Review: Carnal Urges by J.T. Geissinger

June 30, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

CARNAL URGES
Series: Queens & Monsters #2
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Suspense
Author: J.T. Geissinger
Release Date: June 30, 2021

Carnal (adjective):
1) Relating to the pleasures of the body
2) Given to sensual indulgence
3) The man who kidnapped me

The devil has blue eyes, an Irish accent, and a hatred for me that runs deep.

He blames me for starting a war.
Consorting with his enemies.
Getting his men killed.

Though I’m innocent on all charges, he wants his pound of flesh.
With an eye on revenge, he makes me his captive.

But as we’ll both soon discover, there are more powerful urges than that for revenge.

 

When the devil meets his match but she’s his sworn enemy, that’s when the real war begins.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

AMAZON 

In a life full of unforgivable sins, sleeping with the enemy would be the absolute worst.

In case you were wondering, above is actual footage of me reading this book. BECAUSE OH MY HOLY BOOK CRACK. This was DELICIOUS.

Men say they love a strong woman, right up until they meet one.

The second Sloane appeared on the pages of Ruthless Creatures, I was instantly captivated. There’s just something about a strong, smart, fiercely independent woman that owns her sexuality and doesn’t feel bad about being one and done with men while leaving them all panting in her wake. And what I mean by that, is this woman was instantly my spirit animal. I loved her as a secondary character but I was nervous about her being the main one. Because it’s so easy to take a character like this and overdo it. Make her too much. But somehow, she was even better than I ever hoped.

I’m not the girl who gets butterflies. I’m not the girl who swoons or begs. I’m the one who moves on before things get complicated, who keeps moving on relentlessly without looking back, like a shark that has to keep swimming forward its whole life or it will die. I’m the one who doesn’t fall. Who doesn’t feel. Who doesn’t get attached.

And you may also remember Declan from Cruel Paradise. And if you haven’t read that series, you haven’t lived. Just sayin’. But I digress. Declan was the right hand man for the Irish mafia, and suddenly finds himself at the head of it in this book. He’s also the mortal enemy of Kage from Ruthless Creatures, who happens to be Sloane’s bestie’s new man. Complication, they has it. But I digress again.

This was enemies to lovers GOLD. Declan kidnaps Sloane and keeps her captive, only it doesn’t go as he planned considering the woman is opinionated, with a razor sharp tongue, and completely fearless. She challenges him at every turn and turns him on at every corner. Their banter was the thing mu bookish dreams were made of.

I’m probably going to die with only you for company. Can you blame me for being upset?” His eyes are narrowed, doubtful, arctic blue.
I throw my hands in the air. “I’m not invincible!”
“So that deal you made with the devil for the power to kill with run-on sentences didn’t include immortality?”

Y’all. When I tell you I lived for this banter, words can’t describe the level of goofy smile I had on my face reading it.

Now I liked book one, but also wanted more story and more tension and (whispers shamefully) less sex. What? Yes it happens even to me. But I digress again. This gave me the tension I had so needed. The buildup was fiery and delicious. And when these two finally collide? HOLY MOTHER!!!!! What’s the best thing you can imagine for a fiercely independent woman? Give her an uber dominant alpha with a penchant for kink. YES PLEASE.
I’ll bind you and blindfold you, probably gag you with my tie, too. And I’ll make you come, over and over. I’ll make you glad you let yourself submit. Are you ready?”


The steam, people! THE STEAM. I died for it. I loved Sloane slowly work her quirky charm on Declan almost as much as I loved his dominant side completely own her in bed.

In this moment, all I want is to let him run me over. To let him break me, savage me, tear me apart.

Carnal Urges was action packed, quick paced, filled with humor, banter to die for, and steam hot enough to set fire to your reader. When I tell you I died for this book, I mean I DIED FOR THIS BOOK. This was JT Geissinger in all of her amazing glory and I was so here for it. And the twist at the end? DIE. I DIE. Seriously. I need the next book like yesterday.

