Review & Author Interview: ☆Chained by Night☆ by @LarissaIone

 THE FUTURE OF HIS TRIBE

Leader of the vampire clan MoonBound, Hunter will do what he must to save his people from extinction—or worse, a torturous eternity as vampire slaves and subjects of human experimentation.To keep his enemies at bay, he has agreed to mate a rival clan leader’s daughter in return for peace between the clans and an ally in the looming war with the humans.THE LOVER OF HIS SOUL

But survival comes at a price. First, Hunter must break an ancient curse by successfully negotiating three deadly tests. Then he must resist the searing passions of the gorgeous vampire warrior he despises but is bound to mate. Will Hunter stay true to his word? Or will he risk everything for the woman he really loves: the vampire seductress’s identical twin sister?

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Review-DGR4.5 stars

Aylin had gotten under his skin, and for all his experience fighting enemies, he had no defense against a female whose strength humbled him, whose voice soothed him, and whose touch drove him wild.

This book just reminded me all over again why I’m such a big fan of Larissa Ione’s writing. If I had any doubts about this new series after finishing Bound by Night, I don’t have a doubt in sight after reading this. As a matter of fact, I’m hooked, line and sinker, and cannot wait for the next one.

Chained by Night is a sexy, action packed read that you are not going to want to miss out on.

If you’ve read any of Ione’s other series, then you know this one is a bit different, but in a very unique way. You get vampires but with a whole different Native American lore twist. While you can technically read this as a standalone, I’d highly recommend your start with book one as the story progresses throughout the series, and you really get a better grasp on the world building and the lore in Bound by Night.

As the clan chief of MoonBound and 2nd generation vampire, I just knew Hunter will be a force to be reckoned with…and he definitely was.

To keep his enemies at bay, he has agreed to mate a rival clan leader’s daughter in return for peace between the clans and an ally in the looming war with the humans. Too bad that the rival clan is ruthless, bloodthirsty, and his destined mate is one uber bitch, Rasha. But Rasha also happens to have an identical twin sister, that is the polar opposite of everything she is. Aylin is is sweet and caring, but also cursed. Born with a deformity and as the cursed second twin, the best her fate has to offer is a mating to a clan leader known for his brutality that far surpasses her own sadistic father.

She was an impossible combination of wary and unguarded, as if she didn’t trust others but wanted them to trust her. Her spirit seemed desperate to burst from her with an explosion of energy, but something was holding her back. She reminded him of a bird with clipped wings or a wolf on a chain, wanting to be free but unable to make it happen.

The one thing I truly love about Ione’s writing, is she can take even the most damaged heroine, but make her fierce in a perfectly understated way.

Hunter faces more than a mating he doesn’t desire to a woman that turns his blood cold. He also faces an ancient curse that can only be broken by facing a challenge of 3 tests that is also foreseen to cost him his life. Add to that his undeniable pull to his mate’s twin sister, and you got yourself some entertaining reading.

Screw the challenge and the danger and the demon.
He had a feeling that Aylin was the true menace to his future.

I found this book to be much quicker paced and more action packed than the previous one, and I devoured it in practically one sitting. The sexual chemistry and connection between Aylin and Hunter was practically palpable. I just couldn’t seem to put this book down. You really get to see Aylin grow into a fierce warrior and a force to be reckoned with of her own as the story progresses. The impending war between humans and vampires continues to progress with new discoveries and twists and turns.

I loved pretty much everything about this book, ESPECIALLY the parts with Myne. There are some revelations about his connection with Hunter here that I never saw coming. It completely blindsided me and I am absolutely dying to get my hands on his book (which luckily will be next.)

Chained by Night had it all; a fantastic heroine, a fierce, possessive, protective and sexy as hell hero, scorching sexual chemistry, fantastic world building, action and romance. What else could you possibly want? This was everything I love about PNR and I cannot wait for more from this series.


Author InterviewDGR: I am so excited to have one of my all time favorite PNR authors here today; Larissa Ione.  Having read practically her entire back list, I can safely tell you that this woman can write some of the most addicting series and swoon-worthy heroes. But I digress…
Welcome, Larissa, I’m so happy to have you here today!
 
LI: Thank you! I’m happy to be here!
DGR:  Can you tell the readers something about yourself…well…aside from the fact that you’re filled with awesome, of course J
LI: LOL – not sure about the awesome, but I do write books in an awesome genre! If your readers like paranormal romance that’s dark, gritty, and sexy, I might have just the series for them!
DGR:  Your MoonBound Clan Vampire series is very different from your other work, is there anything in particular that inspired you to create such a unique world where humans own vampires for slaves?
 
LI: As much as I love my Demonica and ACRO series (written as Sydney Croft with partner Stephanie Tyler,) those series are very fantastical. I wanted to write vampires, but with more of a contemporary feel that would appeal to a different audience. I also wanted to do something different with my vampires and give them a Native American background, something I share with them. Writing the MoonBound Clan Vampires gave me a chance to explore my Native American roots as well as explore a society that reflects both the worst – and the best – of humanity.
DGR: What is your favorite part about this particular series?
LI: I’d say that I love the underdog aspect – vampires, who SHOULD be the alpha predators on the planet, are outnumbered and outgunned by humans, but they’re starting to rally. What will it take for them to prevail? I can’t wait to see!
DGR: You gave the readers a little taste of Hunter, the leader of the vampire clan MoonBound, in the previous book, and his story sounds like it’s going to be AMAZING. Can you tell us a little more just to whet the appetite?
LI: Sure! Hunter will be faced with having to choose between duty and love. He’s fighting for his clan’s very existence and fighting battles on two fronts – with enemy clans and the humans. But he’s also going to be fighting for the female he loves…who happens to be the twin sister of the female he’s supposed to mate.
DGR:  If you could give us three words to describe this book, what would they be?
LI: Gritty, intense, sexy!
DGR:  Can you describe Hunter to us in a few words?
LI: Fairly laid-back, but deep inside he harbors is father’s monstrous DNA…something he battles with frequently. He’s honorable, fair, and leads by example. He also has a tendency to hold grudges…
DGR:  Will Myne be getting a book any time soon? I have to admit, I have a bit of a soft spot for him since he reminds me of Wraith from the Demonica series 🙂
LI: Myne is next! I can’t wait to get to work on his story. I LOVE writing him…just as I love writing Wraith!
DGR:  Any clues you can give about what you have planned next?
LI: I’m currently working on some Demonica novellas that will lead the way to a new spinoff Demonica series set 20 years in the future and focusing on the kids. I’ll also be working on Myne’s story, which will put us one step closer to dealing with the humans who have enslaved vampires for decades. Exciting times ahead!
DGR:  Anything else you’d like to leave the readers with?
LI: Just a HUGE thank you to everyone who has supported my work. Without my awesome readers, I wouldn’t be here. So…thank you!!!!

