APRIL 7 Releases
Romance Book Blog
APRIL 7 Releases
Advertising guru Olivia Masterson is all work and no play. But on the eve of earning her dream promotion, her best friend dares her to drop her ice queen façade for one night and seduce a sexy stranger.
Olivia’s worked her ass off to get where she is—why the hell not?Cole Bennett never thought he’d run into his feisty one-night stand at the office, furious that he stole her promotion. No matter how hard she tries to ice him out, they can’t seem to keep their hands to themselves…or their clothes on.
Olivia’s talented—maybe even more than Cole—so when his dropped hints to the boss net her a promotion of her own, he’s ready to celebrate…until she accuses him of fueling office rumors that she slept her way to the top. She wants to earn her own way? Fine. So what the hell does a guy have to do to permanently melt an ice queen?
I kind of hate you sometimes.”
“If that’s code for ‘I want to fuck you until I can’t walk straight’, then I kind of hate you, too.”
If you’re looking for a light and easy read with a super sexy office romance, looks like you’ve found your next book. What a fantastic debut novel from Jennifer Bonds. I never know what I’m going into with a new to me author, but in the case here I was very pleasantly surprised.
Advertising guru Olivia Masterson is all work and no play.
Ain’t that the truth. The woman is as straitlaced as they come. The previous pageant queen has spent her entire career proving her worth and that it’s not her looks that got her the job. She lives and breathes her job. Known in the office as the ice queen, she doesn’t have time for the distractions of the male variety. But a girl’s got needs. So when her best friend issues her a dare to sleep with a stranger from the bar, she decides to go for it. Specifically since the super sexy stranger at the bar has been eyeing her.
Cole Bennett is back in New York for a new job. But when a blonde beauty that he’s had his eyes on approaches him with an enticing offer, who is he to resist? He’s only a man.
When I see something I want, I find a way to make it mine. And I’ll be damned if I’m going to share.
Unfortunately, what starts and supposed to end as just a sizzling one night stand, turns into something more. When Olivia sneaks out of Cole’s hotel room at night only to bump into him at her office the next day, she’s shocked. She’s even more shocked when she realizes that he also got the promotion that she’s been fighting to prove herself for months for. Now they have fireworks between them of the not so sexual variety. But that’s not to say that the super hot chemistry they seem to share disappears. If anything it just burns even hotter.
A fucking dare, huh?
Sweetheart, it may have started that way, but in case you haven’t noticed, we can’t be in the same room without ripping each other’s clothes off, so why keep fighting it?”
Jennifer Bonds certainly knows how to write one smoking hot sex scenes. Cole and Olivia definitely burn up the pages together. They have this hate-lust thing going on and it’s absolutely delicious.
Olivia is sassy and even a bit of a ball-buster, which I liked. She definitely gives as good as she gets. Though at certain parts I found her to be a little exasperating with how hard she was on Cole.
This was a quick and steamy afternoon read that I highly enjoyed. The ending was a little cheesetastic, but fitting for the story. I’m definitely looking forward to more from this author.
For fans of J Lynn, Jodi Ellen Malpas and Sylvia Day comes Yours Completely, an all-consuming, raw and powerful love story . ..
Lana Case knows what it feels like to be tossed aside – first by her family and then by the man she naively believed was her true love. But when Jack leaves, reconfirming that she isn’t worthy of love, her world shatters. The last person Lana thought to find refuge in is an adrenaline-junky firefighter, let alone Jack’s best friend. Yet Callum Malone’s easy-going, playboy persona is just what she needs.
When Lana finds herself the target of a stalker who isn’t going away, Callum not only welcomes her into his home, but also into his bed. Unable to deny the chemistry between them, Lana gives in and after a night of fiery passion discovers what it finally feels like to not only be cherished – but safe. Lana and Callum are falling fast, knowing they’re both far out of their depth. And then Jack returns to claim the woman he left behind . . .
Addictive and unforgettable, Lana’s story will seduce, surprise and stay with you. A brand new romance by the #1 Bestselling author of Break Me Slowly, the Reign series is an emotional roller coaster you’ll want to keep riding forever.
What do you see when you look at me?”
“I see my next mistake.”
Wow. I’m honestly shocked at how incredibly much I enjoyed this book. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the previous book too. But something about this one managed to suck me in so completely, I read the entire thing in one sitting. Let me address one major key point here first: I am NOT a reader that likes love triangles. They send me into a stabby and ragey mess that takes me weeks to wade through. I don’t touch them with a ten foot pole. If love triangles were a vagina, I wouldn’t fuck it with someone else’s dick. Are you seeing what I’m getting at here? I don’t do them. Period. Unless they’re written like they are here. Would I categorize this as a love triangle? Yes and no. Are there two love interests for the heroine? Yes. Are they both present in her life at the same time? No. And you know what, I think that’s what I loved. Miss Ryan allowed the reader to truly get to know each man, Jack and Callum, individually in their own books without relationship crossover and angst. She made you feel exactly what Lana is feeling for each man and understand the depths of it, without making it feel one is getting the short end of the stick. These two men were two halves of a whole and such complex characters, that you can’t help but be drawn to both of them in their own right.