If you love a sizzling hot mafia romance with an uber alpha to die for and a sassy and strong willed heroine to challenge him at every turn, welcome to your next addiction. This book was all of the things! I cannot recommend it enough.

J.T. Geissinger is a bestselling author of emotionally charged romance and women’s fiction. Ranging from funny, feisty rom coms to intense, edgy suspense, her books have sold more than one million copies and been translated into several languages.

She is the recipient of the Prism Award for Best First Book, the Golden Quill Award for Best Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, and is a two-time finalist for the RITA® Award from the Romance Writers of America®. She has also been a finalist in the Booksellers’ Best, National Readers’ Choice, and Daphne du Maurier Awards.

Her first novel was published in 2012. Since then she’s written eighteen more novels. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, drinking wine, surfing the internet, and daydreaming about all the things she’s going to be when she grows up. She lives near the beach in Los Angeles with her husband and deaf/demented rescue kitty, Ginger.

Connect with J.T. Geissinger

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram |  Pinterest | GoodReads |  BookBub |  Join Geissinger’s Gang Reader Group |  Stay up to date by joining J.T.’s mailing list | Website 

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Review: Heartless by Gena Showalter

June 30, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

HEARTLESS
Series: Immortal Enemies #1
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Author: Gena Showalter
Release Date: June 29, 2021

Vengeance is irresistible…

Kaysar the Unhinged One, fae King of Midnight, can drive anyone to madness with his song. A ruthless warrior forged in hate, he lives to force his enemies to their knees.

He will stop at nothing to succeed—even abduct and seduce his foe’s beloved bride, ensuring his own child one day sits on the male’s throne.

Except, his prize escapes to the mortal realm before the first kiss, her heart transplanted into a mortal beauty with dangerous secrets…

Chantel “Cookie” Bardot is a professional gamer girl great at trash talking, bad at peopling. After a long awaited surgery, she begins to morph into a powerful fae princess.

Catapulted into a strange land ruled by a cruel but seductive villain, she must battle flesh and blood monsters and navigate royal intrigues.

But the true danger is Kaysar, whose every wicked touch tempts her beyond reason. Should she run…or descend into the darkness with him?

AMAZON 

He struck her as a man who murdered without hesitation, breaking a sweat or regretting his actions.

As someone who’s read Gena’s entire backlist, it’s safe for me to say that this woman can write the alphabet on a sheet of toilet paper and I’d read it. So while I’ve been ravenous for Hades’s book and more of her LoTu, I will still jump at everything else she writes. And a brand new series that’s titled Immortal Enemies? Yeah you bet your patootie I’ll be all over it. No one writes enemies to lovers banter quite like Showalter. Then you add into it her sassy, sharp tongued, and bad@ss heroines meet tortured and uber protective heroes and I’m putty. PUTTY I TELLS YA.

Maybe you should let me go now?” she said. She needed a moment to think without him nearby.
Another chuckle. “Does my proximity bother you, sweetling?”
“Yes,” she burst out. “And I’d prefer an endearment like Machete or Chops. Now be a good boy, and let me go.”

The one thing I’ve come to appreciate about Gena’s stories, is the world building. We get a new world with fae, goblins, centaurs, and seers and I was so here for it. None of it felt like a data dump. All of it felt incredibly vivid, enchanting, and completely addictive.

Kaysar the Unhinged One is certainly appropriately known through the kingdom. The man is practically deranged in his need for revenge. The only thing that drives him is bringing all of the pain and suffering to his enemies who stole everything precious from him when he was just a small boy.

Chantel “Cookie” Bardot is a quirky gamer with a best friend who’s in her 60s and a cat to keep her company. She also has a bad heart and is looking at certain death unless she gets a heart transplant. Now I won’t give you a summary here because you can get everything you need from the blurb. But the second Cookie gets thrust into the world of Kaysar, I was totally and completely invested.

