DGRFave & Review: Joyless by Nyla K

September 30, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

JOYLESS
Series: Alabaster Penitentiary #2
Genre: Dark, Erotic MMF Romance
Author: Nyla K
Release Date: September 30, 2021

Alabaster Penitentiary, Volume 2

Correctional officers get a bad rep. But in our case, it’s fully justified.
We’re not ???? people… We’re guard dogs. As twisted as the inmates we patrol, courtesy of the monster who created us.

Prisoners ourselves on an island of manipulation, we’ve spent years drowning in vices to dull reality. If these walls could talk, I’m telling you… they’d scream.
They call me Velle, but that’s ??????? ???????? to you. Hands dirtier than my mind, I have no qualms with staying ruthless to keep these creatures in line.
And I’m not alone.

??? ??????? is my partner in crime, and my ex. Together we rule Alabaster Isle like Bonnie and Clyde, only prettier and far more dangerous. It’s the two of us against this wicked, secluded world.
Until he shows up…

Although we need him, the rookie is a problem. Flipping me upside down, using my own hidden desires to tempt me.
????… with his green eyes and country boy smile…
He has no business luring me into something that will get everyone hurt.

Let it be known, denying myself and dominating this role is my default setting. But with him in the picture, I’m struggling to keep it intact.
The mask is slipping, control I can’t lose wavering as we welcome our newest psycho to the roster.

Let’s hope, for all our sakes, ?????? #101 doesn’t do anything stupid.

**Joyless is a MMF romance with its own HEA, and while it explores new characters, it is highly recommended that you read Volume 1 first, as the timeline mirrors that of Distorted and there will be references to Distorted in Joyless that could spoil book 1.**

AMAZON 

 

You’re like a rollercoaster, baby. Scary as fuck, but just the best shot of adrenaline.”

Holy.
Fucking.
Shit.

This book. I don’t even have the words right now. Gimme a minute here.

Being a self professed erotic romance addict for many years, I went on record a few years ago to state that I have steel plated ovaries. Like a book can be hot, but it’s not going to get me that hot because I’m desensitized to it. Ok. It’s what I thought. So what did I do? I read this fucking book in public. I was cocky and I miscalculated. Bite me.

So there I was. Squirming uncomfortably in the waiting room while getting my oil changed. Paranoid as fuck that everyone in the room and also outside of it knew exactly what I was reading. With my loins burning and my ovaries hurting, rethinking my stupid steel plated ovaries statement to hell and back. But I digress. Let’s talk about the fuckery that is this book for a hot second, kay?

Welcome to Hell, rookie.”

Do not, and I repeat, DO NOT read this as a standalone. Yes it has different characters from Distorted, but just trust me. You want to appreciate what is Nyla K’s deeply twisted, depraved, evil genius mind by reading this series in order. The time lines overlap and you will miss some huge plot nuances and do yourself a big disservice by not reading Distorted first.

So what’s this book? It’s a super sizzling, super fucked up, super dirty and deliciously kinky MMF menage. And this bitch? I WAS SO HERE FOR IT.

The second Velle made an appearance in Distorted, I knew I had to have his story. The big, bad, tatted and pierced prison guard that takes no shit just had to have a good story arc, right? Wrong. It wasn’t just good, it was fucking amazing. MY GOD. But I digress again.

So what can I tell you without spoiling anything? This book brought it, ok. It bought it big time. The revelations. The secrets. The backstories of Velle and Joy and how they came to be guards at Alabaster Penitentiary really lays the foundation. We get more glimpses at the mysteriously evil Warden, and when I say I never thought I’d hear myself say that I’m desperate for that man’s book, well let’s just say I’m still shocked as shit. But here I digressed again. FOCUS. GOD. OKAY.

One of my favorite things about this story was the dynamic between Rook, Joy, and Velle. How neither one of them are what they seem on the surface. I loved Joy’s sexual freedom and how she just owns her sexuality. This is a woman that’s not shy about her sex drive, her body, or her desires, and we need more heroines like this in romance. But Velle. Oh my baby Velle. He was the most dynamic, multi-layered of the three. Velle with his dark secrets and darker desires. He completely stole my heart.

A-are you gonna… lick me?” My breathing is truly out of control. “No.” He bites his lip. “I’m gonna eat you alive.”

Now this is not a story for the faint of heart. And what I appreciate about Nyla’s story telling is that she’s not afraid to go there. She’s not afraid to really dive right into the pits of true depravity if it’s what her characters demand, and it just WORKS. This is a book that if anyone else wrote it, I’d say had way too much sex. But when I tell you that EVERY SINGLE sex scene added something to the story, well that’s talent, folks. Because there was a lot of sex. A LOT. It was hot. It was incendiary. Seriously. It was fucking sizzling as hell. My loins are still burning.