In the previous book Lana Case fell fast and hard for the mysterious and enigmatic Jack. When Jack leaves her after finding out the full depth of her history with her father and stepbrother, she’s devastated. He leaves her picking up the pieces of her hear, unsure whether she’ll ever be able to piece herself together. The last man that she expects to come back into her life is the sexy firefighter and Jack’s best friend, Callum, who she shared one intense kiss with in the previous book.
I know Jack hurt you, and yes, he’s my best friend. I know what’s ahead of me when it comes to you, and it’s not going to be easy. If you want to hide, I can’t help with that or allow it. But if you want to run? Fight? Feel something? That’s my department all day long.”
While the book is told entirely in Lana’s POV, you can see through her eyes exactly what Cal wants and feels.
You want a place to hide? That was Jack. And you’re right. He’s gone. But I’m the place you can run to. I’m also the one you run from…So go ahead and run, Kitten. But don’t think I won’t catch you.”
Cal is so different from Jack and yet the same. He may not have that all encompassing intensity to him, he definitely has a few demons of his own. He’s a man that has no desire for anything longer than a night with a woman, and yet he’s enraptured by Lana. He doesn’t try to take Jack’s place and he doesn’t want her to move on; he knows she never will. Jack had too much of her heart. But he does want her to move. He wants her to move to him, he’ll help her pick up the pieces. All he wants in return is the place Lana still has in her heart.
I loved how natural the progression of their relationship and feelings for each other went. You never feel like Lana is trying to replace Jack with Cal. Nor do you get the feeling that Cal is some sort of substitute. They may be best friends, but they’re also very different men. Cal is by no means anything less than alpha, but his corners are slightly smoother than Jack. He’s calmer. But that certainly doesn’t mean the man is any less intense in the bedroom.
I kissed him, soft and slow, so contradictory to the way he was taking me. Fast and hard and completely.
I spent the entire book waiting for that other shoe to drop, because you just know that Callum is keeping something from Lana. There’s also the continued threat from Lana’s psychotic step-brother. As much as I hated her father in the first book, I loathed him in this one. The added element of suspense with whoever is trying to hurt Lana only made for a more interesting read. The romance between Cal and Lana was center stage at all times though…
…I was falling hard for the man that seemed to have a way with picking me up and carrying me when I needed him the most.”
Then came that damn cliffhanger. Holy mother of GAH but does this author know how to leave you begging for more. Holy shit!
I am absolutely dying to see how everything resolves in the 3rd book. If you haven’t read this amazing author yet, you need to give this a try. I’m completely sucked in!
National and international bestselling author Joya Ryan is the author of the Shattered Series (Break Me Slowly, Possess Me Slowly and Capture Me Slowly), the Sweet Torment Series (Breathe You In, Only You), and The Chasing Love Series (Chasing Trouble, Chasing Temptation, Chasing Desire).
Passionate about both cooking and dancing (despite not being too skilled at the latter), she loves spending time at home color coding things. She resides in California with her husband and her two sons. Visit Joya Ryan online
A fight he must win . . .
Piper Oliver knows she can’t trust him. They warned her that the tall, dark, and sexy black-ops soldier Jory Dean would try to win her over with his steel-gray eyes and deadly charm, but she won’t be conned by this man they call a traitor. All she has to do is figure out the science necessary to save his life, and she’s done. Something isn’t adding up, though, and she won’t rest until she uncovers the truth-even if it’s buried in his deep, dangerous kiss.
A passion she can’t resist . . .
Jory will do anything to reunite with and save his brothers-even kidnap the gorgeous woman who’s working to deactivate the deadly chip in their spines. But the forces determined to destroy his family won’t let them go so easily. Keeping Piper alive is more than he bargained for-and so is his burning desire for her. But with every second bringing him closer to certain death, can he afford to lose himself in her hot and willing embrace?
If she screamed, they were screwed.
Jory pivoted and put her against the wall, covering her mouth with his before she could let out a sound.
Warmth and woman. An electric shock flared his entire nervous system alive. Soft and sweet, she breathed in as he pressed against her. He’d meant to subdue her, to throw her off balance, but shock ricocheted through him.
Need compelled him. He shot both hands into her hair, tilting her head so he could go deeper. So fucking deep he could get lost.
The second he tasted her, all cinnamon and woman, hunger slaked him. Devastating in its intensity, a demand he couldn’t deny. Her smooth, velvety lips softened under his, and for once, he lost himself.
Strands of her silky hair caressed his hands as he held her jaw, nearly lifting her up to meet his mouth. There was nothing but getting . . . more.
She stilled against him, her mouth parting. He swept his tongue against hers, taking in a primitive claim too powerful to deny.
Her gasp mingled with his low groan. She pressed harder against him, her mouth curving under his, and he forgot . . .everything. Who he was, where they were, the fire and danger. Only the woman against him, warm and willing, sweet and sexy, filled his mind.