About the AuthorNew York Times and USA Today bestselling author Larissa Ione penned her first novel at the age of 13 and hasn’t stopped writing since. She has been a U.S. Air Force meteorologist, an EMT, and a professional dog trainer, and you never know when one of those interests will pop into her novels.She lives a nomadic existence with her U.S. Coast Guard husband and son, so her writing career has been a blessing — a job that moves easily.

She writes dark paranormal romance for Grand Central Publishing (formerly Warner Books,) and contemporary romance for Red Sage and Samhain. Under the pen name Sydney Croft, she writes erotic action adventure romance with partner Stephanie Tyler.

 

Review: ☆The Rules Regarding Gray☆ by @ElizabethFinn77

Gracelynn is drowning in an existence that fails to fulfill her. A ballerina by trade, she’s devoted her life to the stage, sacrificing adventure for discipline. When her boyfriend gives her permission to want what she’s not supposed to want, can she walk away? Or will she leap?Jasper isn’t a man with many boundaries, and “sharing” a woman with his best friend is hardly a new endeavor. But the moment he meets Gracelynn he realizes she’s different. She leaves him feeling alive in a way he’s not used to, and for the first time in his life, he understands what it means to be wanted… Cherished… And he needs more…

But there are rules—rules that forbid Jasper from truly having her. As forbidden desire spirals out of control, Jasper has to decide if he’s willing to fight for something that doesn’t truly belong to him. His best friend doesn’t deserve her, but is Jasper strong enough to believe he does?

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I want to do something I’m not supposed to do. I want to want something I’m not supposed to want. I want to make the mistake I’m not supposed to make.

I’ll be the first to admit that the second I even get a whiff of a love triangle in a book

So when I first read the blurb here, I was a little scared. I don’t do love triangles…well aside from a very few exceptions. And if you’re anything like me? You’ll want to read this book. While a love triangle is implied with the “sharing”, it’s not really one. Gray’s boyfriend is a douchebag of epic proportions from the very first page, so there’s never really any doubt about who to root for. It’s very clear they’re not meant to be together. Now usually my biggest pet peeve when 3 people are involved is the heroine dilly dallying with a decision; stringing one along because she just can’t make up her mind while having an angst fest with the other man. I didn’t find that to be the case here either. Grace was clear about what she’s going to do fairly quick, and I understood why it took her the time that it did…though not always liking it. There were a few certain circumstances that prevent her from cutting Ian loose right away, and while I wish it happened quicker, I didn’t mind the pacing of it.

Gracelynn is a prima ballerina that’s devoted her life to her career and making sure she lives her life on the straight and narrow; disciplined. She’s been dating Ian for a few months, and things seem to be going well…until he makes a proposal that changes everything.

I want you to fuck Jas.

Yes, Ian is nothing if not eloquent.
How does a girl turn a proposal like that down? Well, easily actually. Gray is obviously insulted by it at first, as is Jasper. But neither can deny their uncontrollable attraction to one another, even though Gray is nothing like Jasper’s usual type. Deciding to finally let go of her tightly held rules, Gray decides to take the risk if only to know what it may be like and to experience the undercurrent of passion that seems to run between her and Jas. But of course the ever eloquent Ian also has some rules.

You don’t touch her. Not her tits, not her face, certainly not her pussy. You keep your mouth off her and your fingers out of her. And she will not be sucking your cock either. I’m reserving every part of her for myself except for one very small, tight hole.

He’s a real peach, isn’t he? See what I mean about this not really a being a love triangle since you’ll pretty much want to jock punch him from the very first chapter?

After one night of forbidden pleasure, it soon becomes clear that there’s something beyond just lust between Gray and Jas. But their guilt of betraying Jasper’s best friend and Gray’s boyfriend, Ian, is a constant presence between them.

 Jasper truly stole the show for me with this book. He was such an incredibly endearing character, I just couldn’t get enough of him. I loved how Elizabeth portrayed him as a strong yet ultimately broken man, and allowed him to let his emotions through while keeping him as alpha as it gets.

Say yes.”
“Yes”, she breathed out.
“Say you understand exactly what we’re doing. No rules, Gray. That means I’m going to fuck you however the hell I want and tell your boyfriend to eat shit while I’m stretching that sweet pussy of yours.”

This was an erotic and emotional read that will tug at your heart strings and make you fall for Jasper just as hard as I did. Gray, while I can’t say was my favorite heroine, was still a great one. If you’re concerned there may be cheating, don’t be. Ian pretty much gives the the go ahead, though Jas and Gray do still suffer from a healthy amount of guilt about it. I understood Gray’s struggle even though I did wish she would become a little more assertive with Ian. I did love how supportive she was of Jasper and I absolutely loved the two of them together.

I guess real closeness comes when you find that person that can…break the hold your darkness sometimes has on you. They can liberate you.

My one complaint? The way that Gray and Jasper chose to “handle” Ian at the end. Their “revenge” read more like a juvenile prank more so than what two grown adults would decide to do. I would almost rather they did nothing than what they did. It felt a little random and a lot childish to me. But hey, that may just be me. I wanted to castrate Ian after the 2nd chapter, and I suppose that may have been a touch too excessive for this book LOL. I hope that Ian continues to be surrounded in pussy….really….