There’s also nuances that get revealed from Distorted, and hints dropped about future characters. And just OMG. I FUCKING LOVED THIS BOOK.

It’s dark. It’s fucked up. It’s seriously fucked up. And I loved every depraved page of it. And the set up for the next one? HOLY SHIT!!!

So if you like your book dark as hell, sizzling enough to set ovaries on fire, and fucked up enough to make you uncomfy while reading it? READ THIS FUCKING BOOK.

That is all. I’m now off to calm my tits. And I thank you,

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, BDSM, Dark, DGR Favorites, Dirty Talkers, Erotic Rom, MM · Tagged With: , , , ,

Review: Stolen- Dante’s Vow by Natasha Knight

September 30, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

STOLEN: DANTE’S VOW
Genre: Dark, Mafia Romance
Author: Natasha Knight
Release Date: September 30, 2021

Five years.
That’s how long it took me to find her.

Five years after my world shattered, leaving me a scarred and broken man.

By then, the girl I knew was gone. In her place stood a woman. One who looked like an angel. An impossible, beautiful angel.

I killed for her. Soaked my hands in the blood of those who hurt her and rescued her from hell.

But hell has a way of following you. Becoming a part of you. Maybe the only part you recognize.

I had every intention of bringing her home. Setting her free.
I swear I did.

But the men who kidnapped her all those years ago weren’t done with her yet. They’d stop at nothing to get her back. And I’d kill any man who tried to take her from me.

She calls me her avenging angel.
But I know the truth.
I’m no angel.

Because even as I tell myself I’m protecting her I know one thing for sure.

I am a monster, too. No better than them.
Because just like them, I’ll never let her go .

Author’s note: Stolen is Dante Grigori’s story and although a standalone, would be better enjoyed after reading With This Ring and I Thee Take.

AMAZON 

 

I’m here now, Mara. And I may not be the boy you remember, but I am the man you’ll come to know. The man who will destroy your demons.”

I feel like I’ve been waiting for this story forever! The second that Dante appeared in With This Ring, I was intrigued. And when the revelations in I Thee Take happened, well, let’s just say I was damn near salivating for this story. When I saw Natasha post a teaser about writing Dante’s book, I was pretty much rabid in my need to get my hands on it. So is it any surprise that the second it landed on my kindle, I devoured it in one sitting? I think not.

I can’t have her. So much has been stolen from her already. I won’t steal a love I don’t deserve.

I highly recommend that you read the To Have and To Hold duet prior to this book. There’s a lot of overarching story arc that really sets the stage for this story. And while you can technically still enjoy this as a standalone, some of the big nuances may be missed on you if you do.

We met Dante’s brother in that duet and we learn quite a bit about the brother’s family and history. We get to know their years long vendetta for the gruesome death of their family. But at the end of the duet we learn that the woman that they thought died all those years along with their family, may not have. Stolen actually takes place five years after I Thee Take.

Dante has been tirelessly searching for Mara, who has been barely surviving her captivity to a monster all of these years. Sold into sexual slavery, she made a deal with her owner five years ago to save Dante’s brother’s woman. And it cost her. The book starts off pretty much right away with her rescue and the aftereffects of what she’s been through.

I loved Mara. She’s a fighter and a survivor, no matter the hell she’s been through the past 15 years. She may have grew up with Dante the boy, but she doesn’t recognize the man, and their connection takes a while to reestablish. I loved watching this ruthless killer handle this woman like she’s made of spun glass. He was her fiercest protector, even if that protection was against himself.

I’m not sure why I thought this was a duet when it’s a standalone. But a part of me kept thinking that I would have loved this to be a bit longer. I would have liked to get a bit more fleshing out with things at the end. But as it was, I still devoured it and loved every page. The connection between Mara and Dante was years long in the making. There’s a deliciously complex secondary character who gets introduced and I’m already hoping we get his story next, because DAMN.

But if you’re looking for a gritty mafia romance read, look no further. Knight delivers as always with packing a story full of emotion, darkness, and steam.

 

Natasha Knight is the USA Today Bestselling author of Romantic Suspense and Dark Romance Novels. She has sold over half a million books and is translated into six languages. She currently lives in The Netherlands with her husband and two daughters and when she’s not writing, she’s walking in the woods listening to a book, sitting in a corner reading or off exploring the world as often as she can get away.

AUTHOR LINKS

Website: http://natasha-knight.com
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/natasha-knight
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2kg2fRX
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/natashaknightauthor
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1752075498339742
Newsletter: http://natasha-knight.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natashaknightromance

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Review: The Naked Fisherman by Jewel E Ann

September 30, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

THE NAKED FISHERMAN
Series: Fisherman #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Jewel E Ann
Release Date: September 30, 2021

It’s official.

