new city to share an apartment with my older brother was bad enough.

Becoming neighbors with Kane Barlow, my brother’s arrogant pro-hockey-playing best friend, was just the cherry on top of the dumpster fire my life has become.

Did I mention that Kane is also the guy I had a secret fling with years ago?

I haven’t seen him since and let’s just say his icy glares and frigid demeanor are reason enough for me to get my own place.

Little does he know, I’m in Chicago for a reason that has nothing to do with him. So what if his snide remarks and attempts to get under my skin are wildly entertaining? I came here for stability – not distractions, and definitely not the kind with infuriating smirks.

But the more we clash, the more the tension between us shifts. His icy glares turn into heated glances, and our aversion to being around each other quickly morphs into secret trysts and spicy moments we swore we didn’t want.

The line between love and hate is razor-thin – and this time, we’re both rushing towards the edge.

AMAZON 

She was the girl I was never supposed to look at, let alone touch. Except, I did, and I haven’t been the same since.

Know what I love more than a second chance romance? A second chance romance written by SJ Sylvis. I knew I would fall for Kane the second he made an appearance as the hothead secondary character in Play the Game. Then we got a peak into layers in Skate the Line but nothing compares to being in his head and finally understanding what makes him tick.

Kane fell fast and hard for his best friend’s sister, Daisy, back when they were teenagers. But then she broke his heart and he’s spent years trying to erase his feelings. When suddenly the blast from his past is not only back in his life but living with her brother who just so happens to be Kane’s neighbor, he quickly finds out that feelings, though tainted by anger and resentment, are still there.

God, I’ve missed you.” Such a bitter truth.
“No you haven’t,” she says quietly.
“I have,” I argue. “But I hate myself for it.”

The push and pull between these two almost drove me to the brink. I loved it as much as I wanted to shake them both in parts. Kane and Daisy are equally stubborn so obviously each gives as good as they get. The chemistry was sizzling and the slow burn definitely notched it up a point. But when they finally give in? INCENDIARY! I also loved the way he would take care of Daisy, especially after he learns about her condition.

Addiction comes in all forms, and mine is her.

My only quibble is that I wish Kane got a bit more closure with his mom but it was still satisfying so I can’t complain much.

If you’re looking for a deliciously dirty hockey player who still pines the girl he never got over, a friends to lovers to enemies back to lovers, and lots of sizzle in between, definitely check this one out.

S.J. Sylvis is an Amazon top 50 and USA Today bestselling author who is best known for her new adult romances. She currently resides in Arizona with her husband, two small kiddos, and pets! She is obsessed with coffee, becomes easily attached to fictional characters, and spends most of her evenings buried in a book! 

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Review: Beautiful Venom by Rina Kent

June 3, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

 

BEAUTIFUL VENOM
Series: Vipers #1
Author: Rina Kent
Genre: Dark Romance
Release Date: May 27, 2025

From New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Rina Kent comes a sizzling dark hockey romance set in a new glamorous secret world.

In a den of vipers, revenge is the deadliest venom.

They shattered my world; now, I’ll bring down theirs.
The problem? I have virtually no way to trace the puppet master.
My only lead: The Vipers.
An elite college hockey team that rules the ice—and the shadows beyond it.
To infiltrate their secret society, I set my sights on their weakest link.
Kane Davenport.
The charismatic captain and the lone green flag in a nest of serpents.
But too late, I realize I’ve enticed the most venomous snake.
Kane’s friendly façade hides a predator more dangerous than I imagined.
He quickly unveils the monster lurking beneath the surface.
A monster who lured me in only to trap me in a lethal game with no escape.


This book marks the beginning of a new chapter in the #Rinaverse. No other book should be read before this.

AMAZON

You’re a little rebellious wildflower that thinks it can survive anywhere. But guess what? I’m your winter, Dahlia. No flower can survive winter. Not even wildflowers.”


Oh how I’ve been waiting for this one! The anticipation, the finger licking anticipation I tell ya! And it was worth every second of the wait. Because Kane Davenport was the feral level of unhinged that I was immediately obsessed with. And Dahlia Thorne was the perfect ying to his uber possessive yang which I was so here for.