The tension and the relationship building between these two was utterly delicious. Their banter is hilarious and with a vein of sexual tension that’s so good, that by the time they finally give into you, you feel like you may go into flames yourself. There’s nothing better than that build up and man, I loved it so much here. Cookie is a bit of a nut herself. A gamer, she’s a bloodthirsty little thing herself. And when she gets a taste for battle in her new world, she finds she rather likes it. I couldn’t picture a better half for Kaysar’s particular brand of crazy. I loved watching him falling for her in spite of himself and I loved watching Cookie come into her own. I was afraid that having Lulundria’s heart and some of her memories may eventually morph her into someone else, but really it just gave her a boost.

There’s so much build up here that I can’t wait to read next with some secondary characters. Like a certain Frostline prince that lost his loved bride only to lose her all over again when her heart goes into the body of a woman that falls for his mortal enemy. GAH. How epic does that sound? Because NEED.

I will never complain about a new series from the queen of PNR. So even though I’m pretty sure I would go crazy until I get Hades’s book soon, this new series certainly helps. An entire series based on the enemies to lovers vibes? YES MA’AM! BRING IT I say.

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Review: Lessons In Sin by Pam Godwin

June 29, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

LESSONS IN SIN
Genre: Taboo, Forbidden Romance
Author: Pam Godwin
Release Date: June 29, 2021

There’s no absolution for the things I’ve done.

But I found a way to control my impulses.

I became a priest.

As Father Magnus Falke, I suppress my cravings. As the headteacher of a Catholic boarding school, I’m never tempted by a student.

Until Tinsley Constantine.

The bratty princess challenges my rules and awakens my dark nature.

With each punishment I lash upon her, I want more. In my classroom, private rectory, and bent over my altar, I want all of her.

One touch risks everything I stand for.
My faith.
My redemption.
And even my life.

As if that could stop me. I need her pain, and her heart, and she needs my lessons in sin.

AMAZON | iBOOKS | NOOK | KOBO | GOOGLE PLAY 

Iron sheathed in suede, that voice belonged to a man who bent for no one. His sculpted lips lured victims to the altar with the promise of heavenly salvation before condemning them to eternal hell.

Age gap. Forbidden romance. Student/Teacher. Dirty Priest. I am in book heaven right now floating on endorphins so high, I don’t know if there’s moving on from this story.

Pam Godwin never ceases to amaze me with her talent of creating raw, riveting, and broken characters that I simply cannot get enough of. And a priest with a tortured past, seeking salvation of the collar within the walls of a school for the rich and broken…well it just doesn’t get much more delicious than that. Father Magnus was pure, sizzling energy. The second the man appears on the page, it crackles with electricity. I can’t even describe it to you, but this was one of the most enigmatic characters I’ve read from Pam. And having read her entire backlist, that’s saying something.

Now while there’s no doubt Pam can write the hell out of an alpha hero, what I’ve come to love most about her stories are her heroines. These are tough as nails women who are no simpering ingenues. And it’s not small feat to write an 18 year old virgin heroine but make her an old soul in an entirely believable way. Tinsley Constantine is the youngest daughter in the extravagantly rich Constantine family. She’s also the f*ck up. Turning her nose at tradition, she yearns for freedom to discover herself, but one act out too many lands her in the strict Catholic boarding school. What first starts as bratty behavior to get herself expelled, soon turns into something more when she lands in the crosshairs of Magnus.

For the next hour, I showed her how a sadist made a woman beg. I taught her my lessons in sin.

This is a slow burn. A deliciously painful slow burn full of chemistry and sexual tension. I fell instantly for Tinsley’s character. She’s wild, willful, but also incredibly smart and caring. She has no problem standing her ground and challenges Magnus as every turn. I also loved her loving nature.

The romance here is GAH. It was EVERYTHING. When I tell you that I devoured this from cover to cover in one sitting, I mean I couldn’t set it down for even a second. I though Pam created my favorite student teacher romance in Dark Notes, but man, this book owned me. I don’t know anyone else who can pull off a 20 year age gap with an 18 year old heroine like this.