Of the furry and feline variety that is. Lawd but I hated him. I wasn’t sure who I hated more in this book, Ian or Jasper’s dad. Both were strong contenders for douchebag of the year. But I digress…

If you’re a fan of Elizabeth Finn, this is a book you’re not going to want to miss. It was emotional, erotic, at times a little painful to read, but ultimately a beautiful love story that began as a bit of forbidden fruit. I also adored the epilogue, the perfect way to end things with a glimpse into their future…

Blog Tour, Review & #Giveaway: #StealingHisheart by @DianeAlberts

This is the 2nd book in the Shillings Agency series. Be sure to check out the contest below and enter to win a paperback of TEMPORARILY YOURS (Shillings Agency #1) and a $20 gift card.
ShH_500

A sexy category romance from Entangled publishing’s Brazen imprint…

Shillings Agency employee Jake Forsythe is not happy to discover that the thief who he has to track down is none other than his ex-partner from his past. Now he’s forced to blackmail her into submission…or throw her in jail.

Tara Harris steals from the rich and corrupted, returning objects to their rightful owners one case at a time. When Jake shows up in her life, at first, she’s thrilled. But then when she finds out that she has to help the man she stole from or go to jail…it’s the choice between two evils.

These two can’t deny the burning passion between them, but when push comes to shove, they’ll have to lay their hearts and their lives on the line.

 

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Review
4 stars

I know you want me. Know you want to feel me moving inside of you, making you come so many times you lose count. I know you want me to dominate you. Take you. Fuck you. Own you.

Well slap my ass and fuck me sideways but Diane Alberts/Jen McLaughlin knows how to write one sinfully hot hero. Good lawd. You want a dominant hero with a filthy mouth then you NEED to meet Jake Forsythe. Did I also happen to mention the tats? Because that’s just the icing on top of the alpha cake here…

Jake is a security expert at Shillings Agency hired to lure a thief that managed to infiltrate a safe for one of the agency’s clients. There’s just one problem; the thief happens to be his childhood friend, almost lover, and constant temptation Tara Harris.

Get the code. Get rid of the girl. Simple.

Not quite, Jake. Not quite.

Tara is a thief. Hired by clients that are looking to reclaim their rightful property, she steals from the rich and corrupted. Call her a thief with a code of honor. The last person she expects to see while on a new op is her childhood friend and the man that almost took her virginity and then walked out of her life over eight years ago. And now he’s back…and blackmailing her into helping him. Combination for disaster or reigniting an old flame? How about a little of both?

Tara was sassy and smart mouthed, but I wished she made Jake work for things a little harder. Especially when he would royally fuck up (and boy did he), she let him off too easy in my opinion.

Jake is broody and domineering with a bit of kink thrown in.

When I fuck a woman, she needs to play by my rules. She needs to obey me. You’re not that woman.

Did I mention broody?

No one could have saved me because I didn’t need saving in the first place.”
“What about now?” she whispered.
“Now I’m beyond hope. Nothing can save me. Not even you.”

While I felt for him, I also felt like he was a straight up ass to Tara during the first half. Their first time? I wanted to jock punch him for how he handled it after.

While the dominating during sex was mostly hot, at times it didn’t quite work for me. The thing of it is, there’s a fine line between making a hero be dominant without having him be Dominant. You feel me? What I mean is, there’s a fine line of skating around the BDSM genre. I understand this is not a BDSM romance, but Jake had Dom-like kinks, sadly he didn’t quite come off as a Dom. More like a hot asshole with a control fetish. I felt that the lines were crossed for me a few times, and I really wasn’t a big fan of that.

He does soften up a little towards the second half…until his royal fuck up at the end. But no worries, because there’s also a verra nice grovel. The grovel most certainly won me over. Tara finally did what I wished she’d done more of throughout the rest of the book, she made him work for it. Hard.

But all that aside, let’s talk about Gordon (another character that was introduced here) for a hot second here. We have sexy, tattoos, mysterious and broken. Oh and when I stalked the author down she also said he’s a very very bad boy. Ummmm….SOLD! Cannot wait for his book.

About the Author
DianeA
Diane Alberts is a multi-published, bestselling contemporary romance author with Entangled Publishing. She also writes New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling new adult books under the name Jen McLaughlin. She’s hit the Top 100 lists on Amazon and Barnes and Noble numerous times with numerous titles. She was mentioned in Forbes alongside E. L. James as one of the breakout independent authors to dominate the bestselling lists. Diane is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.
Diane has always been a dreamer with a vivid imagination, but it wasn’t until 2011 that she put her pen where her brain was, and became a published author. Since receiving her first contract offer, she has yet to stop writing. Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal clear water. She lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her four kids, a husband, a schnauzer mutt, and a cat. Her goal is to write so many fantastic stories that even a non-romance reader will know her name.
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Review: ☆Chasing Trouble☆ by @JoyaRyanAuthor


Bad boys are the best kind of trouble… Kindergarten teacher Jenna Justice has lived her life by the book—right school, right career, right image. Too bad the townsfolk of Diamond, Kansas, have a hard time forgetting that she wasn’t born on the right side of the tracks. The only way J.J. can land her dream job is to keep her wild side buried and her reputation clean. But when she finds herself in another town, one without prying eyes, she allows herself one fantasy-filled night with her best friend’s bad boy brother.

Professional bull rider Colt McCade is grounded for the summer with an injury. After their sizzling night together, he finds himself wanting to pick up where he and the prim and not-so-proper Ms. Justice left off. Problem is, she isn’t interested in his idea of “healing,” which involves ice cubes and a whole lot of heavy breathing. But the closer he gets, the more he sees that his fast-and-loose reputation could cost her the job of her dreams. He wants to do the right thing, but walking away from her could cost him everything…

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Review

4.5 stars

Take me, Colt.”
“Anything you want, sugar. But you’re gonna have to hold on tight, because this rodeo is just getting started.”