I’m eighteen and a young woman with endless possibilities on my way to reunite with my mom in Colorado after five years apart—she had a little weed incident in Nebraska.

At the airport, she springs the news on me … she’s leaving for a month of job training.

And me?

 

I’m left on my own in the basement she’s renting from the fisherman, aka her landlord who lives upstairs.

 

He’s ten years older than me. Never wears a shirt.

 

And makes it hard to remember all the things I learned at Christian Academy.

 

Did I mention he’s also my new boss?

AMAZON

I thought you were a gentleman,” I mumbled, making the walk of shame to the stack of drawers and hunching down instead of bending over to retrieve a towel. “Why did you think that?”

So first of all, this cover is incredibly deceiving, I swear. I love it, don’t get me wrong. But this is so much more than a cute contemporary and I fell head over heels for Fisher and Reese. It’s not often I get a heroine who by any other author I would quite honestly hate to read about, but was totally in love with in this book.

Reese is an 18 year old girl who has both experienced a lot and nothing in life. Her mother went to prison 5 years ago. Her father passed 3 years ago. And she grew up with her deeply religious grandparents knowing not much about life outside of the preaching she got at home. Suffice it to say that this girl is the epitome of naive ingenue. And yet, where this normally would have annoyed me, I loved this in her. I loved the way that Jewel packed so many layers into her character. This is a young girl that’s hungry for life and also scared to experience and ask for what she wants. She has a chance to reunite with her mother now that she’s out of prison, yet she feels so removed from her because of what her father and grandparents made her believe about her.

Fisher Mann, yes, that’s really his name, is her mom’s friend and landlord. He’s handsome, charming, cocky, and known womanizer. They shouldn’t have anything in common. Yet when her mother leaves them alone to travel to California for work related trip, these two realize the one thing they have in common is undeniable chemistry.

I loved Fisher’s unapologetic personality. He’s not afraid to push every button Reese has. But this is also a man that clearly has many layers, and with each one that slowly gets peeled back, you fall more and more for him. This book definitely spent more on the development and growth of Reese. Though there’s clearly only so much growth she can have in this book. I’m super excited to see what book two brings. What I really loved is the chemistry between these two and how they both try to fight it in their way, Reese definitely more than Fisher.

There’s a bit of a forbidden element because Fisher is older, more experienced, and her mom’s friend. He’s 28 to her 18 but in life experience he’s definitely even older.

I devoured this book. I loved the build up these two had. I loved the growth that Reese had, though I have a feeling it would be much more satisfying in book two. Now to just gather up the patience in my rabid need for conclusion.

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Review: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

September 29, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Release Date: September 14, 2021

As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn’t believe in lasting romantic relationships–but her best friend does, and that’s what got her into this situation.

Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof.

So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.

That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor–and well-known ass.

Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford’s reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend.

But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive’s career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding…six-pack abs.

Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion.

And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope

AMAZON 

 

I wish you could see yourself the way I see you.”

Interestingly enough, I avoided reading this book due to the hype around it. It’s so rare that I see a highly hyped up book that I end up loving. But the cover was so dang cute and the blurb sounded so good, that I decided to cave and take the chance. Sadly, reality won out, and I ended up feeling like I read a different book from everyone else. Such is my life. *Deep sigh*

It started out so strong. I was immediately hooked by the quirky and awkward Olive and the super grumpy professor Adam Carlsen. I love me a good fake dating trope, so there was that going for it. And quite honestly, I was riveted to the pages for the first 20% of the story, with a goofy smile on my face thinking I’ve found the book. Sadly though, that giddy feeling didn’t last for me. And while I didn’t necessarily dislike it, I just didn’t love it either. For me, it felt like a book a novice romance reader who’s just dipping their toe in the genre might enjoy. Now take that with a grain of salt. This is coming from someone that generally just doesn’t gravitate towards cute contemporaries, so this could very well have been the case of just me. And going off of reviews and just how many absolutely adored this book, I definitely feel like the black sheep here. But alas, it is what it is.

So let’s go with a good ole’ feedback sandwich here. I loved the STEM representation and the way it was written. I was afraid that the academia and science aspect of the story would bore me to death, but the author wrote it in such a way that it added to the story and kept even non academia readers engaged. I loved that about this. I also loved the trope and the quirky heroine meet grumpy professor aspect.

