Review: Show Stopper by BJ Harvey

August 31, 2020 by ·

SHOW STOPPER
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Chicago First Responders #1
Author: BJ Harvey
Release Date: August 31, 2020

The first time they meet it’s by chance.

The second is surely a coincidence.

The third…it’s either destiny or he’s a stalker.

Renee Hamilton has a thing against men in uniform. In her experience, they play hard, lie harder. Marco Rossi has a thing for feisty brunette women with a backbone and a smart mouth, especially one in particular who’s playing hard to get.

She’s fiercely independent and wants better for herself.
He loves helping people so much it’s literally his job.

Worst case scenario, they crash and burn.

Lucky for Renee, Marco has a hose, he knows how to use it, and he happens to love putting out all kinds of fires; real or otherwise.
***
USA Today Bestselling Author BJ Harvey brings you Showstopper – Book 1 in a new spin-off to the Cook Brothers rom com series featuring Chicago first responders fighting the good fight and also finding love at the same time. Set in the same world as the Bliss, Game, and Cook Brothers series before it.

 AMAZON 

I always said I wanted a show stopper. Something tells me, I may have just found one.

Who is this person that just melted in a swooning pile of goo over a sweet and angst-free romance? I have no idea who this bitch is. I don’t know her. I’m seriously questioning my entire existence right now and I am not ok, okay?! I. Am. Not. OK.

You guys. This book. *happy wiggle* It was just so stinking cute.

Now if you know me or follow my reviews, you know I don’t gravitate towards sweet romances. But sometimes a girl just needs a good hit of sweet and steamy. And when that happens, who better than BJ Harvey to serve it up. Because let me just tell you, fellow angst whores, once you meet Marco Rossi, you’ll be converters too.

Do you come to ladies’ night and try to use your big muscles and suave moves often? Or maybe you just say “I’m a firefighter; I’ve got a big hose and I know how to use it’ and wait for women to swoon and fall at your feet?”
My lips curve into an amused smirk. “Would it work on you? Because my next move is to take them to the firehouse and show them my big truck. Then, if they’re really good, I’ll let them slide down my long fireman’s pole.”

I want to clarify that while it was a light-hearted and easy read, it was not even a little cheesy. Which is always my fear when reading romance like this and why I gravitate to all of the angst. It was full of depth and wonderful characters and set the foundation for a fantastic series that I’m already craving my next hit of.

Renee is exactly the kind of heroine I love to read about it. She’s a take no prisoners professional. Independent to a fault and she don’t need no man, okay? She’s got some baggage from her previous relationship but she also doesn’t let it define her. She’s focused on her career and never sees Marco coming.

Marco is….*swoon*. GOD. This man was sheer perfection. He knows what he wants and he goes after it. He’s a gentleman. He’s a sweet talker that means what he says and says what he means and I couldn’t get enough of his woo. And ladies, his woo game is STRONG.

This was a cute, sweet and steamy read that I devoured in one sitting. It has just the right splash of conflict to keep things interesting and full of swoon and romance that will put a smile on your face and keep it there.

· Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: ,

Review: The Truest Thing by Samantha Young

August 26, 2020 by ·

The Truest Thing
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Hart’s Boardwalk #4
Author: Samantha Young
Release Date: August 18, 2020

Nine years ago, Emery Saunders moved to Hartwell to start her life over as a bookstore owner. Her inability to trust people made it hard for her to find a place in the small community until Jessica Lawson moved to town and befriended the shy beauty.
But there was one person in Hartwell who tried to befriend Emery long before Jessica arrived…

Jack Devlin has his secrets. One of them is that he fell hard for Emery the moment she appeared in Hartwell. Another is that his father blackmailed him into covering up a dark family tragedy. It forced Jack to sever his relationships to protect the people he cared about. Yet, staying away from Emery has not been easy throughout the years and he hasn’t always succeeded. When Jack’s mixed signals hurt Emery once again, she puts him out of her heart for good.
Until the Devlin family secret is finally revealed, freeing Jack from his father’s machinations. What Jack wants more than anything is to repair his relationships, starting with Emery.

However, Emery isn’t ready to forgive and Jack’s not ready to give up.
And when the town’s latest scandal ties Jack and Emery together, Jack is not above using their new reality to prove to Emery once and for all that their love is worthy of the legend of Hart’s Boardwalk.