The Vipers introduces a set of all new characters that I’m super excited for. And if you’ve read Kiss the Villain, then you’ll definitely appreciate the crossover here. If you haven’t read that book yet, no worries, because this is the start of a new series. However, you may appreciate it that much more if you’ve met Kane’s uncle in that book. But I digress.

If you’re into the secret society trope like me, this is pure trope candy. Kane, along with his two best friends and fellow hockey teammates are all founding members of the Vendor society. A society that Dahlia recognizes by their rings. Dahlia is on a mission revenge and Kane and the Vencor society are her only in for answers to what happened to her foster sister. She’s willing to do whatever it takes to get into their space, even sign a deal with the devil.

You really should’ve run away while you had the chance. Welcome to hell, Dahlia.”

Kane Davenport is next level unhinged with a splash of sadistic tendencies and a taste for the type of brutality that most women run from. But to both of their surprise, Dahlia gets off on his brand of pain. These two were absolutely feral together. I loved that as hard as Kane pushes, Dahlia pushes right back. This girl has a backbone, even if it does land her in every crosshair she can find in the process.

The story was absolutely addictive and as much as I loved Kane and Dahlia, I was desperate for more insight into Kane’s two best friends; Jude and Preston. You just know their books will be good, especially when you find out who their books are with. But I won’t spoil that for you.

This gave me the perfect hit of Rinaverse I was craving while still leaving me desperate for more. The ending and the epilogues were perfect with giving us just the right amount of answers while still leaving some unanswered for the next book. And I for one am desperately anticipating Jude’s book after the preview in this one.

If you’re a fan of dark romance with hockey and secret society and an absolutely UNHINGED and uber possessive MMC, look no further! Welcome to your next addiction!

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Review: When She Unravels by Gabrielle Sands

June 2, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

 

WHEN SHE UNRAVELS
Series: The Fallen #1
Author: Gabrielle Sands
Genre: Dark Mafia Romance
Release Date: August 30, 2022

He’s the most powerful man in Ibiza, and he’ll do anything to make me his.

I’ve been raised to be the perfect mafia wife, but when my marriage turns into a horrific nightmare, I have no choice but to leave everything behind and start a new life.

I find myself alone in Ibiza—a place that swallows innocent girls like me alive. I’m robbed the day I arrive, left with nothing but a few euros and the clothes on my back.

My desperation leads me right to Damiano De Rossi. He rules over this island with an iron fist and beneath his strikingly handsome face lies a wicked darkness. I ask him for a job. He gives me far more than that—degradation, jealousy, and toe-curling lust.

When my resistance to him is all but gone, a secret is revealed, and we fall apart like a house of cards.

I know what I have to do. Run.

But when I try, I discover…he’s already got me bound.

Note: When She Unravels is an 18+ dark mafia romance with mature themes, profanity, and plenty of steam. It’s book one in The Fallen series but can be read as a standalone.

AMAZON

You’re a pig.”
He stands up and steps into my space. “No, I’m a wolf. And you’re a sheep that wandered into the wrong pasture.”

When I read Be With Me earlier last week, I was immediately kicking myself for not finding this author sooner. To say that I was hooked was an understatement. I immediately had to find and start her backlist. And when I tell you that I binge read this book in one night, I mean I BINGE read it. As someone who is constantly on the hunt for a good dark mafia romance, they get harder and harder to find. But I hit the jackpot with this author who is now an absolute auto buy for me.

Now if the blurb alone isn’t delicious enough to hook you, I’m not sure that we’re reading the same blurb. Because GAH.

Damiano and Valentina were absolutely sizzling together. Valentina is mafia princess who finds herself married to a monster due to a marriage contract set up by her don father. But when pushed too far, she escapes and finds herself hiding in Ibiza. With nothing to her name and in hiding and unable to use her real name, Valentina needs a job. And a popular nightclub seems to be the perfect solution. Unfortunately the nightclub is owned by a man who is as infuriating as he is handsome.

