Review: Lessons In Sin by Pam Godwin

June 29, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

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

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

But I found a way to control my impulses.

I became a priest.

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

Until Tinsley Constantine.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

June 22, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

AMAZON 

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

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

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

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

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

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Review: Bound To Her Fake Fiancé Boss by Hayson Manning

June 20, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

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

Faking it never felt so real…

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

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

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

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

AMAZON 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

June 19, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AMAZON

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Review: When Darkness Ends by Marni Mann

June 18, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Connect with Marni

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

 

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Review: Strict Confidence by Skye Warren

June 17, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

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

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

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

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

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

They’re her new family.

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

The cliffside grows dark with the misdeeds of the past.

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

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


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

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

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

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

Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of dangerous romance such as the Endgame trilogy. Her books have been featured in Jezebel, Buzzfeed, USA Today Happily Ever After, Glamour, and Elle Magazine. She makes her home in Texas with her loving family, sweet dogs, and evil cat.

Connect with Skye

Website |Goodreads | Amazon | Facebook | Facebook Group | Instagram | Twitter | Bookbub | Pinterest

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Review: Smoke & Mirrors by Skye Jordan

June 16, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

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

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

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


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

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

Lies have influenced my entire life.

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

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

AMAZON 


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

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

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

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

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

 

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Review: Mafia King by CD Reiss

June 15, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

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

Santino is my king.
My lover.
My husband.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Book two of three in the The Dilustro Arrangement.

AMAZON

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Review: Tryst Six Venom by Penelope Douglas

June 3, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

TRYST SIX VENOM
Genre: FF, Bully Romance
Author: Penelope Douglas
Release Date: June 3, 2021

???? ?????, ???? ?????, ??? ??? ?????? ???? ????? ?????… ??? ?????!

????

Marymount girls are good girls. We’re chaste, we’re untouched, and even if we weren’t, no one would know, because we keep our mouths shut.

Not that I have anything to share anyway. I never let guys go too far. I’m behaved.

Beautiful, smart, talented, popular, my skirt’s always pressed, and I never have a hair out of place. I own the hallways, walking tall on Monday and dropping to my knees like the good Catholic girl I am on Sunday.

That’s me. Always in control.

Or so they think. The truth is that it’s easy for me to resist them, because what I truly want, they can never be. Something soft and smooth. Someone dangerous and wild.

Unfortunately, what I want I have to hide. In the locker room after hours. In the bathroom stall between classes. In the showers after practice. ?? ℎ??? ????????. ?? ℎ??? ?? ℎ?? ?????.

For me, life is a web of secrets. No one can find out mine.

??????

I cross the tracks every day for one reason—to graduate from this school and get into the Ivy League. I’m not ashamed of where I come from, my family, or how everyone at Marymount thinks my skirts are too short and my lipstick is too red.

Clay Collins and her friends have always turned up their noses at me. The witch with her beautiful skin, clean shoes, and rich parents who torments me daily and thinks I won’t fight back.

At least not until I get her alone and find out she’s hiding so much more than just what’s underneath those pretty clothes.

The princess thinks I’ll scratch her itch. She thinks she’s still pure as long as it’s not a guy touching her.

I told her to stay on her side of town. I told her not to cross the tracks.

But one night, she did. And when I’m done with her, she’ll never be pure again.

*TRYST SIX VENOM is a standalone, new adult, bully romance suitable for readers 18+. It will release directly into Kindle Unlimited!

AMAZON

I hate Olivia Jaeger. I f*cking hate her, and I’d happily never love anything if I could hate her my whole life. My eyes pool with tears, and I don’t know why.

The author that first introduced me to bully romance now coming out with an FF bully romance? You best believe I’d be all over that. I was downright salivating for this book for moooooonths. Desperately awaiting the release. So when it landed on my kindle, I must have jumped on it quicker than you can say “mine”. True story.

When you’re in the eye of the storm, the only way out is through.

A prestigious high school for the rich and entitled. A girl from the wrong side of the tracks. And the spoiled girl who seems to have everything she wants, except the one thing that alludes her. I was instantly hooked on the story.