He clasped her tight, forgetting any gentleness. Any seduction, any mission. Only this woman and this moment mattered. Letting go of himself, he allowed the creature inside, the one so rarely let loose, to take over. To push deep, to demand more. To take.
And give everything.
His mouth overtook hers, memorizing every groove, every small nuance. His free hand gripped her butt, hauling her up against his steel-hard erection. Heat from her core nearly dropped him to his knees. Pain and sparking pleasure flared along his skin, and he deepened the kiss, tightening his hold.
He needed to get inside her. Now.
A siren trilled on the lower street, and he jerked his head free.
Danger.
She blinked, her eyes the green of a rain-filled meadow. Desire burned there, hot and bright. Somehow sweet.
Possessiveness gripped him with a chokehold. One kiss. One kiss and she’d changed him. He had to get her out of the parking lot before guns fired again.
That quickly, realization crossed her face. Then shock, as she tried to take a step back. Her hands rose and shoved against his chest.
Denial gripped him to be quickly quashed with cold, hard training. So he grabbed her wrists and hauled her closer, his face lowering to hers. He wiped away any expression and shoved down all emotion. “Those men don’t care who they shoot. They’re scrambling and might kill you—or innocent bystanders.” He spoke low, commanding.
She blinked, her mouth opening but no sound coming out.
“If you fight me, they’ll find us, and they might shoot. Collateral damage doesn’t mean a thing to them.”
She shook her head and looked around.
He pulled her closer and lowered his voice to pure, no‑bullshit command. “We’re getting in that four-door Jeep, and we’re leaving here quietly. Your only choice is alert or unconscious? Decide now.” He let conviction ring in his tone. If he believed he could knock her out, then she’d believe it, too.
No fucking way could he knock her out. Scaring her held little appeal, but he didn’t have a choice if they were to both live through the night.
She quickly nodded. Gulping air, she relaxed her body as two teenagers giggled while walking by.
He knew full well she agreed to keep bystanders safe and not because the kiss had changed anything for her. She had no reason to trust him, and she’d never really know him. Why that pierced his chest with the cleanness of a sharpened dagger, he’d figure out later. For now, they had to run.
There was a demand in the way he touched her, in the way he kissed. One she should run the hell away from, if she had any sense of self-preservation. The sexy soldier wanted everything she had to give, and she knew better.
It’s been almost a year since I finished Blind Faith and not once in my months of waiting has my anticipation for this book even slightly diminished. If anything, with every month I came closer to finally getting my hands on Jory’s story I just got more and more excited. So with anticipation like that, a girl builds up some high hopes that would be practically impossible to live up to, right? Well, maybe if you’re anyone BUT Rebecca Zanetti it may have been. But she managed to finish off the series with a hell of a punch that will only leave you begging for more. In short, I loved it!
What are you doing?”
“Picking up your challenge.” Smooth as silk, his lips brushed her cheek. “Didn’t you think I would?”
“No…I, ah, didn’t.”
“That was your first mistake.” His voice rumbled so close to her ear, the tenor vibrated just under her skin. Oddly, soft, and intriguingly gentle.
“Wh-What was my second?”
“I’m hoping you make that soon.”
Jory Dean is the youngest Dean brother that has been thought dead by his brothers after they saw a video of him being shot in the chest. Although almost two years have passed, even when his brothers were fighting for their own lives, they never forgot him or stop digging into the events that led up to his death. This all came to a head in the last book where finally a video surfaced that show the possibility that the shots that went through Jory’s chest may not have been fatal.
Unbeknownst to his 3 brothers, Jory spent the last 2 years in a coma inside the very military facility that they had escaped from all those years ago. Back in the evil grasp of the commander, Jory spends his days locked in a cell while a beautiful computer hacker attempts to save his life by accessing the kill chip that’s embedded in his spine that has been damaged in his shooting.
Piper Oliver is a talented young hacker. Working for a facility that she believes does good, she’s attempting to do the job she’s been hired for while a man with gray eyes and an intense presence seems to steal her every thought. It soon becomes clear that everything that Piper had once believed may not quite be as black and white as she thought. The enemy that she believes she’s fighting against may just be her only ally and the one person she believed had her best interest at heart just may be the biggest threat to her life.
All intelligence and masculinity rolled up into an explosive package.
The possibility of that explosion, of that detonation, had been hinted in him since the beginning.
She knew, without a doubt, that was the exact characteristic of his that attracted her. She wanted to detonate with him.
God help them both.
Total Surrender was an explosive, action-packed and super sexy final installment in the series. Piper and Jory burned up the pages together. What starts as the bantering between two enemies soon begins to turn into something so much more. When Jory provides Piper with more and more proof that he’s telling the truth, Piper knows that she has no other choice but to help the man that she’s slowly but surely finds herself falling for.
A week with a Dean brother is like a year with anybody else. You know. With the shooting, the espionage, the fighting for their lives.