 AMAZON 

She was pure temptation. He couldn’t have her. But, fuck, did he want her.

I adore all things Samantha Young and I’ve absolutely adored her Hart’s Boardwalk series. But while I did ultimately enjoy this one, it certainly wasn’t my favorite in the series.

Jack and Emery’s story is not an easy one. It spans years and is riddled with dark secrets, betrayal, and pain. Emery was a character I wasn’t sure that I’d love at first. She’s painfully shy, timid, and blushes with a stiff wind. But there’s just something about her that you can’t help but click with. She’s a very complex character with so many layers that get peeled back with each new chapter.

The second she sets foot in the small town and locks eyes with Jack, they have an indescribable connection. She’s a young girl with plenty of secrets who struggles to make connections but with more years that she spends in the charming small town, the more that changes. She makes friends. She forms strong connection with the town and the people. But her connection with Jack only gets more and more complicated.

Jack is a tortured characters with some dark secrets in his past and some debilitating demons in his present. And while I liked him at first, that connection began to wane as the story progressed. While I understood (somewhat) the reasons for some of the decisions he made, I also hated them. I hated them so much that I had a hard time moving past them and struggled with how Emery could. Even though Emery does make him work for it in the end, some of these betrayals were almost too much for me. Their constant back and forth, I want her but I can’t have her also became too much. It wore me out. There’s just so much drama on top of drama happening here, that the relationship issues with these two became too much for me.

I feel conflicted because while I did have issues, I also enjoyed it. I loved Emery, and even though Jack wasn’t perfect, he did have his incredible moments too. His feelings for Emery were so deep and there was so much emotion packed into this. I just could have done without some of the decisions with women he made. Le sigh.

While it wasn’t my favorite in the series, it was still an enjoyable read. I do adore this series and look forward to more.

· Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: ,

Review: Unholy Union by Natasha Knight

August 25, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

Unholy Union
Genre: Dark Romance, Mafia
Series: Unholy Union Duet #1
Author: Natasha Knight
Release Date: August 25,2020

Circumstance put Cristina on my path.

Fate bound her to me.

Cristina and I share a common past.

A single night that changed the course of our lives.

She asked me if I was a monster the night I met her.

I am.

She’s about to learn I’m her monster.

Because the countdown that began eight years ago has ended. Her time is up.

On the stroke of midnight, she’s mine.

Unholy Union contains the prologue Unholy: The Beginning

 AMAZON | B&N | KOBO | iBOOKS

COMING SOON

#2 Unholy Intent – Releasing September 15

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When you run, I will come after you. I will always come after you. You belong to me now, Cristina. For better or for worse.”

Oh.
My.
GOD.

I need the next book immediately!!!! My ovaries shall not survive it! I’m a sucker for a good anti-hero, and no one writes them quite like Natasha Knight. As a matter of fact, Damian Di Santo may be my favorite antihero I’ve read from her to date! This man was SHIVER inducing.

The pacing of this story was PERFECTION. It gives just enough chemistry to make the progression believable all the while maintaining the dangerous and dark notes of Damian and Christina’s relationship.

Christina is only a child when she first gets in Damian’s crosshairs. A bloody revenge, secrets and promises bring them back together years later on her eighteenth birthday. I loved that even thought Christina is so young and has the naiveté to go with it, she’s not a pushover. She’s a fighter. She’s not reckless but she’s also not a doormat. She’s an incredible balance of fierce and vulnerable. As for Damian? GAH. This man. I loved him. He’s lethal, cunning, and oozes danger and sexuality. Christina can’t accept that she was promised to Damian in a deal that cost her family everything. She’ll fight him with everything she is. But there’s so much more at play here. There’s dark secrets and dangerous plot twists lurking at every turn and I was so here for it.

I DEVOURED this book, y’all. Couldn’t stop reading for even a second. It was everything I love in a dark romance and I’m absolutely desperate for the conclusion!

USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance, Natasha Knight specializes in dark, tortured heroes. Happily-Ever-Afters are almost always guaranteed, but she likes to put her characters through hell to get them there. She’s evil like that.