OK Joya Ryan, fess up woman! Inquiring minds want to know; where have you been all my life and why am I only finding the awesome that is your writing now? Hmm? Fine, fine, likely that’s my fault but definitely one I am rectifying after this book by auto-buying every future book in this series. It’s that good. Seriously.

 Sign me up for some scandal please, every night, a few times a night. Because, ladies, let me tell you, Colt is one deliciously sexy bad boy bull rider. Lawd but the man did it for me. I’m talking down to the point of how he wore his ball cap and then flipped the bill backwards right before taking the heroine against the tree. I ask you, how HOT is that? Rhetorical question really, so moving on.

Jenna Justice or JJ has grown up with the weight of her mother’s reputation on her shoulders. Living in a small town has a way of putting a girl’s every move under a microscope, and being a kindergarten teacher puts her under even more scrutiny. So she lives her life on the straight and narrow, a proper, no scandal wanting girl. Too bad her best friend’s brother is a constant temptation, especially now that he’s back in town while healing from a rodeo injury.

He was her knight in a shiny pickup, and the feelings he stirrer went far beyond platonic.

Colt is not known as the Rodeo Romeo for nothing. He’s not exactly a relationship type, more of a one night of sweaty bodies between the sheets type. So color him surprised when the one woman that tempts him is also the one woman that is the exact opposite of what he usually wants. JJ is the forever type, and he just doesn’t have forever in him. But he can certainly give them what they both want while he’s still in town…

He plunged into her over and over. The look in his eyes, the praise in his kiss- Jenna felt him all the way to her bones. She was in over her head, but it was too late now. And God help her, she didn’t want to go back.

Everything about this book worked for me, the story, all the secondary characters, and especially Colt and JJ. You feel the chemistry between them right away, and it only burns hotter as the story progressed. I love a romance that can grab me and keep me invested in the characters beyond the hot sex. And let me tell you, the sex? Was damn hot.

Colt wants JJ but doesn’t think he’s made for relationships. JJ wants Colt but is afraid she’s not good enough being the girl from the wrong side of the tracks. Plus, let’s not forget the scandal that it may cause her if someone finds out about her affair. Her job just may be on the line. I truly felt for both of them and was rooting for them from beginning to end. The progression of Colt’s feeling from lust into something more was believable and oh so satisfying

Joya Ryan wrote a scorching hot romance that’s sexy, a little sweet, and a whole lot addicting. I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us next. I already stalked her down to confirm that Penny and Bass’s story is next and I for one am itching for that book in all my pervy anticipation. ESPECIALLY after the little previews we get into their personalities in this book.

If you’re looking for a new author to add to your auto-buy list, you’ve found her. This was book was a the perfect beginning to what looks to be a fun and sexy series.

Release Week Blitz, Review & #Giveaway: ☆Vanquish☆ by Pam Godwin

Warning: Graphic sex and violence. Age 18+ only

It is recommended to read after Deliver, but it can be read as a stand-alone.

Her life is like a prison cell.
A self-made, to-hell-with-the-free-world existence that locks from the inside.
Stop judging. Her agoraphobia doesn’t define her. It simply keeps her safe.

He belongs in a prison cell.
The 6×8, make-me-your-bitch variety that locks from the outside.
But he’s free. To hunt. To take. To break.
And he just found a sexy new toy.

Capturing her is the easy part. Her fucked-up mind, however, makes him question everything he does next.

But he’s a determined bastard. If all goes his way, this will hurt like hell.

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ExcerptHe stalked toward her, mirroring the tilt of her head, knees and shoulders loose, and his gaze holding her prisoner. A breath away, he paused, soaking in the subtleties of her tipped-up chin, parting lips, and glossy but resolute eyes. 

With the next breath, he launched, hands on her jaw, fingers spread around the back of her head.
 
His elbows dropped, shoulders raised, and he yanked her to him, lifting her on tiptoes, guiding her mouth, taking it. His grip twisted through her hair as he drew in her upper lip and shoved her against the fridge, following her with the weight of his body.
 
The kiss went fucking wild, their lips mashing in a frantic battle. His tongue plunged her mouth, attacking, thrusting in and out, possessing her movements, owning her. Breath for breath, lick after lick, he ate at her mouth, tasting, devouring.
 
He dropped his hands to her breasts, squeezing ruthlessly as he rolled his cock against her cunt.
 
His tongue tingled, his skin burned, and his head swam. God, she was a drug, and he was so fucking high.
 
She gripped his biceps, bit at his lips, and threw her arms over his shoulders, her fingers scratching the fuck out his back. He shuddered, loving it, but he was in control.
 
Reaching back, he grabbed her wrists and slammed them above her head. Their bodies ground together, his forearms pressing hers to the fridge, their tongues dancing and clashing. Chest-to-chest, hips fused together, he flexed his ass, dry humping her like a horny teenager.
 
Jesus, fuck, he didn’t care. He wanted her.
 
He leaned back to study her face and found strong smoldering eyes, sharp breaths, and swollen wet lips. Whatever she saw in his expression made her mouth chase his and her fingers curl around his hands. They kissed endlessly, fueling the fire and pushing his control long past the point of discomfort before pulling back and starting all over again.
 
When he broke the kiss with a hand on her jaw, they panted as one, mouths open and so close their bottom lips brushed. She peered at him through lowered lashes, and he stared back in awe. What trembled between them wasn’t an if? Or even a how hard? Those were foregone. The question they shared was simple.
Ready?
Review-DGR4.5 stars

He was a cold-hearted fuck with an appetite for blood, come, and tears. And he had the perfect girl to feed it.

Can you take a cold, sadistic, and practically nonredeemable hero and not only feel for him but completely fall for him by the end of the book?
YES

Can you take a heroine that’s so fucked up and insecure but make her come across as fierce and give her an inner core of strength that manages to shine through even during her darkest hours?
YES

Can you take a relationship that by all intents and purposes begins as something that should be a horror story but make you understand it, feel it, and completely turn it around into something brighter by the end of the story?
FUCK.YES.