Lessons in Sin was deliciously taboo, darkly erotic, sinful, and oh so addictive! This may be my favorite Godwin book to date.

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Pam Godwin, lives in the Midwest with her husband, their two children, and a foulmouthed parrot. When she ran away, she traveled fourteen countries across five continents, attended three universities, and married the vocalist of her favorite rock band.
Java, tobacco, and dark romance novels are her favorite indulgences, and might be considered more unhealthy than her aversion to sleeping, eating meat, and dolls with blinking eyes.
Facebook Reader Group: here
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Review: Treasured by Lexi Blake

June 22, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

TREASURED
Series: Masters & Mercenaries #22.5 / Sanctum Nights #11
Genre: BDSM, Contemporary Romance
Author: Lexi Blake
Release Date: June 22, 2021

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake comes a new story in her Masters and Mercenaries series…

David Hawthorne has a great life. His job as a professor at a prestigious Dallas college is everything he hoped for. Now that his brother is back from the Navy, life seems to be settling down. All he needs to do is finish the book he’s working on and his tenure will be assured. When he gets invited to interview a reclusive expert, he knows he’s gotten lucky. But being the stepson of Sean Taggart comes with its drawbacks, including an overprotective mom who sends a security detail to keep him safe. He doesn’t need a bodyguard, but when Tessa Santiago shows up on his doorstep, the idea of her giving him close cover doesn’t seem so bad.

Tessa has always excelled at most anything she tried, except romance. The whole relationship thing just didn’t work out for her. She’s not looking for love, and she’s certainly not looking for it with an academic who happens to be connected to her boss’s family. The last thing she wants is to escort an overly pampered pretentious man-child around South America to ensure he doesn’t get into trouble. Still, there’s something about David that calls to her. In addition to watching his back, she will have to avoid falling into the trap of soulful eyes and a deep voice that gets her heart racing.

But when the seemingly simple mission turns into a treacherous race for a hidden artifact, David and Tess know this assignment could cost them far more than their jobs. If they can overcome the odds, the lost treasure might not be their most valuable reward.

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

AMAZON 

You want me to call you ‘Sir’?”
“While that would be appropriate, what we have is special, so I think we’ll use a different, special, term.”
“David, I told you. This is just sex. Maybe we shouldn’t be so…”
“Professor,” he said, ignoring her outburst. “You will call me Professor when you’re submitting.”

This series can have a million books and I will never grow tired of it. Never.

Now while I love Lexi’s bad@ss mercenaries, there’s just something about a sexy nerd that just hits the spot. And David Hawthorne was everything I had hoped he’d be. Kyle is Sean’s stepson and the exact antithesis to his brother, Kyle. Kyle is the bad@ss protector with a tortured past, but David is the handsome professor with a secret kink for dominance. He’s the perfect gentleman with some hangups from his childhood that he still works through.

Tessa and he meet at a party and share an instant spark, but Tessa is gun shy after a failed engagement so she ghosts him when he tries to contact her after. Of course fate has other plans when Tessa is hired to be his bodyguard on a trip for a treasure hunt. Forced proximity at it’s best here.

Now admittedly, I wasn’t as interested in the treasure hunt and mystery around it. It was interesting but didn’t have me totally engrossed either. I loved the romance between David and Tessa. She never sees this quiet and charismatic man coming. He’s unassuming in a way but in such a way that he totally sneaks up on her. I loved watching their connection grow. I also love the addition of spending more time with Sean, and of course my favorite, Ian. Now I’m super looking forward to Kyle’s book next.