What was missing for me was the chemistry. I just didn’t feel it between these two. This is very much a slow burn, but the more time these two spent together, the less I felt it. The way they were thrown together into awkward situations by Olive’s friend Ahn, the more it felt that way…awkward. I also struggled with the way it was written. It was third person POV in Olive’s perspective, but it read like it should have been first person, if that makes sense. I still struggle to have a visual in my head on what Olive or any of the secondary characters looked like, there was almost no physical descriptions of them. As it was, all of the secondary characters just came across flat, rudimentary, and two dimensional. And it didn’t take long before the main characters came across that way too.

I did enjoy the ending and seeing Olive finally, FINALLY, stand up for herself and truly show growth as a character. I also loved seeing Adam’s fuzzy and soft side. There was some steam at the end that added, though not much for me, to the chemistry. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t need steam to enjoy a book. But when the chemistry is already lagging for me, it just felt super lacking here.

So did I dislike it? No. Did I love it? Also no. Would I recommend it? Sure! It’s a cute, slow burn romance that I think plenty would love. I just wish I was one of them. So while it was an enjoyable read, it also won’t be anything I remember or come back to after finishing.

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Review: The Lawyer by Marni Mann

September 28, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

THE LAWYER
Series: The Dalton Brothers #1
Genre: Erotic Romance
Author: Marni Mann
Release Date: September 28, 2021

A sexy, new stand-alone in the Dalton Brothers Series from USA Today best-selling author Marni Mann …

 

I’m not the type of girl who picks up a man on a rooftop bar.

Not the kind of girl who lets a man’s hands roam my body, discovering I have no panties on.

Never the girl who has hours’ worth of o’s from a smoking-hot one-night stand.

 

But Dominick makes it so easy to say yes.

His body, his moves, and his oh-so-wicked tongue have me saying it over and over again.

Yes, please.

Yes, more.

Yes, right there.

 

He worships every inch of my body, and I’m still sore the next morning when I meet him again.

 

This time, he’s Mr. Dalton, my sister’s cutthroat entertainment lawyer.

And he has a proposition for me.

 

He wants to make me famous.

 

Of course, that means sharing a screen with my wildly jealous sister.

It means giving up my career.

It means the whole world will suddenly know everything about me.

 

Which presents one catastrophic problem—Dominick doesn’t date famous people.

 

So, do I take a chance at becoming a Hollywood star, or do I pass up the opportunity to be with the man who gave me a taste of forever?

AMAZON | iBOOKS | NOOK | KOBO

Get over here.” My eyes narrowed as I took her in, deciding that if she didn’t move closer in the next few seconds, I was going to lift her myself.

Well, wasn’t this just the spicy little number. Ovary approved!

The Lawyer is an erotic romance in the brand new Dalton Brothers series, and after this book, I am so here for it!

She was soon going to be a client, and that was something I wouldn’t mess with. “Not going to happen, man.” I shook my head to emphasize the point. “Trust me.” He tapped his fist on the wood. “What do you want to put on it?” “Your plane.” He laughed again. “It’s a bet I’m not going to lose, so why don’t you tell me what I’ll get if I win?” “Name your prize—one of my cars, a trip to fucking Fiji, a hundred grand, whatever you want.” He stretched his hand in my direction. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

Now generally, I don’t love when a book starts with an immediate bang, if you catch my drift. I like the burn. I want the anticipation of it. I want the feels. But damn it all if I minded for even a second that we get right to the good stuff here. The very second that Dominick appears on the pages with his dominant, alpha male energy that’s just oozing sexual appeal, I couldn’t care less what happens. And when the man lays his eyes on a beautiful stranger at a bar, he’s not shy going after her. But what both anticipate to be a one night stand turns out to be much more.

Kendall moved from home to work for her reality star sister, or as I like to call her, the wicked witch of blah. Because my GOD did I hate that woman. But I digress. Kendall never wanted the stardom like her sister does, but her beauty and charisma is exactly what Dominick is looking for in a new reality star. He can shut off their chemistry for a second and look at it as business only. HA!

This was one of those books that I didn’t really care about the plot but more about the romance, if that makes sense. The Hollywood thing in books isn’t my cuppa, but I didn’t mind it here. I did wish I got to see a bit more of Kendall’s backbone when it came to her selfish sister, but it didn’t fully come until the very end. I also loved seeing the ultimate playboy and self professed womanizer fall for the girl and become her biggest defender.

All in all it was a fun, fluffy but steamy romance that I thoroughly enjoyed.


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: http://bit.ly/MarniMannFB

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1597153177180837/

Twitter: http://bit.ly/MarniMannTW

Instagram: http://bit.ly/MarniMannIG

Pinterest: http://bit.ly/MarniMannPin

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2IsSRWC

Bookbub: http://bit.ly/MarniMannBB

Website: http://marnismann.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5400988.Marni_Mann

Book+Main: https://bit.ly/2D45g2Z

Sign up for her newsletter: http://marnismann.com/newsletter/

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Review: Vik by Belle Aurora

September 27, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

VIK
Series: Shot Callers #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Belle Aurora
Release Date: September 17, 2021

Nastasia Leokov has loved her brother’s best friend since the very moment she met him.