I loved the reunion between the brothers that has been 4 books in the making. There was not one dull moment in the entire book. It was an entertaining, non-stop ride from beginning to end.
I loved getting more of the other 3 couples from the series. It was so great getting their own final pieces of HEA at the end of the book. Of course it’s not all cut and dry, and Miss Zanetti definitely leaves just enough room for a possible (or I’m hoping) spin-off. While she gives you just enough answers and conclusion to satisfy, she also gives you that much more question to whet your appetite for more. I really hope to see a spin-off series with secondary characters that were introduced here. I won’t tell you who, since it’ll spoil the experience, but let’s just say the set up is absolutely perfect.
While Total Surrender is perfectly written so you’d be able to enjoy it as a standalone, I’d highly recommend reading this series in order to truly appreciate the story and all the characters.
New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti has worked as an art curator, Senate aide, lawyer, college professor, and a hearing examiner – only to culminate it all in stories about Alpha males and the women who claim them. She is a member of RWA, has won awards for her works throughout the industry, and has a journalism degree with a poly sci emphasis from Pepperdine University as well as a Juris Doctorate from the University of Idaho.
Growing up amid the glorious backdrops and winter wonderlands of the Pacific Northwest has given Rebecca fantastic scenery and adventures to weave into her stories. She resides in the wild north with her husband, children, and extended family who inspire her every day-or at the very least give her plenty of characters to write about.
Just released from prison, Jase Hollister has a dark and twisted past. And now, he has only one goal: stay out of trouble. Strawberry Valley, Oklahoma, sounds like the perfect place for him and his two brothers-by-circumstance to settle down and live a nice, simple life. But model citizen isn’t exactly this rugged bachelor’s default setting—especially when it comes to a certain hot-blooded Southern beauty…
Brook Lynn Dillon has always been responsible. Not that it’s done her much good. The down-on-her-luck waitress is broke, single and fun-deprived. Until Jase comes along. He is dangerous, stunningly protective, breathtakingly sexy and as tempting as sin, and the passion sizzling between them is undeniable. But can it melt her resistance? After all, the right kind of trouble might be just what they both need.
Once wasn’t going to be enough. He realized that now. He wanted her countless times in countless ways. Underneath him. On top of him. Beside him…
Unfortunately the book managed to start off on the wrong foot with me. See I’m one of those ridiculously picky readers that when something bothers me enough in the very beginning, it will set the tone for the entire book. It’s terrible really, but something I can’t change. And the fact that when Brook Lynn first meets Jase is when she walks in on him as he’s getting dressed after sleeping with her sister?
I’m a big fan of the small town settings in books, and this was definitely no exception. Strawberry Valley had this really endearing quality to it that I really loved. Brook Lynn was also a fantastic heroine. She grew up in the small souther town, and it’s all she’s ever known. Having lost her parents at a young age and then a conman uncle leaving them broke and alone, she’s come to rely on herself. With a dream of one day owning the town’s small jewelry store, Brook Lynn works her butt off on two jobs, trying to support herself and her party loving sister. This brings me to another thing that didn’t quire work for me; Jessie Kay. I’m pretty sure I spent the majority of the book wanting to hit her in both ovaries. Her constant irresponsible behavior constantly leaves Brook Lynn paying the price, while she’s off either partying or sleeping with another man. It does give the reader a little insight later on about the why’s of her behavior, but it just wasn’t enough for me. That, along with her penchant for the word “dude” pretty much made me want to throttle her. The girl straight up drove me batty.
Now Jase was a character I was equal intrigued with and slightly put off (see my sleeping with the sister comment above). Intrigued, because this is clearly a tortured man. Having spent the last 9 years in prison because he also covered for his 2 best friends has left him with plenty of scars; externally and even more internal. He’s no longer the young boy that he went to prison as. He’s harder, more jaded, but he’s trying to move on. A gorgeous and bubbly blonde that tempts him beyond reason is the very last thing he needs.
Feel nothing. Want nothing. Need nothing.
But there’s just something about Brook Lynn that draws him in, and the chemistry between them soon proves too strong to resist.
As much as I loved Jase and Brook Lynn together, there was always something that nagged me about them too. There was the ghost of sister’s past. Then there was the annoying overuse of the “angel” endearment. But that aside I was really enjoying this book still. It had a little of Gena’s signature snark and humor, or what I’ve come to refer to as Gena-isms. Though at times you can definitely see a little of a mix between her contemporary and PNR voice. I doubt this is something most would spot unless you’ve read her other work. Or maybe I was just nitpicking since I was already starting on the wrong foot? I’m not sure. But I can’t say that it still wasn’t good.
What ultimately ruined it for me was the last 30%. Until then, I found the book to be moving at a fairly slow pace. It wasn’t boring by any means, but just slow. Then the last 30% you get one drama after another. First with [su_spoiler title=”Click to view spoiler” style=”fancy” icon=”chevron”]Jase’s ex girlfriend showing up together with the daughter he never knew.[/su_spoiler] Say what? Maybe it was just me, but I really felt the book could have done without that. It added nothing to the story for me. Then there was a whole different drama that actually fit the story. But the combination of the two in the last 30%? Meh. It just felt too much.