 

Connect with Natasha:

Website: http://natasha-knight.com

Bookbub: http://bit.ly/29Cb7vD

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2kg2fRX

Facebook: http://bit.ly/29q3s4b

Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/2xvnZO5

Newsletter: http://natasha-knight.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natashaknight13

 

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Review: Sweet Mercy by Nina West

August 22, 2020 by · 1 Comment

SWEET MERCY
Genre: Erotic Romance, Mafia
Series: Dirty Empire #1
Author: Nina West
Release Date: March 27, 2019

From internationally bestselling author K.A. Tucker, writing as Nina West, comes the dark and steamy Dirty Empire trilogy.

One visit to my father in prison—convicted for a murder he didn’t commit—and I’ve attracted the attention of the last man I’d ever want knowing that I exist.

Gabriel Easton.

Son of an infamous crime boss. Deplorable womanizer. Scoundrel to the core.

Worse, he has figured out how desperate I am to protect my father from brutality behind bars. He has the power to grant that protection, and he has offered it … for a price.

Me.

I am to become a “guest” in his mansion, to live with him until he tires of having me around.
I’ll do anything for my father, including agree to Gabriel’s cruel game. But I won’t comply with his every whim and wish.

Not when he taunts me with that ruthless spark in his cold blue eyes.

Not when he requires that I share his bedroom at night.

Unfortunately for me, I think my loathing for him is what he’s enjoying most.

That’s fine. By the time I’m through with him, he’ll be crying my name.

Mercy.

 AMAZON 

My name on this woman’s lips will be my downfall.

First of all, if we’re friends and you’ve read this book and didn’t scream at me that I need to read it immediately? Yeah. I’m reevaluating our friendship. You are no friend of mine. Because if you were and you read this, then you’d know that this was so much my catnip, I’d want to name both of my ovaries Gabriel.
This is book one in one of the most addictive trilogies I’ve read in a long time. And I’m not a reader that gravitates to trilogies? But having devoured this book in one sitting, I can already confirm that book two is giving me the same vibes.

Gabriel is the ultimate bad boy. The man is the son of an infamous gangster whose mere name makes grown men quake. He and his brother have lived a life of debauchery and no expense spared but don’t exactly what to be in their father’s shadow.

Gabriel is also used to getting any woman he wants to fall at his knees at the snap of a sexy finger.

Mercy has had her entire world turned upside down when her father gets sent to prison for the murder of a man that attacked her. She’s desperate to get him out and fight his unfair conviction. Especially since his life is in constant danger. Gabriel lays his sights on the beauty while visiting his own father and is determined to have her. But he doesn’t exactly make a convincing argument when he offers his protection in exchange for her dropping to her knees.

Now if you’re not a fan of alphaholes, you won’t like this. But if you’re like me and like them mean and extra cocky, prepare for ovary explosion, friends. Because Gabriel is all of the things. And I think what makes this as good as it was was watching his fall for Mercy. Mercy may be a good girl, but she takes no sh*t and isn’t afraid to put Gabriel in his place and makes him work for it. The sexual tension is UNREAL You can practically taste their chemistry.

I devoured and I mean DEVOURED this book. It was deliciously dirty and completely addictive.

1 Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Dirty Talkers, Erotic Rom · Tagged With: , , ,

Review: The Pool Boy by Nikki Sloane

August 13, 2020 by ·

THE POOL BOY
Genre: Erotic Romance
Series: Nashville Neighborhood #2
Author: Nikki Sloane
Release Date: August 11, 2020


Nothing says happy birthday like catching your husband in a compromising position with his boss.

His male boss.

Why, hello, midlife crisis. I’m starting over, but this time I’m doing it right. Or at least I’m doing what I want.

Taking the day off from work to hang out poolside? Yup. Do I leave the swimsuit in my house? Sure.

Does my very hot, twenty-something pool boy happen to catch me naked? Oh, yeah, he does. And he likes what he sees… a lot.

My best friend keeps telling me to have a fling and get back out there. But I’m not so sure she meant for me to do it with her son.

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If he had a flavor, it was just like his music. Sinfully rich and hot.