Understanding that she’ll never be anything more to Viktor Nikulin than a treasure to guard, Nas sensibly hides her feelings.

But when she makes a brash decision to kiss him, everything changes.

That kiss. T
hat hot, explosive, all-consuming kiss.

It haunts Vik.
And suddenly, Nastasia Leokov isn’t just a teenage mob princess.

No.

She is his. Undeniably. Indisputably.

An unbreakable connection. A hidden relationship. A lifetime of firsts.

And yet, something is missing.

Nas desperately craves the one thing Vik has never offered her.

His heart.

AMAZON 

 

I have been sitting on my rating for this book for over a week now going through a gamut of emotions and back and forth. Did I love it? No. Did I hate it? Not…exactly? Did I like it? Not quite. So there we have it and I’ll just go with the middle and a 2.5 star rating it is.

Look, to cut right to the chase, this story was disappointing to me to say the least. It felt forced. It was boring. I honestly found myself skimming most of it because most of it was filled with mundane detail that never added anything to the actual story. And everything that I actually wanted to read about? Well that happens off the pages.

There’s so much that simply doesn’t get fleshed out. Nas has had a crush for her brother’s friend since she was a teenager. They get together then, but we don’t get the development of their relationship. Instead we get to flash forward 13 years later and Nas has broken up with Vik even though she clearly has feelings for him. She does so on the assumption that Vik cannot commit. We learn that in that time she was engaged to another man, but that never really gets more than a mention, so I found myself scratching my head as to why it was even relevant to include at all. It added absolutely nothing to the story arc. And I’m not a reader that minds MCs being with other people while they’re separated. But the thing is, these two never felt separated. They’re as codependent as they come. So it was just…strange.

Ultimately what bothered me the most was the DRAAAAAWN out miscommunication on the reason of their separation that spans the entire. freaking. book. And when you finally get it? You want to throw both Vik and Nas in front of a bus for their stupidity and immaturity. Like COME ON.

Truth be told, their romance was just lackluster. It got lost between the mundane details, the drawn out miscommunication over the stupidest thing, and the set up for Annika’s book. I really felt at times like this was essentially one long set up for Annika and Sasha’s book actually.

So there we have it, friends. It just wasn’t for me and I’m super bummed because my eagerness for this book was HUGE.

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Review: Just Like Heaven by Trilina Pucci

September 21, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

JUST LIKE HEAVEN
Series: The St. Simeon Prep Series #1
Genre: New Adult Romance
Author: Trilina Pucci
Release Date: September 20, 2021

??’? ? ????????—?? ???????????.
??’?? ????? ?? ????? ???.
If only I could’ve convinced my heart.

We were gorgeously young and desperate for one another.

His lips whispered promises of all the stars in the sky. While I dreamt of a love that would last forever.

But we’re star-crossed.
Fate had decided our course.
Leaving us to cling to each other as we crumbled to ash.

His need became possession.
My innocence turned jaded.
Our families declared war.
All that remained was hate.

But Calder was raised by wolves. The rules didn’t apply. I was his until he said otherwise—for better or for worse.

Our love story’s bathed in crimson and drenched in bullets.
Because sometimes, Romeo comes with tattoos, guns, and a taste for blood.

AMAZON

Why are you here?”
His hand comes up, fingers brushing my hair from my eyes before he answers, making the world come back into focus. “I’m here because you are.”

A modern day Romeo and Juliet retelling that will tug at every heartstring you have and leave you reeling in your feels.

Calder isn’t an empty threat—he’s a promise.

Now look, I’m not generally a reader that enjoys insta anything; particularly of the insta love variety. But somehow, Trilina Pucci has made a liar out of me in this book. Maybe it was because there was enough tension to build everything up that the somewhat insta love really flowed into the story? Maybe it was the Romeo and Juliet vibes of star crossed lovers who are doomed from their first glance. Whatever the case, it just worked for me here.

Sutton and Calder couldn’t be more different. Sutton is the good girl, daughter of a senator. Calder is the bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks, and son of a ruthless criminal. Their love is doomed from the start, but they’re drawn to each other like moths to a fire.

Seconds that feel like minutes tick by as Calder says nothing, eyes locked on mine, stealing all my rational thought. Because he has that same storm behind his eyes. And as strange as it sounds, it makes him beautiful, like an exquisitely broken soul at war with himself and everyone else around him.