I thought Strawberry Valley had become my home,” he said. “But it’s you, You are my home, angel. You’re where I’ve put down roots.
I really wanted to love this book, but sadly it was just OK.
On a positive note, I absolutely loved Jase’s two best friends; West and Beck. Beck with his manwhorish ways and hilarious come-ons completely sucked me in. I can’t wait for his book, especially after getting that small peak into the heroine that will be bringing him to his knees. The polar opposites definitely have all the ingredients for an amazing read. I also really loved the broken and tortured West. As much as I want to read his book, I am a little afraid since it looks like he’s going to be with Jessie Kay. Hopefully the girl will do a 180 in the next book and manage to endear me to her, because that certainly didn’t happen in this book.
This was a light contemporary romance with quite a bit of steam, and quite a bit of cheese. While I could have done with less cheese and the last 30%, I’m definitely hooked on the series and can’t wait to see what the next book brings.
To Chuito the apartment was a self-imposed prison for a lifetime of sins. To Alaine, the girl next door, it was salvation from her overbearing, religious father.He was a devil.
She was an angel.Two people who should’ve never met, let alone become friends, but it’s not until they give into the dangerous passion that’s been simmering under the surface for five years that things go to hell.
On the outside, Chuito ‘The Slayer’ Garcia is on top of the world. He’s successful. He’s wealthy. He’s a champion MMA fighter surrounded by friends who support him, but they don’t know what he was before he came to Garnet.
A gangster.
A thief.
An addict.
A murderer.Now his past is churning up demons he can’t ignore. Chuito knows he needs to go back to Miami to end it, but there’s something holding him back, a single temptation he can’t resist before leaving.
Alaine.
She’s the one drug he can’t give up…even if it destroys them both.
“To me you’re coke. Fine. Smooth. Perfectly white. Very bad for me, but so fucking sexy I don’t give a shit. It’s worth going down for.” – Chuito Garcia
His destiny always found him no matter how much he ran from it. As sure as Chuito knew the next breath would have to enter his lungs whether he wanted it to or not, he knew that Alaine couldn’t be his forever.
This was THE best fighter romance I’ve read. Ever. To date.
This was Kele’s best book to date.
This is a book that will not only stay with me but it’s going straight to my re-read shelf along with my top 5 favorites.
Simply said, I loved the absolute FUCK out of this book.
I can’t tell you that I loved Chuito in the previous books because let’s be honest here, the man can be a true asshole to anyone that isn’t his closest friends or family. If you’ve read The Viper and saw how he treated Marcos’ girlfriend, you know what I’m talking about. But beneath the tattoos, the title belt, the reputation, and the rough gangster exterior is the heart of a protector. Chuito is a man that does everything fiercely; the way he lives, the way he fucks, and definitely the way he loves. He will do anything for his family. Even if it means selling his soul to the devil, or better yet the Italian mob, to protect his best friend and cousin.
Fate caught up with everyone eventually. Even the devil wasn’t immune to it.
The Slayer will take you back to the beginning and really give you the bones of Chuito’s story, and it is no light read. This is not a man that had an easy life. This is someone that got his first battle scars on the streets, running with a gang that’s only more dangerous when it’s crossed. But when he saw a way out, he took it. Unfortunately, the life had already fully sucked in his cousin and he was unable to help him then. The story line here mixed in with the events of Crossing the Line, and to truly appreciate this book, I would highly recommend reading that first.
Alaine is a ray of life that Chuito never expected to deserve or to give him the time of day. But when the beautiful young woman becomes his neighbor, the begin an incredibly strong friendship. Alaine has been in love with Chuito for as long as she’s known him. There isn’t a part of him that doesn’t call to every feminine part of her. Now let me tell you, watching the way that Chuito is with her will absolutely melt your heart. This is not a man that ever hides his feelings or leads her on. He’s not your typical manwhore that sleeps around to take his mind off of the one woman he doesn’t think he can have or deserves. He couldn’t be further from that. But that doesn’t mean that he gives into her. She’s too good for him, too pure. His past and his life can always catch up with him. His current situation with Tino isn’t exactly one he wants touching her either. So while he loves her, he knows he can never give her more than that.
I just love you. That’s it. Only love. Not sex. I can just love someone. Love is good. Sex is cruel.”
Their connection was something that absolutely drew you in. The chemistry between them is so palpable it’s electric. Their private dancing is just the icing on the cake.
Listen to the drums. That’s the part you listen to. Feel it.”
“I’m feeling it.”
No. Feel it like a heartbeat. Like life. You want it to be a love song, hear the sex in it. Hold me like I hold you.” He jerked her tighter against him as he said it, forcing her breasts to crush against his chest and her dress to ride higher up on her thighs. “Like you need me.”
God but I loved it.