Every now and then a girl just wants a fun and smutty romance with a dash of taboo/forbidden mixed in. And whenever I’m craving this, Nikki Sloane is my no-brainer go-to. The woman can write a steamy erotica like no other. But she’ll also infuse it with a fun story and plenty of feels to make it immensely satisfying.

Now I’m going to admit something to you and I’m prepared for the judgy looks I’ll get. *whispers* I have a double standard. *grins sheepishly* What? I own it. I know I do. Because while I love me a good age gap romance with an older man, I don’t particularly gravitate towards the reverse. I know, I know. It’s not a bias I have in life. But for some reason, I do have it in books. Which is ridiculous, now that I think about it, because some of my favorite age gaps have been with a younger guy. Huh. I’m having an epiphany here. But I digress. What I’m trying to say here, is it’s not my go to, but if Nikki writes it? I’m all over it.

I devoured Erika and Troy’s book. Beyond the age gap, there’s also a big dash of forbidden, because Troy just happens to be Erika’s best friend’s son.
Erika is a recent divorce still dealing with discovering her husband’s long term affair…with his male boss.
I know! The plot twists! Craziness. But I digress again.

Troy is Erika’s best friend’s son and also her pool boy. Troy has also been harboring a huge crush on his mom’s friend for years. When he stumbles upon Erika sunbathing at her pool topless, well, let’s just say his reaction is not easy to hide. And seeing her best friend’s son all grown up staring at her with some very adult lust in his eyes? Well let’s just say Erika has an epiphany of her own. Thus begins their incredibly hot but also forbidden affair. And I was SO HERE FOR IT.

This story was so much more than just hot sex. Even though it was hot. I mean, smoking hot. SCORCHING. But really, there was so much more to it. I loved the way that Erika fought for Troy’s dreams even when his own parents didn’t see them. Troy was absolutely delicious. He’s sweet and caring and he’s all in with Erika. He’s not a stereotypical 20 year old playboy. He knows what he wants and he doesn’t need years of playing the field to know that it’s Erika and he could care less about their twenty year age difference. I absolutely loved the two of them together.

This was such a fun, quick paced read that I devoured in one hot Sunday afternoon and finished with a smile on my face. It was the perfect steamy read to get my mind off of all the crazy happening in our world right now. I also immediately went and purchased book one in this series to read about the good Dr and his son’s ex girlfriend. Because Yum. If you’re looking for a super steamy but wonderfully developed and immensely satisfying erotic romance, this is definitely a must read.

USA Today bestselling author Nikki Sloane landed in graphic design after her careers as a waitress, a screenwriter, and a ballroom dance instructor fell through. For eight years she worked for a design firm in that extremely tall, black, and tiered building in Chicago that went through an unfortunate name change during her time there.

 

Now she lives in Kentucky, is married and has two sons. She is a three-time Romance Writers of America RITA© Finalist, a Passionate Plume winner, a two-time HOLT Medallion finalist, and couldn’t be any happier that people enjoy reading her sexy words.

Connect with Nikki

Amazon | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bookbub | Goodreads | Joining her mailing list

· Filed Under: All Reviews, Erotic Rom · Tagged With: , ,

Review: Kiss My Cupcake by Helena Hunting

August 11, 2020 by ·

KISS MY CUPCAKE
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomCom
Author: Helena Hunting
Release Date: August 11, 2020

As two neighborhood shop owners battle for business, they prove opposites attract in this outrageously funny romantic comedy from the USA Today bestselling author of Meet Cute.

Blaire Calloway has planned every Instagram-worthy moment of her cupcake and cocktails shop launch down to the tiniest detail. What she didn’t plan on? Ronan Knight and his old-school sports bar next door opening on the very same day. He may be super swoony, but Blaire hasn’t spent years obsessing over buttercream and bourbon to have him ruin her chance at success.

From axe throwing (his place) to frosting contests (hers), Blaire and Ronan are constantly trying to one-up each other in a battle to win new customers. But with every clash, there’s also an undeniable chemistry. When an even bigger threat to their business comes to town, they’re forced to call a temporary time-out on their own war and work together. And the more time Blaire spends getting to know the real Ronan, the more she wonders if it’s possible to have her cupcake and eat it too.

 AMAZON

What’re you doing?”
“I want to see what I’m dealing with.”
“You can touch him, he doesn’t bite.”
“Him?” She peeks up, her expression amused. “Does he have a name?”
I scoff. “Of course not.” I call him The Sword of Destiny in my head, though.