For those of you that are curious if you can read this book if you haven’t read Deliver
YES

That’s exactly what I did. As much as I adore Pam Godwin’s writing, I knew based on some details I’d gleaned from the first book that it just wasn’t my cuppa, so I decided to pass on it. But when I saw the cover read the blurb for this book? I knew this was not a book I’d be passing up in a million years. See I have this thing for the anti-heroes and the assholes. As in, the more fucked up they are, the more I love them. Messed up? Maybe. But fuck me if Van didn’t fit my requirement to the T.

He was a kidnapper, a rapist, and she ached to be repulsed by him, just to prove she was sane, but she could’t. And she wasn’t. His scarred beauty radiated seduction and danger, a deadly combination.

Now most people would probably spend the first half of this book conflicted. You’ll want to hate Van for what he does, or maybe you WILL hate Van for everything he does. Me? I gobbled it up like the starved little pervert that I am.

From the very beginning the author gives you little tidbits of insight of who Van really is; his childhood, his past, his scars…both internal and external. As a matter of fact she gives you just enough to make you almost feel for him in the first half. I was afraid that his almost obsession with Liv would make it so that Amber would feel more like his consolation prize. But luckily that’s not at all how it was. As a matter of fact, I though the author pulled this off flawlessly.

Vanquish begins immediately where Deliver took off; Van being shot by Liv but surviving. But just because Liv has a new life now, doesn’t mean that Van has let her go. Stalking is what he does best, so that’s what he does. He lurks in the shadows, watching her house and her new life with her new boyfriend all while plotting on how to get close to her to get what he wants; information. In his stalking under the shadows of what he thinks is an abandoned house, he inadvertently stumbles onto the owner and who he decides will be his new victim, Amber.

Now Amber was a character I was afraid I would hate at first. How would I sum her up? Fucked the fuck up. That probably does it. Yep.

She’s agoraphobic, OCD, with an eating disorder and self esteem issues to boot. Bitch got issues is what I’m trying to tell you here. But beneath all her problems, she had this understated strength and an almost fierceness to her. Sounds strange doesn’t it? But it’s very true. And as the story progresses, more and more of her personality shines through and you simply can’t help but like her. Van was definitely not immune either

My mother named me Van Quiso. You’ll refer to me as Master.

The first half of this book is no light read. Van is one sadistic and cruel fuck, and that certainly doesn’t go away the second he lays eyes on Amber. While you may get small peeks into the damaged soul of a boy that lurks beneath the scary and cold exterior, he doesn’t exactly endear you with his actions toward Amber.

But that’s also the thing that I liked. Pam Godwin managed to take one fucked up hero and make his transition into someone more endearing and softer in a believable way. It didn’t happen in the blink of an eye, and I appreciated that because that would have completely killed the book for me. His road to redemption was a slow and painful one. Considering his background, history and parentage, I couldn’t envision this any other way.

His journey to redemption was slow, but believable and oh so satisfying when it came. The author truly makes you understand the damaged child beneath the cruel man. As much as you want to hate him for his actions, you can’t help but also feel for him at the same time. At least I know I did.

Fuck him, but he wanted to be her security, her anchor, her fucking everything. Not as her captor but as her lover.

I absolutely loved the epilogue. What a perfect way to end the book. If you’re a fan of dark romance, this is not to be missed.

About the Author

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.

 

Other Books by Pam Godwin
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Release Day Blast, Review & #Giveaway: ☆Be My Hero☆ by @lindakage and ☆Surviving Love☆ by Ada Frost

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Eva Mercer’s a mess. She’s single, nineteen, seven
months pregnant, and living off the good graces of her cousin. In the midst of a complete attitude overhaul—or at least trying to change—the last thing she wants to think about is men. She’s done with them. For good. Or at least she was until Pick.

For ten years, Pick Ryan has dreamed about this girl. He knows how she smells, what it’s like to hold her in his arms, how she tastes when he kisses her. But he’s never actually met her. He doesn’t even know her name. He just knows she’s the one. It’s his brand of luck that she would walk into the bar where he works on the very day he gets married to someone else.

Pick and Eva come from completely different worlds,
and yet the connection they share draws them together too tightly to matter. Nothing can keep them apart—except maybe a three-month-old boy whose life depends on just that. And so, their love becomes forbidden.
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Review
5 stars
You don’t even know what your mere presence does to me. You’re my sanity.

If you’ve read To Professor, with Love then just like me you’ve been dying to get your hands on Pick’s book ever since. I’m a huge fan of Linda Kage’s writing and this book further proves why. While some may not like the particular twist that was added here, I absolutely adored it. It spoke to a hopeless romantic part of me that I never even knew I had.

My favorite part? Patrick “Pick” Ryan. How do you not instantly fall for everything that he is?

He appeared to be a bad boy straight from the wrong side of town. But there was something NOT bad boy about him. He simply didn’t look like the type who didn’t give a damn about life. His deep brown eyes held too much compassion and vivacity.

If ever there was a perfect sump up of who he was, that was it. Sure he’s tatted up and pierced, but this is no bad boy asshole. Pick had a gentle heart and an even gentler soul. A protector. He was THE perfect match for Eva.

Eva is not quite the spoiled rich girl that she had appeared to be at first. This is a girl that is truly broken. Just how broken? Well you certainly don’t get eased into her history. The very first few pages offer you a very harsh glimpse into the reality that is her life.

Eva has very good reason to distrust men and shy away from relationships. With her history, it’s no wonder that she believes even the nicest of men hide a bastard beneath the good looking surface, even her cousin’s boyfriend, Mason.

Pick couldn’t be more different. This is a man that not only believes in true love, he yearns for it. Years ago he got a “glimpse” of what his life could be when he met his soul mate, and he’s been looking for her since. So when his “vision” walks into the bar where he works, he knows he’ll stop at nothing to be with her.