This was not a love story of a few days or even weeks. This was a love story strengthened by friendship and grown through several years. This may just even be one of my most favorite couples I’ve read to date.
Chuito fights the connection between them for a long as he can. But inevitably, it proves to be too much, and when these two finally get together? Well, forget sparks, we’re talking about 4th of July fireworks here. I don’t remember the last time I read a book where the first sexual encounter actually gave me goosebums. With the books I’ve read, believe me when I say that this pervert has been desensitized to most of it. But boy did these two together get my heart pumping.
She clung to his shoulders and let him take her mouth the way he had taken her heart a long time ago- violently and without warning.
But it was so much more than just an incredible love story. At the heart of it, there’s Chuito’s past catching up with him and him fighting like hell to protect Alaine and his cousin from it. There was one scene in this book that was so incredibly gut wrenching to read, I actually had to set the book down for 5 minutes after reading it, just to calm myself.
Gangster tears weren’t ordinary tears. The cut had to be deeper than bone, a hurt that made motherfuckers unrepentant murderers. It ripped open souls and bled out humanity.
All of my favorite secondary characters from previous books made an appearance. And of course what would this series be without Tino and Nova. Now Tino, oh my darling Tino. I freaking love this man. The banter between him and everyone else was the comedic relief that was definitely necessary and oh so welcome.
You just told me you manspaced. You’re fucked up too.”
“It’s a common courtesy,” Tino went on. “No woman wants to suck on a hairy dick.”
But when if there’s one thing that Tino does even more fiercely than Chuito, it’s protecting his loved ones. And there is definitely one heart breaking choice that Tino makes in this book that you just know will haunt him all through his book and I can’t wait to see how that plays out.
I’m pretty sure that I highlighted over half this book. I just couldn’t stop myself. I loved it so hard.
I’m talking everything; the story, the romance, the angst, the heartache, EVERYTHING. As long as this book was (an it was LONG), I never wanted it to end.
This is a book and author that needs to be on everyone’s TBR list. I don’t care who you are, it’s impossible not to fall in love with this series or these characters. If this book doesn’t make you fall head over heels for Chuito and Alaine, then we haven’t been reading the same one. I’m that confident. Kele Moon is an incredibly talented author that continues to write books that are better and better than the last. All have her signature voice, but yet they’re different in the best of ways. No one book, character, or story of hers is the same. I can’t tell you how much I love that. This book will break your heart, it will melt it, and then it will piece it together, all in one breath stealing and captivating story. I simply cannot recommend it enough.
READING ORDER
A freckle faced, redhead born and raised in Hawaii, Kele Moon has always been a bit of a sore thumb and has come to enjoy the novelty of it. She thrives off pushing the envelope and finding ways to make the impossible work in her story telling. With a mad passion for romance, she adores the art of falling in love. The only rules she believes in is that, in love there are no rules and true love knows no bounds.
So obsessed is she with the beauty of romance and the novelty of creating it she’s lost in her own wonder world most of the time. Thankfully she married her own dark, handsome, brooding hero who had infinite patience for her airy ways and attempts to keep her grounded. When she leaves her keys in the refrigerator or her cell phone in the oven he’s usually there to save her from herself. The two of them now reside in Florida with their three beautiful children who make their lives both fun and challenging in equal parts–They wouldn’t have it any other way.
Let your hair down, Caroline, they said. It’ll be fun, they said.I know I’ve closed myself off in a major way in the past year, ever since “the incident” where I messed up my life completely. It’s past time I try to live again or just give up completely. But this is quite possibly the craziest thing I’ve ever done. In a last ditch effort to invigorate myself, I’m standing outside Oren Tenning’s bedroom, I just peeled off the sexiest pair of underwear I own, and my hand is already raised to knock.
My brother would disown me for doing anything with his best friend, and he’d probably kill Oren. But if I play my cards right, no one will ever know about this. Not even Ten.
Maybe after tonight, I’ll finally get over this stupid, irrational crush I hate having on the biggest jerk I’ve ever met. Or maybe I’ll just end up falling for him even harder. Maybe I’ll discover there’s so much more to my crude, carefree hunk than meets the eye.
So this is my Pathetic Loser’s confession: I am Oren Tenning, and I have fallen. Hard.
Didn’t he know that forbidding me only made me want to crowd in as close as I could until I was fucking INSIDE her?
My stupid, idiotic heart that had no sense of decency or self-preservation whatsoever. Seriously, what kind of heart fell for an annoying, obnoxious, loud-mouthed male-slut?
I can’t text him saying, ‘Your dick is now mine. Get it near any other woman, and I’ll physically remove it from you and keep it in a jar by my bedside.’ That would sound a bit creepy.”
“Actually, I was thinking it sounded A LOT creepy.
What the fuck have you done to me, Caroline?
Why couldn’t I stay away from you?” he demanded with another long, slow thrust. “Why can’t I get enough of you?” Thrust. “Why do I want to own every fucking piece of you?” Thrust.