The push and pull between these two was absolutely delicious. I love their antagonistic start. But Damiano is not who he appears to be and when Vale realizes that she just walked into the lion’s den, she has nowhere left to run.

I thought I loved the first half of this book but it was nothing compared to the second half. I devoured it and couldn’t bring myself to set it down for even a minute. I loved these characters. I loved this story. And if you’re a fan of dark mafia romance like me, prepare yourself for your new addiction because this series IS IT.

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DGRFave & Review: Be With Me by Gabrielle Sands

May 14, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

BE WITH ME
Series: House of Ferraro #1
Author: Gabrielle Sands
Genre: Mafia Romance
Release Date: May 14, 2025

She’s the mayor-to-be’s perfect daughter. He’s the ruthless villain set to ruin her.I’ve spent my life putting others first. So when my father runs for New York City mayor—on a promise to take down the city’s most notorious crime family—I do what I always push my own dreams aside to help him win.

Until I wind up at the wrong party. Trapped in a bedroom with Romolo Ferraro—the dangerous, merciless youngest son of the man my father has sworn to destroy.

He terrifies me. He fascinates me. Six foot four and covered in tattoos, he’s everything I should avoid.

When he starts pursuing me, I know I’m just a pawn in his game. A means to an end. And yet… part of me wants to play along.

I tell myself it’s to protect my father’s campaign. But I’m not thinking about politics when Romolo’s rough hands slide over my skin, teaching me how good it feels to burn.

They say good girls don’t fall for the villain.

But maybe, I’m tired of being good.

~

Be With Me is book 1 in House of Ferraro, a series of interconnected standalones following the Ferraro brothers, where dark and sensual romance plays out against a backdrop of family secrets and mafia intrigue.

AMAZON

Mia Morales had infected my black heart with a virus that compelled me to do right by her. Fuck knows if I’d ever recover./i>

First of all, how is this my first Gabrielle Sands book and what rock have I been living under? An immediate binge on her backlist is incoming because I have been sleeping on this author and now kicking myself. My fellow mafia romance lovers, if you haven’t yet discovered Gabrielle Sands, you need to crawl out from under that rock right along with me. When I tell you that I binge read this book in one sitting, I mean I was GLUED to the pages from cover to cover.

I excelled at many things, but there was one thing I discovered a long time ago I was particularly good at—destroying people’s lives. Sometimes, I barely even had to try./i>

If you love a Romeo and Juliet vibe with a good girl/bad boy trope thrown in, prepare yourself because OH MY GOD. And if you love a good tortured antihero, then really prepare yourself because Romolo was IT.

Romolo is the Ferraro brother who gets sent in to get information no matter the cost; whether it be his fists, his manipulation, or something else entirely. And he’s damn good at it. Mia’s father poses a threat to his family because his entire campaign trail is on the platform of bringing organized crime down with a focus specifically on the Ferraro. And what better in than his daughter? But what he doesn’t anticipate is the sizzling connection between the two of them.

What exactly are you proposing?”
“Simple. You. Me. A sturdy bed with a headboard, and a box of condoms. Remember how you said I hadn’t earned you moaning my name? Let me fucking earn it.”/i>

Mia is the epitome of good girl with her savior complex when it comes to her friends and her agreeable nature at any cost when it comes to her father. While at first I thought these qualities would annoy me (because usually they would), they were somehow endearing with her. She just wanted love and a part of me really connected with that.

But what I loved even more is her unwilling attraction to Rom, no matter how hard she tried to fight it. Their chemistry was absolutely incendiary and I couldn’t get enough of them.

It’s eleven. If we leave now, you’ll be screaming it by midnight,” he said roughly./i>

As a huge mafia romance fan, I am so excited to find a new to me author to obsess over.

I read it obsessively and still find myself thinking about it days after finishing. It was everything I love in a mafia romance; gritty, action packed, and with just the right amount of steam. The story was addictive and the romance was sizzling. I’m completely obsessed and can’t recommend it enough for all my fellow mafia romance lovers out there!