I finished this good with a ridiculous craving of cupcakes and a goofy grin on my face. This was just so stinking cute, y’all. SO CUTE. This was opposites attract perfection with a splash of enemies to lovers and all the feels.

You may have started the war, but I’ll be the one taking you down, one sweet treat at a time.”

What happens when a sexy and tatted lumberjack meets a sassy and fiery baker with a penchant for retro fashion and insults. Basically, this was a recipe for amazing from the very first page.

Blaire is intent on making her boozy bakery a success. Combining sweet treats with fun drinks is her thing, much to the dismay of her very kooky but gourmet family. She’s intent to prove to them that she can make it on her own and without their financial help. But then she gets a new work neighbor that turns everything upside down. Ronan runs the bar next door and his renovations have been giving Blaire grief. So suffice it to say their first meeting isn’t exactly cordial. The chemistry between these two was EVERYTHING. And I seriously mean everything. You can literally see the sparks fly between them each time they go head to head.

At first they’re business rivals, each trying to one up the other when they’re not trading barbs and insults with a strong undercurrent of sexual tension. Then an unlikely friendship forms. I seriously loved the two of them together. Blaire has the kookiest family that made for some highly entertaining secondary characters. She’s also fun and fiery with a temper but a caring heart. I simply adored her. I cannot tell you how much I loved Ronan. He was perfection covered in tattoos. He’s sweet and loyal and I loved the relationship he has with his grandfather.

The romance here was a delicious slow burn that I couldn’t get enough of. I was eagerly turning the pages just waiting for that moment when Ronan and Blaire finally give into the chemistry between them. And when they finally did? YOWZA. Perfection.

If you’re looking for a fun, light-hearted romcom with a delicious sizzle and plenty of feels, look no further!

· Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: , ,

#DGRFave & Review: Exodus by Kate Stewart

August 5, 2020 by ·

EXODUS
Genre: Contemporary Romance (maybe. I don’t even know. My brain hurts, OK?!)
Series: Ravenhood Duet #2
Author: Kate Stewart
Release Date: July 28, 2020

Can you live a lie?

It’s a ghost town, this place that haunts me, the one that made me.

It’s clear to me that I’ll never outgrow Triple Falls or outlive the time I spent here.

I can still feel them all, my boys of summer.

Even when I’d sensed the danger, I gave in.

I didn’t heed a single warning. I let my sickness, my love, both rule and ruin me. I played my part, eyes wide open, tempting fate until it delivered.

There was never going to be an escape.

All of us are to blame for what happened. All of us serving our own sentences. We were careless and reckless, thinking our youth made us indestructible, exempt from our sins, and it cost us all.

I’m done pretending I didn’t leave the largest part of me between these hills and valleys, between the sea of trees that hold my secrets.

It’s the reason I’m back. To make peace with my fate.

And if I can’t grieve enough to cure myself in my time here, I’ll remain sick. That will be my curse.

But it’s time to confess, to myself more so than any other, that I’d hindered my chances because of the way I was built, and because of the men who built me.

At this point, I just want to make peace with who I am, no matter what ending I get.

Because I can no longer live a lie.

 AMAZON

Once upon a time, I was a lonely girl who met a lonely king, and we both suffered from too much pride and oh, how the reckless have fallen.

Do you see that crazy person staring blankly at the wall while clutching a bottle of wine and babbling to herself? Great. Now mind your business because she is NOT OK. She is me. OK? Alright? I am not ok. How do you even go on after this duet? How do you read anything else after it? How do you gather the remnants of sanity long enough to write a coherent review? You don’t! So don’t be expecting anything like that here, because you won’t get it. What you will get is incoherent babbling in bouts of full body sobbing and maniacal laughter. In that exact order. I said mind your business! I feel like I’ve just been hit by a mac truck of feels.

How do I even describe this duet to you? Soul shattering. All encompassing. Heart wrenching. Erotic. Utterly unforgettable. PHENOMENAL.

He didn’t want to feel anything, and instead, he felt everything. We’ve just ruined ourselves with our hate for the other.