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Review: Bound To Her Fake Fiancé Boss by Hayson Manning

June 20, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

BOUND TO HER FAKE FIANCE BOSS
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Bound #2
Author: Hayson Manning
Release Date: February 28, 2021

Faking it never felt so real…

I’m a happy workaholic. She’s my sassy assistant. When I need a fake fiancée, she’s the perfect choice. What could go wrong in ten days…

I don’t do ‘I-do.’ Don’t believe in happy-ever-after. But to convince my grandmother I’m about to take the plunge, I must bring a “fiancée” to Montana. My heart might not be open, but my checkbook is. I agree to pay my sexy assistant, Asia Brown, to pose as my bride-to-be. She’s a level-headed professional who will get the job done. Or so I thought. When she openly flaunts my no-public-displays-of-affection rule, my grandmother’s not the only one convinced it’s the real deal. Every part of me from the neck down is totally sold.

When my broody billionaire boss offers me a six-figure bonus to pretend we’re engaged, I can’t refuse the opportunity to secure the funds to get my sister into rehab. And if there’s a little something left over to help me open my own dress shop, it’s a win-win. Determined to charm the grump out of him, I’m caught off-guard by how different Jason is away from spreadsheets and profit margins. And how real it feels when I’m in his arms.

When the stakes ramp up, can two opposites take a chance on love, or is faking it the only reality they have?

AMAZON 

I’m falling for my bossy, broody boss. What the hell have I done and become?

Office romance? CHECK
Grumpy, billionaire hero with a tortured past not looking for love? CHECK
Sassy, quirky heroine not afraid to speak her mind? CHECK
A swoon, sexy, feel good romance that had me turning the pages from beginning to end? CHECK AND CHECK

Now I’ll be the first to admit, reading the above summary makes the story sound a bit cliche, right? WRONG. You know when you have a story that can be like every other in the genre, but then there’s just a little magic to it that makes it different? Yep. This had it in spades. There was just this sizzle and spice to this that had me glued to the pages.

Jason Johnson is stone cold. He runs his business with an iron fist and doesn’t stop to count the casualties. Romance is the last thing he needs and his women never seem to make it past the 3 week mark with him even when they try.

Asia is his quirky assistant that somehow has made it where others have not and been tolerating his grumpy @ss. Though the paycheck certainly helps the crazy hours and lack of social life. She needs every dime she makes to get something her heart yearns for.

Jason doesn’t believe in love but needs to sell it to his grandmother who will sell his childhood home unless she sees him in a happy relationship. So what’s a man to do? Fake it and buy your secretary, of course.

What I absolutely loved about this story is the opposites attract vibe. Asia is vivacious and lovely and caring to Jason’s cold, unfeeling and brooding. Now in stories with a tortured hero who doesn’t believe in love, I really have to buy the why. And Jason’s past certainly did it. I understood why he was the way he was. I also loved watching him slowly but surely and unwittingly fall for his beautiful assistant.

The romance was sizzling and the story was addictive. And the grovel at the end? DELICIOUS!

If you’re looking for a marriage of convenience trope that will put a smile on your face from page one and keep it on there until the last one, READ THIS. And the set up for the rest of the brotherhood? GAH! SO GOOD. I love the friendship these men have and kept through the years that are full of dark secrets and pain. I NEED MORE!!

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Review: Break Up With Him, For Me by Whitney G.

June 19, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

BREAK UP WITH HIM, FOR ME
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Whitney G.
Release Date: May 31, 2021

Penelope, I know that it’s three o’clock in the morning, but I have to get this off my chest.

I can’t give you any more advice on landing this other guy, can’t tell you another “sexy” thing that you should do, or suggest a new set of filthy words that you should text him late at night.

As your best friend, I’ve reached my limit, and I can honestly say that he doesn’t deserve you.

I’m not saying all of this because I’m f-cking jealous, or because he had the audacity to say that he makes more money than me. (I still can’t find his name on the Forbes 500 list, and I know damn well that he’s renting that Ferrari, but that’s a story for a different day.)

He’s not who you think he is, and the better man has always been right in front of you…

You have every reason to never give me a chance since you know me better than anyone, and you agree with all the tabloids calling me “The Cocky King of New York,” and the “Untamed Playboy of Manhattan.” But I honestly believe that you’re better off with someone else, and I need you to see.

I’m not asking for too much…I just want you to break up with him, for me.