A fated love. A chance meeting. A stolen glance. It all gets set in motion the second Sutton lays eyes on the new bad boy in town. Their fathers are mortal enemies. Sutton’s father being a ruthless and driven senator determined to eliminate crime in their town. And Calder’s father being a ruthless criminal with mafia ties who’s bringing the crime to it. Calder was born into a life of crime and knows he’ll die knowing nothing different.

The only reason I’m rating this a four is as much as it worked for me here, I still like a bit of tension between the MCs and Sutton’s fall for Calder was instant. Not that I blame her. The man oozes sexual chemistry the second he appears on the page. And I appreciate that while their connection is instant, them getting together wasn’t. There was tension, the odds stacked against them, and I lived for their stolen moments together.

The spice in this book was EVERYTHING. That confessional and holy water scene? Holy hell.

And then there was the cliff. I was prepared for a cliff, don’t get me wrong, it’s a duet after all. But I was NOT prepared for this one. It ripped my heart from my chest and left me with bated breath until the next installment.


Trilina is a former professional dancer (you may have even seen her on the MTV Music Awards) and a USA Today Bestselling author who loves cupcakes and bourbon.

When she isn’t writing steamy love stories, she can be found devouring Netflix with her husband, Anthony, and their three kiddos. Pucci’s journey into writing started impulsively. She wanted to check off a box on her bucket list, but what began as wish-fulfillment has become incredibly fulfilling. Now she can’t see her life without her characters, her readers, and this community.

She’s known for being a trope defier, writing outside of the box and creating fictional worlds her readers never want to leave.

AUTHOR LINKS

Newsletter | Website | Amazon Author | Facebook |  Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads |  BookBub | FB Readers Group | Pinterest | Book+Main | TikTok

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Review: The Sainthood (The Complete Series) by Siobhan Davis

September 16, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

THE SAINTHOOD SERIES
Series: The Sainthood – Boys of Lowell High
Genre: New Adult, Reverse Harem Romance
Author: Siobhan Davis
Release Date: November 29, 2020

A complete dark romance trilogy from USA Today bestselling author Siobhan Davis. Includes Revere, a BONUS NOVELLA set twelve years after the end of Reign.

Everything changed the night my dad died.

The night I met Saint, Galen, Caz, and Theo. Those manipulative a-holes set out to ruin me after our hot night together, but they didn’t realize you can’t destroy something that’s already broken. And it only works if the victim cares.

Which I don’t.

Because I’ve been in hell for years, and nothing penetrates the steel walls I’ve erected.

Until The Sainthood decides I belong to them and cracks appear in my veneer. Their cruel games, harsh words, and rough touch awakens something inside me, and now, I’m in trouble.

They draw me deeper into their dangerous world, until I’m in the middle of all the violence and gang warfare, tangled up in all the secrets and lies, and there’s no turning back.

Because they own me.

And nothing has ever felt so right.

I’m exactly where I should be.

But with enemies on all sides, survival becomes a deadly game with no guarantees.

And, sometimes, saints become sinners.

This box set is over 1,000 pages of binge-worthy dark romance and it is a complete story with an HEA. It contains the following titles:

• Resurrection – #44 in the entire store
• Rebellion – #21 in the entire store
• Reign – #8 in the entire store
• Revere (Bonus Novella) – 21k words in length

Due to mature content, this box set is recommended to readers aged eighteen and over. Contains enemies-to-lovers/bullying themes. May contain triggers for some readers. Please read the note at the start of the book. This version of Revere does not contain the Valentine’s Day bonus chapter contained in the individual release.

AMAZON 

Welcome to senior year, angel,” he growls, his dark eyes unleashing wave after wave of fury, an unspoken promise that he’s never letting this go. “It’s going to be your own personal version of hell.”

Well don’t I feel sheepish here. The first book in this series was recommended to me back in May of last year. I DNFd it 10% in. Don’t @ me dammit! I know, ok! And I am prepared to eat crow here. But let me splain myself. I had…reasons. I don’t remember what they were. But I swear I did. I also feel it relevant to mention that never in my entire reading history have a I ever gone back to a DNF and felt anything more than hating it even more. Like ever. Seriously. If I know a book isn’t for me, no amount of forcing myself to finish will make it better. Ever. Except in the case here. I was a judgy asshole and I own it. See not even 5% into the first book and the female MC sleeps with all of the mens. Yes, I know mens isn’t a word, just go with it. So she does the nasty with the mens, and I was like WTF. This chick is crazy. Who sleeps with 4 men at the same time after just meeting them? What’s the rest of the book like if they already bang. Where the tension? Where’s the angst?
Meanwhile Siobhan Davis be like

I don’t know what got me wanting to give this another go. It was hot Sunday eve. My loins were burning. And KU was calling. So there we were. But I digress.