Full disclosure, I must have spent a good 60% of this book hysterically sobbing. Like to the point of full body shakes when my husband finally looked at me like I’ve gone and lost it completely. And you know what? He was not wrong. God damn but Stewart can write. The woman can wring emotion out of her readers like nobody’s business but she seriously hit it out of the ballpark with this story.

Let’s talk about Cecelia for a second, because as many may judge her, I loved her. It’s not often you read about such a sex positive heroine that owns her desire and what she wants and I loved her for it. She’s a fighter and she’s magnificent in her fight. This is a woman that doesn’t take things lying down and isn’t afraid to rage and fight for what she wants.

Now as for the rest of it, you’ll get nothing. Absolutely nothing from me. Because this is just one of those books that you need to experience totally blind. I thought I was a pretty open minded reader, but this story took me so far out of my comfort zone, I was lost at sea. Drifting in an ocean of emotion so potent, I could practically taste it. But that’s also what I loved about this story. The fact that it was unlike anything else I’d ever read. It was one of those books that I will never forget. Ever. And this is coming from someone that barely remembers what she had for breakfast. Puny memory here, people.

Do yourself a favor and go in blind. Don’t seek out spoilers. Don’t read in depth reviews. Just trust me on this.

Is it an easy read? Not even a little. But what I appreciate about Kate Stewart’s raw talent is nothing was for shock value. There’s hints throughout the very first pages of what’s to come and the story unravels like the most enrapturing mystery. It was gritty and all encompassing. This book owned me. Cold black heart and soul. It will be a book I’ll be singing the praises of for years to come. It will be the book I recommend to anyone and everyone. It will be a book I will never, ever forget. It’s one of my top reads of the year. Magical. All encompassing. Unique. A one of a kind experience that broke me and put me back together again. INCREDIBLE.

· Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: , ,

Review: Inked In Lies by Giana Darling

August 4, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

INKED IN LIES
Genre: MC Romance, Contemporary
Series: Fallen Men #5
Author: Giana Darling
Release Date: July 31https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50256015-inked-in-lies?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=DabMWCzZCp&rank=1, 2020

He moved in next door.

Handsome as sin, older in a way that meant forbidden.

He had tattoos on his hands and wickedness tucked in his grin.

I was a goner as girl to a man they called Casanova for a reason. He would never love me, at least not the way I needed him to.

I tried to move on. But I couldn’t turn my back on him or The Fallen MC.

So when they needed me most, I offered the only thing of value I could use to help them.

My body.

And when helping them meant putting my life on the line, Nova had to decide just how much he was willing to do to get me out alive.

A standalone romance in The Fallen Men series.

 AMAZON

He was it. My dream man wrapped up in a sinful package. And he was still completely and utterly forbidden.

I’m a sucker for unrequited love tropes and gritty MC and this book was the best of both worlds.

She was mine. And I was hers in the way a wolf is owned by his moon, elementally, fuckin’ irrevocably.

Nova and Lila’s story was not an easy one. It was full of angst, frustration, and pain. They first meet when Lila is only a little girl and Nova quickly becomes her everything. His family becoming Lila’s escape when all she’s known in her young life have been liars and criminals. Lila’s childhood is anything but pretty or easy. It’s full of loss, pain, and lies. But what starts as a bit of hero worship soon bleeds into something so much more as Lila grows older.

Nova is the pretty playboy of the Fallen Men. He’s quick to smile and isn’t above using his good looks to get what he wants. He’s perfectly content spending each night with a different woman and has no illusions that he would ever want more. But not all is as it seems with Nova. He’s a true wolf in sheep’s clothing. His easy smile hides some very dark demons. Lila has always been like a foster sister to him but there’s also something more that pulses between them when she gets older. He knows he can’t be what he wants and he pushes her away, cruelly and bluntly. Theirs is a dance of push and pull that will drive you to the brink of madness at times, but it hurts so good!

There’s so much that happens in this book; secrets unravel with so many twists and turns, it will leave your head reeling. The romance is gritty, frustrating, and oh so delicious. Lila, even if she does forgive Nova too easily in parts, is still a force to be reckoned with and I really loved her fire. Nova was impossible not to love, even when you wanted to hate him. His decisions in parts had me wanting to shake him and rip my hair out. But there’s just something so addictive about this man.
hight=”50″ width=”50″ />Loving someone shouldn’t be contingent on them returning that affection. Loving someone existed apart from reciprocation.