AMAZON

I have no idea what ‘this’ is, Hayden. When exactly would you need my help?”
“Tomorrow and every morning this week,” I said. “We ride at dawn.”
Silence. “Can you be honest with me?” He let out a long breath. “Is it cocaine or heroin?”

I’ve been desperately waiting for a full length romance from Whit for what feels like forever. As much as I love her steamy novellas, I wanted a bigger hit of her brand of banter and alphas. And I definitely got it with this book.

This was a slow burn, enemies to friends to lovers romance filled with hilarious banter that I couldn’t get enough of. Hayden is Penelope’s older brother’s best friend. When Pen’s parents pass and her brother chases his career dreams of being an MMA brother, Hayden becomes a bit of Penelope’s keeper. Unwittingly they shift from bantering enemies to unlikely friends. Hayden becoming almost like a crutch to Penelope at times. He’s becomes her relationship guru as she stumbles from one disastrous “relationship” to another.

Admittedly, I had a tough time connecting with Pen’s character. It feels like she barely has any growth from 17 to early twenties and remains the bumbling ingenue even boyfriend #15 later. It was frustrating to read. She used Hayden like a crutch more than a friend at times, and that was even more frustrating.

Hayden is the type of alpha I’ve come to crave from Whit. He’s a rich manwh*re whose sudden feelings for his best friend’s younger sister hits him like a two by four. I loved the build up between them, though I could have done with a bit less flashbacks. Those parts dragged a bit for me and were a bit of same old same old. I didn’t really care to know about any more breakups beyond the first two. I also didn’t care for the side plot with Simon. The way that it all resolved was odd and…unsatisfying. But my main quibble was Pen’s brother. I HATED him. SO HARD. I needed him to redeem himself at the end. Grovel. Beg for forgiveness. ANYTHING. But it was mostly glazed over.

All that aside, I did still enjoy this quite a bit. It was steamy and fun and full of banter. I don’t think I could dislike a Whitney G book. Not really. There’s just something about her books that no matter if I have quibbles or not, they’ll still leave me with a smile on my face. And this one certainly did the trick.

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Review: When Darkness Ends by Marni Mann

June 18, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

WHEN DARKNESS ENDS
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Moments In Boston #3
Author: Marni Mann
Release Date: May25, 2021

An all new angsty, dark, stand-alone Contemporary Romance in the Moments in Boston Series …

You never forget your first love … even when he becomes a memory.

There was before.
When we were together, when we were happy.
When we had nothing but dreams.
When not a single bad thing could ever happen because we were young and in love.

And there was after.
When the unthinkable occurs, how do you count time, knowing how precious it is?
When dreams turn to nightmares, how do you wake up every day and choose to go on?
When you have a chance to save another, how can you not?

Even if it changes everything.
Even if it destroys you.

A harrowing, heartbreaking dark contemporary romance from USA Today best-selling author Marni Mann, the third installment in the Moments in Boston series of stand-alones that explores the darkest nights and brightest dawns of the heart. A book that will leave you aching … and looking over your shoulder.

AMAZON | B&N | KOBO 

You never forget your first love … even when he becomes a memory

I struggled with my rating for weeks on this book. Did I like it? Did I not like it? Did I just dislike parts of it. How to I rate it to reflect my feelings on the story accurately. And ultimately, I’ll say that I love Marni’s writing but I just didn’t love this book.

I wanted to rate it a 3, but for me, a 3 is something that ultimately I still enjoyed in spite of the issues I had with the story. And while I was left a bit polarized upon finishing this, I struggled to find what stuck with me on a positive note.