Since the series was now finished, I figured what the hey. I don’t remember why I DNFd and the cover is good and I want some smutty RH, so let’s do it.
Meanwhile Siobhan Davis be like:
So there I was, two days later, sleep deprived, over caffeinated, coming off of a book high and kicking my own ass for taking this long to appreciate the amazingness that is this series.

So here’s my summary:
Resurrection (The Sainthood – Boys of Lowell High, #1)- 5 stars
Rebellion (The Sainthood – Boys of Lowell High, #2)- 5 stars
Reign (The Sainthood – Boys of Lowell High, #3)- 4 stars

The only reason I rated book 3 a bit lower is I really wish the MM element was better fleshed out. We spent so long waiting for these two to come together, and most of it was off the pages and I felt a bit gipped on it. I wanted more. I wanted more than the very few pages at the very end of the series on them. But alas, it is what it is.

As for the rest, it was pure crack. I love a sex positive heroine, and it doesn’t get better than Harlow. This is a female who knows what she wants and isn’t ashamed about it. If a man can separate feelings from sex why can’t a female. It’s ironic that was originally turned me off the series is the one thing that made me love it so much at the end.

The suspense arc kept me glued to the pages and the romance guaranteed I couldn’t set it down. If you’re looking for an addictive reverse harem romance, this is it, friend.

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Review: Cruel Prince by A. Jade

September 15, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

CRUEL PRINCE
Series: Royal Hearts Academy #1
Genre: New Adult, Bully Romance
Author: Amelia Wilde
Release Date:  August 20, 2019

Welcome to their kingdom…

I never thought I’d step foot in Royal Manor again.
But five years later, here I am…back to finish my senior year at Royal Hearts Academy.

And forced to face Jace Covington.
My first friend. First crush. First kiss.
The one I left behind.

Only—he isn’t the same boy I gave my heart to.

This new Jace is as cruel as he is gorgeous.
And he’s determined to make my life a living hell.
Along with the rest of his glorified family and crew of tyrants.

They expect me to worship the ground they walk on like everyone else, but I’d rather eat dirt.

If Jace Covington wants me gone…he’ll have to try harder.
Because I’ve never been the kind of girl to play by the rules.

WARNING: Royal Hearts Academy is a New Adult/High School series of standalones filled with drama, a touch of angst, and boys who are bad to the bone.
This series is recommended for mature readers due to graphic language and sexual content.

AMAZON 

No one in the whole wide world has the power to make me feel both love and hate simultaneously the way Jace Covington does. He’s the yin to my yang. The down to my up. The crazy to my normal. The damaged pieces to all my broken parts.

Did this spend entirely too long on my TBR? Yes.
Did I randomly pick it up last night expecting to try the first few pages? Yes
Did I binge read it in one sitting and stay up till 3 am to finish? Also yes
Actual footage of me at work today:
Do I have regrets? Not. A. One.

Now first of all, all of my friends who have read this book and didn’t wallop me over the head with their kindle to get me to read this sooner? Friendship over! You hear me? FRIENDSHIP OVER.

If you know me then you know that bully romance is my crack of choice. The meaner the hero, the better. I want the angst so thick I can taste it. I want the feels. I want to hate to love it and love to hate it. And when you spend 80% of the book wanting to cock punch the hero, well you know you’re in for a good time.

But the heart doesn’t choose who we love by their worth. Because love isn’t a choice. It’s an illogical, all-consuming consequence that results from someone stealing a vital piece of you.

Jace and Dylan became an obsession. I love the story here of childhood friends turned bitter enemies. Dylan is back in her home town after her father’s fall from grace, of the lock up variety. She’s expecting things to change, of course, but nothing prepares her for the sheer venom directed at her by the boy who was once her everything.

Jace was cruelty personified. He’s determined to make Dylan pay for the past, though you don’t quite know what it is that happened. That is slowly unraveled by small glimpses into the past.

Now if there’s one thing I need in my bully romance, is a good reason for the hero to be the utter douchebag that he is. And boy did this have it. My heart broke for this tortured boy. There is so much emotion, pain, and heartbreak that’s packed into this story that it sucks you right into the dark depths of it. I also want a fierce heroine and Dylan definitely gave as good as she got. This is a girl that gets pushed down but comes up swinging and I loved her for it. She definitely has a weak spot for Jace, and loves him unconditionally no matter how cruel he is. Their sexual chemistry being her particular weakness. Can’t say I blame her though lol. My one quibble is I wished for a longer grovel at the end, but it was still immensely satisfying so I can’t complain much. Now on to the next book because I NEED Oakley’s book. My poor tortured boy.