I knew exactly what it felt like to thrust inside this woman. I knew exactly how she looked when she bit her bottom lip when she came, how her muscles clenched around my cock and her breasts arched against my chest. Yet I’d never had sex with her, never actually seen her naked, never even kissed her.

What follows is a touching and beautiful love story between two very unlikely people. While Evan and Pick couldn’t have been more different, they are more similar that they realize.

I couldn’t get enough of them. What could have been a story that was insta-everything, truly wasn’t. Linda managed to paint a believable and truly heartwarming connection between two people that were the perfect addition to feed the other’s void. It was in a word; perfect.

Readers that want more of Mason and Reese will get that here IN SPADES. But the focus was on the love story of Pick and Eva. I can’t begin to describe to you how much I loved it. And this is coming from someone that rarely enjoys “sweet”. Yet this is what it was. It was a sweet romance with a touch of steam and a little angst with some WTF twists thrown in that you’ll never see coming. It will keep you glued to the book from beginning to finish. I’m head over heals in love with this series.

I’m really looking forward to Quinn and Ten’s books next. Linda Kage is definitely now one of my go-to authors when I want a NA book that I’m pretty much guaranteed to love. I simply can’t recommend this book enough. Read it and see what all my gushing about. Trust me. You’ll love Pick as much if not more than I did.

**ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review**

About the Author
I grew up on a dairy farm in the Midwest as the youngest of eight children. Now I live in Kansas with my husband, daughter, and our nine cuckoo clocks. My life’s been blessed with lots of people to learn from and love. Writing’s always been a major part my world, and I’m so happy to finally share some of my stories with other romance lovers.

What do you do when you find out you’re pregnant,
your boyfriend rejects you, your sister is beaten half to death and the most annoyingly gorgeous man takes up residence in your house? Well ladies, there is only one thing to do, pull up your big girl knickers and show the world your middle finger.

Louise Beaumont is renowned for her sharp wit, smart mouth and sassy personality. She comes out swinging in an argument, even when she’s wrong. But even some events in life can knock her on her arse. And fighting through the sludge of emotional pressure she’s had poured over her is taking its toll.

Johan Senior is broken. A man with a deeply
traumatic past, shadows and monsters haunt his every waking hour. That is until a heavenly angel is sent in the form of a loud mouthed chestnut haired vixen, who threatens his manhood countless times. But his heart grabs onto her and refuses to let her go. The only problem is, his mind needs to allow him the pleasure of human touch, and to take that terrifying step of allowing someone into his heart.Part of the Surviving series but can be read as a standalone novel.
About the Author
Hi! What to say about myself…I don’t really have anything interesting to offer other than I love to read, and create stories for others to enjoy. I’ve always been told I have a vivid imagination, I just lacked the confidence to pursue putting it onto the the written page. But finally I embarked on making a single dream come true.
I love to read, and write. I only read romance, any genre really, but it has to have a beautiful romance. I also demand a HEA, even if it takes two or three books to get there. Reality is too broken and jaded without having to live through the trauma and angst in a book for it to end unhappily.
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ARC Review: ☆Crave The Night (Midnight Breed, 12)☆ by @lara_adrian

Born and raised to be an emotionless killing machine, Nathan is one of the most lethal Breed vampires in existence. A key member of the Order—an elite group of warriors charged with protecting both mortals and vampires—Nathan executes each mission with flawless precision and a total lack of mercy. Now he must pursue a powerful, hidden enemy. But Nathan’s hard discipline and training are no match for the fierce pull he feels toward a young woman he has no right to desire—a woman of wealth and high social standing who has long been promised to another Breed male, and who may also prove to be the key to rooting out Nathan’s elusive quarry.

Jordana lives a life of glittering privilege as a member of a prominent Breed family in Boston. Surrounded by fine things and fawning admirers, Jordana wants for nothing—until she crosses paths with a dark, intense warrior from the Order and finds herself swept into an impulsive, sizzling kiss that neither of them will forget. As much as she tries to deny her deep feelings for Nathan, Jordana cannot resist the craving to be near him, to break through his forbidding walls and see the man he truly is. But getting close to Nathan will thrust Jordana into a treacherous new world, forcing her to risk all she has and all she knows about herself and her past. And loving this seductive man could be the most dangerous temptation of all.

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Review
4 stars

She was stepping off that ledge tonight, falling too fast.
Falling too hard for a lethal, untouchable Breed male who’d promised her nothing.
She knew this, the same way she understood that if reality waited for her at the bottom of this mad leap, it was certain to break her.

12 books into a series, and Lara Adrian is still going strong. This was another fantastic addition in the Midnight Breed series and seems to just get better for me. If you’ve been following the series, than just like me you have been itching to finally get the story for Nathan who we first meet as the long lost son of Corinne who was raised as a Hunter until his rescue at 13 in Deeper Than Midnight.

He was the fighting dog, rescued from the squalor and violence of the betting puts and brought into a kind, loving home to live a better life.

Knowing what his childhood was like and seeing his seemingly cold and hard exterior, you just knew that the man’s book will be good. And the best part? It wasn’t just good. It was better.

He chased.
He conquered.
He destroyed.

This is man that’s been honed to be a killer. He was bred to be unfeeling and cold, feeling never even coming into the mix for him…until a beautiful blonde changed everything with a simple kiss…

He fed and fucked because he had to, but he did it on his terms. Always under his strict control, in order to retain the edge of the honed, unfeeling weapon he’d been born and raised, mercilessly trained to be.
Jordana Gates had broken all of his rules.

Even though Jordana first comes off like a very demure heroine, she’s not at all what she seems to be. I love that every heroine in this series is fierce in their own right, and this definitely comes out in the story in one hell of a twist.

Among the action and twists and turns that are on constant in this book, in the center is the love story between a man that’s been bred not to feel and a woman that’s determined to bring out his lost humanity.

Jordana Gates was off limits for many reasons, but most of all this: Because she was pure. She was innocent.
He wouldn’t be the one to take that from her.
He couldn’t take that from anyone, not the way his hungers ran.