The story is told in two parts of past and present. The past and first half of the story felt painfully slow and teeth rottingly sweet to me. I struggled to stay engaged and I struggled to connect to the characters. I skimmed chapter after chapter. The second part of the story is the polar opposite and read more like a thriller or suspense. I suppose what was lacking from me was a balance. We jump from super bright sunny story into an incredibly dark and depressing one. Now I love me a dark romance, but this didn’t feel dark to me. It felt depressing. It felt disjointed. It was also just too much. Not only do we get the story for the main characters here, but we get perspective on the events from When Ashes Fall in the hero’s pov. While I get the impact, it added nothing to the story here. It didn’t feel needed. Unless you read the first book, it didn’t quite hit the same way. It just felt like too much was happening. It could have been mentioned but didn’t need the super detailed retelling. I understood why the author may have wanted to include it, but it just distracted me from the main story that was happening.

Ultimately, I just failed to connect with both the story and the characters. I didn’t love it and while I can’t say I hated it, I also didn’t like it either. So that’s where the rating comes in. Will others enjoy it? absolutely. You can clearly see I’m the odd man out with my thoughts here. So this is just a case of its me, not you, as the book goes. Alas, you can’t love them all.

USA Today best-selling author Marni Mann knew she was going to be a writer since middle school. While other girls her age were daydreaming about teenage pop stars, Marni was fantasizing about penning her first novel. She crafts unique stories that weave together her love of darkness, mystery, passion, and human emotions. A New Englander at heart, she now lives in Sarasota, Florida, with her husband and their yellow Lab. When she’s not nose deep in her laptop, working on her next novel, she’s scouring for chocolate, sipping wine, traveling, or devouring fabulous books.

Connect with Marni

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Amazon | Bookbub | Website | Sign up for her newsletter 

 

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Review: Strict Confidence by Skye Warren

June 17, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

STRICT CONFIDENCE
Series: Rochester Trilogy #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Skye Warren
Release Date: June 15, 2021

Forbidden.
Commanding.
Mysterious.
Beau Rochester has an entire house full of secrets. And those secrets are putting Jane Mendoza in danger.

She fell in love with the one man she can’t have.

She should leave Maine to protect her heart, but the thread refuses to be severed.

The brooding Mr. Rochester and his grieving niece are more than her job.

They’re her new family.

She races against time to find answers and protect the people she loves.

The cliffside grows dark with the misdeeds of the past.

Her heart and her sanity fight a battle, but they are both at risk.

Will Mr. Rochester learn to trust Jane? And will that trust destroy her?


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He told me his love was dangerous. Maybe he was telling the truth. It doesn’t start fires. It doesn’t start wars. It breaks hearts. Mine feels shattered.

This trilogy is going to be the death of me, I swear. I don’t know how many more twists I can handle. And even though the twist in this installment was made somewhat obvious in my opinion, it was no lesser impact. Because you know it’s coming, you spend every page waiting for that other shoe to drop. And when it finally does, you get the mother of all cliffhangers. KILL MEH.

I’m so invested in this story, it’s ridiculous. Jane is also starting to grow on me quite a bit, though I will say her demure personality is not my preference as a reader. She’s not naive or sheltered, but she forgives too easily and I suppose I just wanted her to make the mercurial Beau work for it a little. Especially in his hot and cold, back and forth of I want you but I can’t have you so I must push you away state of mind.

That aside, I devoured this book. I think this was an even quicker paced read than the first installment. There’s still so many secrets left to unravel and I was glued to the pages desperate for any morsel that was disclosed. Beau, like any other Skye hero I’ve read, I can’t get enough of. He’s damaged, moody, fiercely protective, possessive, and sinfully sexy. I anxiously anticipate the conclusion especially after that doozy of a cliffhanger.

Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of dangerous romance such as the Endgame trilogy. 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, sweet dogs, and evil cat.

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Review: Smoke & Mirrors by Skye Jordan

June 16, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

SMOKE & MIRRORS
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Forged In Fire #2
Author: Skye Jordan
Release Date: May  31,  2021

Another sizzling firefighter romance from New York Times bestselling author Skye Jordan.

I’m taking a break from women. I’ve been lied to once too often, and I’m over it.


Then Isabel, my best friend’s little sister, blows into town without notice, bringing the past with her. Her secret past.