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Review: The Dom Identity by Lexi Blake

September 14, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

THE DOM IDENTITY
Series: Masters and Mercenaries: Reloaded Book 2
Genre: Romantic Suspense, BDSM
Author: Lexi Blake
Release Date: September 14,  2021

A man with everything

Michael Malone seems to have it all. A wealthy, loving family. A job that fulfills him. Friends he can count on. But something is missing. He’s spent years watching his brother and close friends get married and start families, but it hasn’t happened for him. When an assignment comes up to investigate fallen Hollywood star Vanessa Hale, he jumps at the chance. She’s gorgeous and potentially deadly. Playing the spy game with her might be just the thing to take his mind off his troubles.

A woman with nothing left to lose

Vanessa Hale had big dreams that ended in scandal. She returned home with nothing but heartache and the desire to find her mother’s killer. The trail points to someone at Lodge Corp, so taking a job with Julian Lodge’s mysterious company is her best option for finding the truth. While she hunts for a killer during the day, she hopes to find some solace at night in The Club. Meeting the gorgeous, sexy and seemingly kind Michael Malone, their chemistry sparks in a way she’s never felt before, and Vanessa thinks maybe her luck has finally changed.

A love that might save them both

When Michael’s true motives are revealed, she will have to find a way to forgive his betrayal. The killer has made Vanessa their next target. Working together and stopping this monster is the only chance for them to have the real love they both deserve.

AMAZON

He’d gone still, the tiniest bit predatory, and she hated the fact that it did something for her.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I will never get enough of this world. No matter how long the series, no matter the amount of spin-offs, this world and these characters will always be my favorite comfort.

This is book two in the new Masters and Mercenaries spinoff. If you haven’t read that series, you’re seriously missing out. But you can also dive into this one if you’re intimidated by the amount of books in the M&M series. Though I highly recommend you at least read Treasured before this one to get a bit more Malone. And if you want to be fully engrained in this world, I recommend you also read Siren Enslaved to meet Julian, Finn and and Dani.

Now let’s talk about this book. This was absolute trope candy for me and no one delivers on this quite like Lexi Blake.

Michael did what all my idiot employees do and fell for the client. Trust me. I’ve seen it a thousand times. Operative walks in, thinks he’s the big man and the bad girl will give up all her secrets because his dick is so special. But let me tell you, special dick always gives it up for a magical pussy…
Gay, straight, bi, it’s all the same. Suddenly big bad operative is all The bad girl isn’t so bad and if she did something wrong, my penis will fix it.”

I love when a story sets the scene to a major betrayal that everyone but the MCs see coming. You know it’s coming. You know it’s going to be good. You’re foaming at the mouth until it happens because you know there will be a grovel to beat all grovels and you’re so here for it. GOD. When I tell you this was utterly delicious. I mean it was FINGER LICKING GOOD.

Now I also love a good cross over, and this had the mother of all cross overs between M&M and Texas Sirens and Sanctum meets The Club. Vanessa Hale is a fallen Hollywood star with an infamous reputation. Painted by media as a difficult star and gold digger who married an old man for his money, she finds herself in the small town working for Julian’s wife. She’s also interested in finding out about the D/s lifestyle and wants to join The Club. But Julian doesn’t trust that her reasons for being there are genuine, and so he hires Ian to get to the bottom of it. And so Michael Malone is assigned to be her Dom in training with an agenda to get to the bottom of the real reason Vanessa is there.

I don’t have the words to describe to you how much I loved this story. Both Vanessa and Michael have their own demons from their past. Vanessa is used to no one seeing past what the gossip magazines and rumor have painted her image to be. The vain, gold digger. Michael is used to no one seeing past his family’s money. Michael definitely judges a book by it’s cover when it comes to Vanessa. But it doesn’t take long for him to question himself when he starts to see the woman beneath the infamous Hollywood image. Of course being the stupid man that he is, he doesn’t tell her anything and continues on with his mission while sleeping with her…because chemistry. And I couldn’t wait for that other shoe to drop.

When I tell you I loved this book, I mean I LOVED this book. I devoured it in one sitting. Between the cross over, we also get a little more insight into the mysterious and tortured Kyle and GAH, I cannot wait for his book. But I digress. This book had everything; the suspense, the romance, the chemistry, the feels. ALL OF THE FEELS. I loved Michael and Vanessa together and when inevitably Michael screws up, I loved the grovel and how Vanessa made him work for it. Then of course in usual Lexi fashion she drops a chapter at the end that leaves you salivating for the next book.

If you’re looking for a pulse pounding romantic suspense with a dash of sizzling BDSM and a story that’s going to suck you in from page one and keep you at the edge of your seat until the end, READ THIS BOOK!

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