There was never a dull moment throughout the entire story and I couldn’t bring myself to put it down. While all the old characters are back, we also get a little bit more on the new ones. While I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the series being taken into the future and the previous characters’ kids coming into the mix, I’m certainly sold on it now. It was a super smooth transition and I’m just as interested in the new characters as I was in the old….especially Rune and Carys who I’m hoping will get a book next.

But of course, my favorite part of this book was the building romance between Nathan and Jordana.

When I’m near him, it’s as though I’m standing naked in the middle of a raging storm. He makes me feel as if I’m on the steepest cliff, about to lose my footing. That if I step too close to him, I might never get back on solid ground.

And then there was the scorching hot sex…

This book had everything. I love the twist and the new additions of The Atlanteans into the mix. This was and continues to be one of my favorite PNR series, and I cannot wait to see what Lara Adrian has in store for us next.

She’d captivated him with a kiss. She’d challenged him, gentled him. Now she owned him.

ARC Review: ☆Temptation☆ by @RobinCovington

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Burn up the sheets one page at a time with Robin Covington and her sizzling romance, Temptation!!
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She needs to be good.
Five years ago, Kit Landry was homeless and alone at sixteen. Determined to ditch her crappy life, she moved to Nashville with only $200, her guitar, and a notebook full of songs. She hit it big as America’s country sweetheart, but a year of living like a rock star plus a stint in rehab has killed any good will she had with her label. The suits have ordered Kit to shape up or ship out of the limelight. The last thing she needs is a hot, sexy distraction with a sinful smile.
He doesn’t know the meaning of the word.
Max Butler is as far from a celebrity as you can get and he likes it that way. A Nashville firefighter, he’s living the single life with a revolving door of parties, friends, and a different woman in his bed every night. When his normal life suddenly collides with the girl on his favorite Rolling Stone cover, he sees the perfect chance to fulfill his ultimate fantasy and see just how bad Kit can be.
Sometimes bad is so very good.
With three weeks until Kit leaves for her big tour, Max promises to give her a break from being the good girl–no strings attached. But when hot days lead to sultry nights, the lines get blurred and suddenly three weeks of bad might not be good enough.
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Review
4 stars

I had thought the fire was dangerous, but I was wrong. Max was the thing I needed to worry about.
“You’re no angel,” I whispered.
“I’m glad you finally figured it out.”

I have yet to read a Robin Covington book I didn’t enjoy, and Temptation was no exception. Steamy, a little angsty, entertaining and satisfying; it was the perfect NA contemporary read.

Kit Landry is America’s country sweetheart.

The guitar was more important to me than any lover, our connection elemental, and I respected the hell out of it.

But she wasn’t always the good girl she is today. After her stint in rehab and her bad girl ways landing her in every gossip magazine, her label is threatening to drop her. To keep her career on the up and up, she needs to keep her image good and focus on her music. So now Kit must be the epitome of good, and to do that the last thing she needs is a bad boy that will test her every resolve.

Max Butler is a bad boy firefighter. He may risk his life running into burning buildings, but he has no interest in risking his heart to giving it to another woman…ever.

But a little no string, no commitment fun between the sheets with his own personal fantasy? Sign him up. So when he gets the opportunity to get close to Kit after rescuing her from a fire, he doesn’t think twice about it.

I went at her again like I was starving.
And I was famished. For her. It was the craziest thing I’d ever experienced, but I wasn’t going to let a little insanity stop me.

While the chemistry between them was nothing short of scorching,

both Kit and Max are gun shy when it comes to anything more. Max from being burned by a woman in his past, and Kit from another reason from her past.

I really loved that this was written in dual first person POV, but that’s usually my preference. This did have quite a bit of back and forth between Kit and Max. There was that element of ‘I want you, but I can’t’, but it wasn’t overdone or OTT in my opinion. I could have done without that additional “drama” at the 90% mark, but then again it DID fit the story so it didn’t bother me too much.

I liked both Kit and Max…well that’s a lie. I liked Kit but Max is what made my pervy little heart go all pitter patter with his deliciously sexy dirty talking ways. This author definitely knows her way around a sex scene. Damn.

If you’ve never read a Robin Covington book before, this is the perfect one to start with. I promise you’ll be going to her back list immediate after.

P.S.
My casting has been gratuitously stolen from the author’s inspiration behind Max and Kit 😉

About the AuthorRobin Covington, who NYT Best Selling authors, Robyn Carr and Carly Phillips, said was their new “auto-buy author”, writes sizzling hot contemporary and paranormal romance.

A Night of Southern Comfort, her best-selling debut novel was a 2012 finalist in the RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice Awards, earned 4.5 stars and was touted by RT Book Reviews as bringing a “fresh, modern feel to the genre while still sticking to the things that get our adrenaline pumping — sex and danger”. When she’s not exploring the theme of fooling around and falling in love, she’s collecting tasty man candy, indulging in a little comic book geek love, and stalking Joe Manganiello.

Robin is a member of the Romance Writers of America, the Washington and Maryland Romance Writers, a faculty member at Romance University, a member of the Waterworld Mermaids, and a contributor to the Happy Ever After blog at USA Today. You can find Robin on her website, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter (@RobinCovington).

Robin lives in Maryland with her hilarious husband, brilliant children, and ginormous puppy.

Giveaway

Review: ☆Looking for Trouble☆ by @VictoriaDahl

A good reason to be bad…Librarian Sophie Heyer has walked the straight and narrow her entire life to make up for her mother’s mistakes. But in tiny Jackson Hole, Wyoming, juicy gossip doesn’t just fade away. Falling hard for the sexiest biker who’s ever ridden into town would undo everything she’s worked for. And to add insult to injury, the alluring stranger is none other than Alex Bishop the son of the man Sophie’s mother abandoned her family for. He may be temptation on wheels, but Sophie’s not looking for trouble!

Maybe Sophie’s buttoned-up facade fools some, but Alex knows a naughty smile when he sees one. Despite their parents’ checkered pasts, he’s willing to take some risks to find out the truth about the town librarian. He figures a little fling might be just the ticket to get his mind off his own family drama. But what he finds underneath Sophie’s prim demeanor might change his world in ways he never expected.