Linda grew up on a dairy farm in the Midwest as the youngest of eight children. Now she lives in Kansas with her husband, daughter, and nine cuckoo clocks. Her life’s been blessed with lots of people to learn from and love. Writing’s always been a major part of her world, and she is so happy to finally share some of her stories with other romance lovers.
“Villains by Choice.”Betrayed. Melody is nowhere to be found, Liam is in jail, and the Callahan family is cracking, just as Avian Doers, the FBI Director and puppet master behind their downfall, planned.
But just because they’re down doesn’t mean they’re out. To fight back, Liam and Melody will have to put everything on the line. The kid gloves are coming off, and no one is getting out alive. Nothing will compare to the reign of terror that is about to envelope the entire country. First they were Ruthless, now they are pure Savages. The end is here, and no one is safe…
18+ Adults Only for violence and sex.
Don’t cross the mob and you get to live. How many more mafia movies does Robert De Niro have to be in before people get that?
Let me preface my review by saying that clearly I’m in the VAST minority with my opinion. Most of my friends absolutely loved this book. So please take what I say with a grain of salt and keep in mind that it’s just my opinion. While it may not have worked for me, it may just work for you.
I realize that I’m reading fiction and I’m reading for enjoyment. However, I’m also an extremely analytical reader that finds it next near to impossible to shut my brain off and I tend to be picky. If you can take this book for what it is, you’ll most likely enjoy it. As for me? I felt that it took me completely out of the realm of reality. It was way too OTT for my tastes. Additionally there were quite a few plot issues that clearly had not been properly researched. Having knowledge of these particular things, made them stand out to me like a freaking neon sign. I’m of a mind that if you’re going to be writing about a particular culture, government agency, etc, you need to know what you’re writing. Getting even the most minute detail wrong can take something great and shoot it into something not so great in the span of a second.
Now here’s the thing, I loved the first book. Like five starred loved it. While book 2 wasn’t quite as good for me, I was really anticipating this conclusion to this epic story. I couldn’t wait to dive back into the ruthless world of Mel and Liam, especially after that cliff hanger in The Untouchables.
I’m a romance reader at heart, and there’s nothing better for me than a dark and gritty one. BUT and this is a big but, the romance has to be the predominant part of the story. I have to be able to like the characters I’m reading about and sadly I fell completely out of love with Mel and Liam in this book. Clearly these characters are not heroes, or even anti-heroes. They’re the villains, and they’re cutthroat. But just because I know that they’re not the good guys and obviously are not going to do good things, doesn’t mean that I want front row seat to the show. I don’t want to read (in detail) about the torture and death of innocent victims at their hands (highlight to view spoiler)The cop’s mistress and wife, FBI agents (end spoiler)That was the beginning of the end for me. As soon as that happened, I was so bothered that I began to nitpick practically every other thing that I didn’t like.
What can I say?
I should have just DNF’d, but I wanted to see how it ended…so I pushed myself through.
“The FBI are the police of the United States! I am the head of the United States…
Fine. I won’t touch on the errors of ^^^ that. However, when said mafia comes to said president asking for EXTREMELY confidential list of undercover FBI agents, the president, no matter being the head of the United States does NOT have the power to get that information overnight. It doesn’t matter if he’s going to be going to the head of the FBI…
Then you have a ‘terrorist threat’ making a demand that the head of FBI and the president both stand down or else they’re going to (highlight to view spoiler) kill the undercover FBI agent they capture. Agent. As in one. (end spoiler)and the president says this?
I have congressmen, governors, the FBI, CIA, and Interpol turning to me for a plan!
Really? Where’s the NSA during this kerfuffle? How about Homeland Security? Or the fact that the president is not going to be the sole decision maker here.
Then there was the epilogue where we leave the realm of possibility so far, I felt I was in a different universe. (view spoiler)[Mel becomes governor and is on her way to running for presidency while Liam is the head of the Irish Mob. (hide spoiler)] I mean FFS. Really? Le sigh.
Maybe if the over abundance of gratuitous violence didn’t initially turn me off I could have looked past the rest of the issues I had, but it did and I couldn’t. I wouldn’t really categorize this as a romance, or at least it wasn’t for me. This was more suspense and thriller with a erotic sex scenes. But when it started getting so OTT, I quickly lost touch with the romantic aspect of this book (as in I couldn’t even remember it)
I told you all I’m a picky bitch.
Sadly, as much as I was looking forward to this book, it really didn’t work for me. While I enjoyed the first 30%, I had to push myself through to the end. It just wasn’t my cuppa. So many people loved it though, so please take my review for what it is: just one opinion. Read it yourself and form your own.
I remember nothing of my abduction two years ago. Sounds and scents trigger horrific flashes, but it’s all a blur except for one man with brilliant green eyes. When the tatted six foot two Adonis shows up at my door, my knowledge of the world is shattered.
Bound to the immortal Scar by an ancient spell, we are on the run. Because Balen is the hunted.And if he dies, so do I.