Clay is a bully that you can’t help but love. She’s tortured, angry, and no matter how much venom she spits, you see the pain it’s rooted in. She’s the popular girl in the school. The one who seems to have everything at her fingertips. The captain of the lacrosse team and the girl all guys want and all girls want to be.

Olivia “Liv” Jaeggar is her antithesis. She’s the black sheep of the school and the brunt of everyone’s jokes. She doesn’t hide herself and makes no apologies. The only girl amongst her 5 brothers, she’s a bit of a bad girl with an aura of I don’t give a d@mn. I loved her. She’s venomous in her own right. She takes everything Clay has to give and dishes it right back. But where Clay hasn’t quite figured out who she is, Liv knows it and wears it openly.

I loved the fact that Pen also focused on some very real pieces of bullying and I appreciated this story so much more for it.

As for the romance, I lived for it. It’s a slow burn, full of angst and emotion. It had so much depth that I found myself happily drowning in it. And the epilogue? *chefs kiss* Perfection.

But even though I loved this book, I’m completely unsatisfied too. Why? Because I need more. I need a book for each and every single one of Liv’s bothers. Particularly Macon and Dallas. Like I would DIE for their book. I need it BAD.

Aside from that, I’m in book heaven. This book hit every single spot. I loved every page of it.

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Review: Blame It on the Tequila by Fiona Cole

May 27, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

BLAME IT ON THE TEQUILA
Series: Blame It On The Alcohol #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Fiona Cole
Release Date: May 27, 2020

The world loves him and his music, but I loved him first. 

It started on a dance floor after too much tequila and ended with looking into the handsome face I never thought I’d see again. In-person, at least.

I saw his face all the time on magazine covers.

To the world, he’s Parker Callahan- famous rockstar.

To me, he was the boy I loved, the stepbrother who left me behind to follow his dreams.

After our tequila-fueled encounter, he wants me back but that’s not a road I’m ready to walk down again. He broke my heart once, and even five years later, I’m not sure I could handle another blow.

When a once-in-a-lifetime offer comes my way, even my broken heart isn’t enough for me to be able to turn it down. I agree to join the band’s tour and help Parker write his next album–but this time I’m not falling in love.

This time I’ll walk away.

If there is one thing life has taught me, it’s that love never goes to plan–especially when Parker is involved. 

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I’d never had the all-consuming urge to go, go, go until we were one. I’d never had the urge to crawl inside someone and never come out. Until him

I’m a sucker for a second chance romance. Something about the feels and angst of it just does it for me. Add a rockstar into the mix, and I’m so sold!

This one had a bit of a mystery element to it that hooked me from the very first page. The story is told in alternating past and present, with the majority of the story taking place in the present.

Parker and Nova first met as teens. They had an immediate chemistry and pull that both of them tried desperately to avoid because they were step siblings. Their mutual love of music brought them together, but then seemed to ultimately tear them apart. Parker and Nova fell hard and fast, until they fell apart and everything changed.

Years later, Nova is still not quite over Parker, but she’s moved on and determined not to think about that part of her life again. But then a night of tequila and a bit of fate bring them into each other’s orbits again.

Parker is determined not to let Nova walk away this time, and Nova is just as determined to run from all of it. She’s pretty hell bent on avoiding Parker, until fate intervenes once more and puts them as close to each other as possible.

While I enjoyed the story, I didn’t love it as much as I did the first book. I think part of it stems from my frustration with Nova and her inability to tackle anything head on. She runs from any confrontation and while I understood it at the very end when the big part of the mystery gets revealed, it was no less frustrating. Ultimately, I can’t place my finger on exactly what it was or why, but it was just missing a little something for me. That spark just wasn’t there. I liked the couple and the romance, but I wasn’t riveted to the pages. Would I recommend it? Absolutely. It was a fun and engaging read. It just won’t be anything I’d come back to.

Fiona Cole is a military wife and a stay at home mom with degrees in biology and chemistry. As much as she loved science, she decided to postpone her career to stay at home with her two little girls, and immersed herself in the world of books until finally deciding to write her own.

 Connect with Fiona

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