 

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Review
4 stars

If she were timid, he wasn’t sure he’d ever have noticed her. If she’d hidden behind her glasses and sweater, his eyes would have skipped right over her, letting her red hair and brown eyes blend into the crowd. But she wasn’t hiding, she was…waiting. And Alex was perfectly willing to step up to the plate.

Sophie Heyer is a good girl with a dirty little secret. She may be the prim and proper little librarian in a small town, but underneath the modest clothes hides a bad girl that can’t wait to get out.

But being the daughter of the woman that was the center of the town’s scandal 25 years ago is not easy. Especially not when she looks exactly like her. After all, when your mother leaves her husband and 2 young children to run off with a married men, the rumor’s won’t be good. So Sophie tries her best to go against her mother’s image. She’s a good girl. She walks the straight line, and she’s not looking to deviate from that…especially not for a bad boy.

Alex Bishop is a bad boy. Covered in tattoos, riding a motorcycle and not staying in any place too long is what he’s about. He tried a relationship one, but let’s face it, with his constant travel for work and everything else, he’s not cut out for them. But he’s not opposed to a little fun between the sheets. Especially when a certain little redhead catches his eye.

He’s been away from the little town for years, and he’s not happy to be back. He may not know who Sophie is…but Sophie certainly knows who he is. He just so happens to be the son of the married man her mother ran away with all those years ago. The son of the woman that hates Sophie and everything she reminds her for. Too bad that doesn’t stop the scorching hot chemistry they have between them. Sophie may try to be good, but Alex makes her want to be oh so bad.

If you’ve never read a Victoria Dahl book, you’re definitely missing out. I love her sexy combination of romance, humor, scorching sex, and endearing characters, and this book was no exception.

Need something?” she asked.
Alex groaned. “I had to crawl to the shower. Are you trying to prove your superiority? I give. Uncle.”
Sophie laughed. “What’d you come out here for?”
“I don’t remember,” he said. She felt him growing hard against her. “Jesus, you’re a witch. The kind that can raise the dead.”
“Maybe you’re ore of a man than you thought.”
He groaned again. “I’ll punish you for that later.”
“Promise?”
“No. I probably won’t have the strength.”

I really enjoyed this book. I’m not a fan of mousy heroines, so I was so happy to see that Sophie was hiding her true personality behind her demure mask. And Alex? Did I mention tattoos, a motorcycle and a dirty mouth? What else do you need? How bout a great story on top of everything?

Looking for Trouble was a great start to what looks to be a very promising series and I can’t wait to see what else Miss Dahl has in store with the next books. I do wish that we did an epilogue or a little bit more from that ending, but it was still satisfying and fitting to the story. A very solid 4 star read.

Fans of sexy contemporary romance will really enjoy this one.

ARC Review: ☆Meeting His Match☆ by Katee Rober

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A satisfying category romance from Entangled’s brand new Lovestruck imprint…

When New York matchmaker Addison St. Claire is tasked with matching her best friend’s new brother-in-law, she almost refuses. But the sexy southern CEO turns out to be a challenge she can’t resist, because if anyone needs to meet his soul mate, it’s this man. And if matching him with someone else removes the temptation of being near him? Even better.

The last thing Caine McNeill needs is a matchmaker—especially a gorgeous redhead who spouts nonsense about soul mates, critiques what he drives and how he dresses, buys him a dog, and pesters him about a million little things he couldn’t care less about. It’s a crying shame he has to keep his hands off because chemistry like what’s flaring between them ought to be explored. Thoroughly.

And so the battle begins. Addison is determined to stick to her plan of setting him up on dates with other women, and Caine is equally determined to ignore these women and seduce her.

Review

3 stars

She’d gone and thrown away every single one of her rules for him

Remember Brock from Seducing the Bridesmaid? Well this time it’s Brock’s sexy older brother’s turn at a HEA. And who better to match him with than a matchmaker that also happens to be Regan’s friend?

Addison St. Claire is a successful New York matchmaker. What she may lack in her own love life, she makes up for with her clients. So when Addison’s friend Regan asks for a favor in matching her workaholic brother-in-law, Caine, she only struggles with it for a few minutes before saying yes. The problem? Convincing the man that he actually needs her help. But she’s determined, even if it means moving into his Tenessee mansion and dogging his every step.

Unfortunately it’s a little difficult to match a client when all he’s focused on is seducing you into his bed. And Caine? Well let’s just say he’s very convincing, in and out of the boardroom. It doesn’t take too long for the chemistry between them to be too much to deny.

I wasn’t quite sure why, but I struggled to form a connection with the 2 characters from the very beginning. Technically this is usually the recipe that never fails to entice me. However it never quite happened here. While i did enjoy parts of this book, other parts had me raging and wanting to pull my hair out. Why? One word, Addison

She drove me out of my mind batty with her “one soul-mate per lifetime” business. Caine made his intentions clear from the get go, but the way Addison behaved reminded me more of a confused and hormonal teenager than a woman in her late 20s. Her constant back and forth made me want to reach through my kindle and just shake some sense into her.

Could I understand the why’s of it? Sure. Was it enough to make me look past her at times just plain hurtful treatment of Caine? Not even close.

I felt like SHE should have been the one to fight for Caine and not the other way around. So sadly, this managed to really diminish my enjoyment of the story.

I did love catching up with Brock and Regan and the epilogue was super cute as well. But unfortunately when I dislike a heroine or just can’t connect with her, it will never really bring a book any higher than 3 stars for me. Such was the case here.

But please don’t let this deter you from reading the book. It was a great installment in what looks to be a very promising series. While I didn’t love it, I can’t say I hated it. It was a like for me. But I will gladly read the next book in the series. I do enjoy Katee Robert’s writing, but sadly you can’t please everyone, and I do tend to be picky when I don’t like a heroine.

***ARC courtesy of publisher  in exchange for an honest review***

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