From the moment she crashes poker night and hustles the whole firehouse out of a couple hundred bucks, I know she’s not telling the truth about why she’s here.

Lies have influenced my entire life.

They’ve also torn my world apart too many times already.

But by the time the truth comes out, she’s tangled around my heart like barbed wire, and there’s no way out unscathed.

AMAZON 


I love me a sizzling firefighter romance and this one hit the spot just right.

Logan is the quintessential nice guy but he’s far from perfect. Years ago he was Isabel’s brother’s best friend and for one night they were something else entirely. But then Isabel left to chase her dreams and left everything behind. Their ties were tight back then. Isabel was also best friends with Logan’s younger sister. Until she left town and everyone else behind.

Now she’s back and she’s hiding something, including the illusion of her perfect life which took a turn somewhere while chasing her dreams in the concrete jungle of New York. Her stopover in the small town is temporary but it doesn’t take long for the chemistry that always brewed between her and Logan to rear its head and for her to start falling in love with the town and the new citizens that she didn’t know when she left as a teen.

While I totally understood Isabel’s issues from her past and everything she’s dealing with now, I have to say Logan frustrated me. Yes he has a history himself but his hangups were a bit extreme at times for what they were in my opinion. I was also beyond frustrated with Tucker and his immaturity though I am looking forward to seeing his inevitable fall an the playboy get his.

This was a sweet and steamy romance. While I loved the secondary characters, two in particular stole the show; the cussing parrot and the cute and trouble making puppy. Can’t wait for the next one in the series!

 

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Review: Mafia King by CD Reiss

June 15, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

MAFIA KING
Series: The DiLustro Arrangement #2
Genre: Dark, Mafia Romance
Author: CD Reiss
Release Date: June 15,  2021

Santino is my king.
My lover.
My husband.

 

He’s the head of the Cavallo crime family and the moment he choked my vows from me, my life was bound to his.

 

I’m done fighting my fate, until I hear two rumors, and I’m shaken to the core.

 

One rumor about the past—that I wasn’t the first bride Santino took.

 

Another about the future—a new bride is about to be taken.

 

Changing the old ways is like dousing the flames of hell with tears.

 

But I married the devil himself, and when I vowed to obey, I lied.

 

Book two of three in the The Dilustro Arrangement.

AMAZON

I hate him for letting me love him almost as much as I hate him for loving me.

Holy. Mother. Of. Cliffhangers!!! CD Reiss, you sadist! And the below is actual footage of me at the end of this book.
Where book one was a slower paced climb, this was roller coaster plummeting from the highest high to the lowest low, with my heart in my throat from beginning to finish. After the cliffhanger at the end of Mafia Bride, I wasn’t sure how I felt. The story could have taken a really rapid turn into my no bueno territory. But I should have known better than to doubt the brilliance that is CD Reiss. Because she took everything I thought I knew and understood and tilted it on its axis. Mind. Blown.

Violetta made my head spin. I loved her growth as a character. I loved seeing this almost child bride who was thrust into a world of strict tradition, hard men, and harder secrets. And I loved watching her glow and the way she slowly made her way into her own. I was also beyond frustrated with the way she forgets what world she’s in at times with her self-righteousness and unknowingly throw her and Santino into further danger. I wanted to slap a sense into this woman numerous times, not even going to lie.

Santino is everything I’ve come to love from Reiss’s alphas; he’s fiercely protective, borderline domineering, dominant, and with a filthy mouth you want to lick clean. Uhem. His dark secrets begin to unravel here, and when they come to light, it’s enough to leave your head spinning.

Every day I pray to God and the devil answers. You want me to rot in hell, but I don’t have to rot to know where my death will lead.”

The story is quick paced, and I spent the entire time waiting for the other shoe to drop. And when it did, my jaw dropped right along with it. MY GOD. That cliffhanger.

I’m desperate for book three. Absolutely desperate! If you’re looking for a dark and sizzling arranged marriage mafia romance, this is going to hit spots you didn’t even know you had.

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