Balen: Scar
My code of honor was respected without question … until I consumed the blood of a vampire in exchange for a mortal woman’s freedom. The Scars want me imprisoned. The Wraiths want me dead. But the woman I can’t forget needs me. And I’ll risk everything to protect her.Even if it means killing her.Because in order for her to live—first she must die.Full-length novel. Come meet the Scars.
Scars: Immortal warriors with capabilities derived from the senses: Trackers, Sounders, Healers, Tasters, Visionaries, and the rare Reflectors. They each have what is known as an Ink, a tattoo that can be called to life.
There are three full-length prequels to TAKE (scars of the wraiths). This is book One.
All three prequels were previously published and have been re-written entirely and are now in multiple first person POVs.*Stygian was originally titled JUMP.
I’d fight for you, Danni. Right to the fuckin’ end. I’d never stop. No matter what shit was put up against us, I’d keep fighting.
This book was everything I love about PNR. Having read and loved Take, I was super excited to get my hands on more of the Scars. But where Take read more like a standalone and had the romance be the predominant element, Stygian had a lot more PNR elements that I couldn’t get enough of. Having read Take first, I couldn’t help thinking that I was missing a lot of the backbone of the story behind the Scars. Don’t get me wrong, there was plenty of back story and world building in that book. But it still took me a while to wrap my mind around everything. There was even a glossary of terms in the beginning. I really think that Nashoda should have began this series with this book, because it managed to do what Take couldn’t. It totally and completely sucked you into the world building element of the story. It truly fed you every bit of detail piece by piece where you’ll never feel lost (no glossary required). If anything, I’d recommend starting with this book first before you read Take, for no other reason than this book will absolutely hook you on this series.
Danni spent horrific days in captivity at the hands of a sadistic monster that got off on her pain, but she doesn’t remember it. Bits and pieces will randomly slam into her mind, but she can’t put them together. All she knows is that she was taken, and then she wasn’t. The nightmarish flashbacks torture her even more because she doesn’t know if they’re real or not.
But nothing haunts her more than a pair of captivating green eyes and the ruthlessly handsome face that’s attached to it. So much so, that she’s been obsessively painting the man for the two years after her captivity not knowing if he’s a memory or just a figment of her imagination.
Inside, I was a tornado of emotions- tearing, pushing and pulling in every direction. I couldn’t figure out what the hell was wrong with me.
Balen is a Scar that sold his soul to the devil in order to stop Danni’s pain. Having to watch her torture day in and day out while being completely powerless to help her ate away at him until finally he made a decision that would very well cost him his life. If the vampire blood he consumed won’t kill him, the Deaconry and The Wraiths will since it goes against their every rule. But he’d do it again if he had the choice. What he can’t seem to do now, is get the woman out of his mind. Inexplicably drawn to her, he gravitates to her like a magnet even though his presence is dangerous to them both.
I loved getting more history on The Scars here. You truly get a grasp for their world, especially with additional POVs with a few integral secondary characters. Adding additional POVs to a story on top of the MCs can be tricky, since sometimes they may just complicate things. Fortunately, Nashoda Rose pulls this off seamlessly. I really felt like the secondary POVs only added to the story without ever being confusing.
I absolutely LOVED Danni and Balen not only together but as individual characters. Danni has this tough shell, but inside there’s this incredibly endearing vulnerability to her. It was also such a refreshing change to get a hero like Balen. While he manages to have this air of ruthlessness to him, he’s so soft and caring with Danni. You can truly feel the connection between them, and not just on the sexual level. Though let me tell you, that sexual level was hot as hell!
I was completely enraptured with this story. It sucked me in from the very beginning and I couldn’t seem to put it down until the end. Between the romance for Danni and Balen, there was so much else going on.
My only quibble is that I couldn’t help but feel there was supposed to be a book before them, one for Anstice and Keir. There was a lot of reference to what happened between them, as well as what happened between Anstice and Balen. Now while it does get explained in more detail towards the end, I feel like maybe it should have been addressed earlier in the book.
Aside from that, there was really nothing else that I didn’t love. I was practically salivating for any and all additional details between Waleron and Delara. Man oh man does their story sound like it’s bound to be a juicy one. I was already captivated by them in this book and they were just secondary characters.
Stygian was action packed, steamy, and filled with intricate world building. Not many authors can pull of switching between contemporary and PNR, but Nashoda definitely pulls it off and pulls it off well. PNR is my first love, and to say that I’m picky about it would definitely be a gross understatement. While I wasn’t quite sold on the series after Take (I just loved that story as a whole), this one absolutely sealed the deal for me.
Then of course there was the teaser for Kilter’s book. Now if there’s anything that this author does extremely well, that’s write one hell of a sexy asshole. Kilter? Sweet baby jebus, I’m not even sure if my ovaries will survive him. But what a way to go! The set up for his book sounds absolutely amazing!
Nashoda is incapable of writing a book that I don’t completely devour, and this was no exception. If you’re a fan of steamy PNR, then you definitely don’t want to miss this book. I’d suggest starting with Stygian first and then reading Take. You’d enjoy it a heck of a lot more 😉