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Review: Heartless Game by Jo Brenner

May 13, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

HEARTLESS GAME
Series: Kings of Reina University #2
Author: Jo Brennar
Genre: Dark Romance
Release Date: April 27, 2025

The hottest hockey player at Reina U has dark plans for me.

Everyone on campus loves Isaac Jones. The gorgeous, dimple-cheeked charmer can do no wrong in the public’s eyes.

But they don’t know what I do.

I know the truth about his violent past. Exposing his real identity and his family’s crimes won’t just help me graduate with a journalism degree—it will save my mother’s life.

When Isaac discovers I’m writing an article that will ruin his hockey dreams and destroy his family, he’ll do anything to bury it—unleashing his deepest, darkest, most depraved desires on me.

Twisted battles in the locker room.
Wickedness on the ice.
Cruelty to keep my mouth shut.

The worst part? I’m starting to fall for him, even as I fight back.

And I’m not sure who will win our heartless game.

Heartless Game is a standalone romance in the Kings of Reina University series, and can be read independently of the others. It contains several dark themes that some readers may be sensitive to. For more information, please visit the author’s website at jobrenner dot com.

AMAZON

When I was done with Tovah Lewis, she’d be nothing more than a broken shell. And I’d be free, no longer haunted by her face, her voice, her goddamned scent.


After first discovering Jo Brenner with Brutal Game, I was itching to get my hands on Isaac and Tovah’s book. If you know me then you know that I love a spicy dark romance full of trigger warnings and a walking red flag of an MMC. And this certainly delivered on that. Isaac may seem like the more down to earth guy of the bunch compared to Jack, but boy did he give Jack a run for his money. This man was toxic with a capital T, jealous, possessive, and with a penchant for the kinky stuff. So of course I loved him.

Tovah, while I enjoyed her character, never fully clicked for me. I can’t put my finger on what it was exactly, but she frustrated me more often than not. And while I loved that she gave as good as she got, I also found that she gave in too easily to Isaac at times where I wanted her to make him crawl for some of the stunts that he pulls. One in particular was so bad that I fully expected Tovah to make him GROVEL. And while she did push back, it wasn’t as much as I would have expected.

The story itself was suspenseful and I loved the mysterious connection that these two share, unbeknownst to Isaac. You spend a good chunk of the book waiting for that other shoe to drop, because you just know that it will be GOOD. There were parts of the writing that did feel repetitive at times. I lost track for the amount of times that Isaac’s inner monster is referenced. And while the depth of his darkness was written well, the receptiveness of the “monster” just felt unnecessary.

As someone that enjoys a good push and pull, I didn’t mind Isaac’s hot and cold behavior towards Tovah. Though I will say that it also felt a bit much with the three times it happened. I felt that two would have more than sufficed. But as it is, I can’t say I minded it too much because it was still entertaining.

The spice was spicing and as a reader that thoroughly enjoys dub con in books, this one hit all the spots. I loved Isaac’s brand of psycho. These two were as toxic as they get, and this reader devoured it greedily. The story did begin to drag a bit towards the end, but I still devoured it in two days.

If you’re looking for a deliciously spicy dark hockey romance, you need to check this series out. Can’t wait for the next installment!

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Review: Just Say Yes by Lena Hendrix

May 12, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

JUST SAY YES
Series: The Kings #5
Author: Lena Hendrix
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Small Town
Release Date: April 25, 2025

Getting tangled up with an Olympic rugby player seems like the perfect way to forget about how my life is falling apart. Until I discover he’s my ex-boyfriend’s best friend.

Logan Brown walked into my small town with a charming grin and mischief in his eyes. He’s a world-class flirt and his confident masculinity is almost as distracting as those rugby thighs.

Given my inexperienced history, I’m no match for our undeniable chemistry. I vow to keep him at arm’s length. But with Logan, every lingering stare—every forbidden touch—awakens something inside of me I thought I had buried for good.

We both know we shouldn’t cross that line, but I have spent my entire life being a good girl, and suddenly I’m tempted to be very, very bad.

Especially when Logan tells me to just say yes.

AMAZON

It hit me like a punch to the gut that I wanted to be the only one who ever got to see her like this.

Save a horse, ride a mustached professional rugby player. Or, you know, however that saying goes. Just be prepared to fall and fall hard for the greenest flag that is Logan Brown. And I couldn’t imagine a better match for MJ. Oh the swoon of it all.

You can take from me whatever you want.” My cock. My heart. Fuck, I would have given MJ anything she asked for in that moment.

I have been waiting for MJ’s story and while my expectations were already high, her story still blew them away. I loved the journey to her HEA and it honestly couldn’t have been with a better man than Logan.

When I tell you that this had the cutest and funniest meet cute, I mean it was EVERYTHING. The sparks were instant and Logan definitely manages to step into it with MJ when they first meet. Nothing better than a man who can easily admit when he’s wrong and not afraid to apologize. And I loved the way that Logan pursued her.

MJ is still working through the broken pieces left behind the damage of her ex. But man oh man did I love how Logan showed her what a real man is supposed to treat a woman like. He’s a gentleman in the streets and a beast in the sheets, and I loved him HARD. I also loved the way he handled every challenge, including the surprising connection they find of Logan being the best friend of the ex that put MJ through the wringer.

The book deals with some heavy themes and I loved the way that Lena wrote it with her signature humor without taking away from the darker themes. I loved the growth that both of the characters go through and I loved their journey to a much deserved HEA. A big rec to all my small town romance lovers out there!

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Review: His Dark Vendetta by Katelyn Brehm

May 1, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

HIS DARK VENDETTA
Series: Bonded in Blood #2
Author: Katelyn Brehm
Genre: PNR
Release Date: May 1, 2025

SIOBHÁN

Once upon a time, I thought he’d be my happily ever after. Now, I’m not sure I’ll survive his dark vendetta.

I’ll never be safe. My found family is as dangerous as the one I escaped. I need to run, but Luca Moretti has other plans. My family murdered his father, and he wants me to pay the price.

Kidnapped and trapped by the man I wanted as a lover but is now my enemy, I wait for him to break me like he broke my heart.

We’re a modern-day Romeo and Juliet. Except in our version, Romeo tries to kill Juliet.

LUCA

Desire. Obsession. Revenge. The end of my blood feud is within reach. And it starts with her.

The New England dons granted their blessing—if I play by the rules, vengeance is mine. One life for my father’s.

But blood demons need Sources, and as a capo, I need to earn. Even with the feds breathing down my neck.

Each day I dodge bullets and the law, she chips away at my walls until there’s nothing left but the truth. An unwanted truth that shatters my resolve to break Siobhán Connelly and instead make her mine.

******

HIS DARK VENDETTA is the second book in the Bonded in Blood series. Each book is an interconnected standalone Paranormal Mafia Romance with a guaranteed HEA.

AMAZON

I’ve spent my whole life trying to get away from this world, and you keep running to it.”

If you haven’t started this series yet, this is your sign. If you like mafia and pnr, and you like your romance spicy, this is definitely your sign.

While this is a standalone in an interconnected series, I highly recommend reading in order. You will get a much better appreciation of the backstory of Luca and the betrayal that costs him everything. This book starts out in the aftermath of that, and if you haven’t read the previous book, you may not fully appreciate the redemption arc that takes place here.

I love the unique spin of vampires with the blood demons of this series. But I especially love the combination of dark mafia with spicy paranormal. Luca is a made man who has lived and breathed his revenge for years. He’s made mistakes that have cost him everything, including almost his life. And now, his vendetta is just a breath away. And the woman he once was drawn to is his ultimate Judas. Or so he thinks anyway.

I love a Romeo and Juliet vibe, and this brought it in spades. Luca and Siobhan are meant to be enemies. After all, Siobhan’s family is behind the death of Luca’s father. So what’s a man to do? Kidnap the woman he once lusted after with every intention to kill her, obviously.

This was such a wild and quick paced ride. I loved the warring families dynamic and I loved Luca’s redemption arc. The romance was romancing and I loved the slow burn of it.

If you’re looking for a unique PNR read, definitely check this out.

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