I loved the story and the gritty feels of it. Lived for it. But it was missing some polish. There were some minor continuity and timeline issues. There were also some very minor characterization issues. For example, 17 year old Nova sounded exactly like 30 year old Nova biker, which wasn’t a huge thing in the grand scheme of things, but still noticeable. The other thing was all the fallen men sound the same. same intonations, same turn of phrases and lack of constants. Don’t get me wrong, the biker speak is great, and I loved the Kristen Ashley feel of it in parts. But in the same breath, it was tough to read when it was also in their inner monologues. Like I would have to re-read sentences 3 times before it finally clicked what they were saying. Sorry, y’all, I simply couldn’t shut off my picky brain long enough to look past it. Le sigh. This series has a very strong KA feel to it, which I love. But the lack of constants and the blurring of words like “all of the” for: “alla the brothers” or “you think you can handle alla that” became a bit grating for me.

Clearly I still really enjoyed the book so please take my nitpicking with a grain of salt. Because it’s just that; nitpicking. The story was great and I devoured it. After Welcome to the Dark Side it has now become my second favorite book in the series. If you love gritty MC, it’s definitely not to be missed. Giana is a talented author that can weave an addictive tale full of twists and turns that will have you glued to the pages.

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Bikers, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: , ,

#DGRFave & Review: When The Time Is Right by M. Mabie & Aly Martinez

July 31, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: M. Mabie & Aly Martinez
Release Date: July 30, 2020

Fate doesn’t always happen overnight.

Hudson Bradley is the cockiest, most stubborn, hard-headed man I’ve ever known. And for fifteen years, he’s been my brother’s best friend.

But lately, what I’m feeling for him isn’t friendship at all.

Why is my heart racing every time his blue eyes lock on mine?
Why does every word he rumbles in my ear make my body come alive?
And worst of all, why did I bet him that I could find a woman he and his son would both love?

If I hadn’t given up on love altogether, Hudson would have been perfect for me. After all, he was there the day my world fell apart. He’s spent the last six years piecing me back together.

There are a million reasons why we could never work, but after a single kiss, I can’t remember any of them.

Now that the time is right, I have to make him mine—before I lose him forever.

 AMAZON

He was Hudson. My brother’s best friend. My reluctant partner in crime—or at least the man there to bail me out when I was partnering in crime alone. He was…a really fucking good guy. Not to mention stupid hot and all that masculine energy I craved.

Excuse me? Can I have your undivided attention please? I have a big announcement to make.
*clears throat*
This was easily my favorite friends to lovers romance I have EVER read.
*pauses for dramatic effect*

I KNOW. Big statement, right? But let me just tell you. This book? It was absolute perfection. It was everything. All of the things. It was swoony and emotional. It was hilarious. It was full of the best banter and so many laugh out loud moments that my face still hurts from grinning like a loon the entire time I was reading. I don’t even have the words to describe to you all of the ways I loved this book. But I’m going to attempt to here. Because it deserves all of the words.

Hudson has been the rock for Alexis as long as she’s known him. He’s the stable, reliable, and always there for everyone kind of man. He’s her brother’s best friend, but he’s been her friend as well. He was there for her through the worst and helped piece her together in the after effects.

His best friend’s family has been the only family Hudson has truly ever known. He loves them like they’re his own. Hudson is a single father and an amazing daddy. He’s also not exactly winning it in the dating department. Hard to date when you’re a workaholic single father after all. But then he makes a bet with Alexis on who can set the other up on the best blind date…and things take a very interesting turn.

Now lets talk about the friends to lovers trope for a hot second here, shall we? Because the pacing from friends to the realization that there’s something more was pure perfection. I adore the way the authors handled the timing of everything. It just felt so genuine and authentic. It sort of snuck up on both Lex and Hud and hit them over the head but it didn’t come as a shock. I don’t know how to explain it to you without you experiencing it, but let’s just say that it was SO GOOD.

These two together was everything. I couldn’t get enough of their banter and their easy camaraderie. They love each other so much but they don’t see what everyone around them have seen for years, which is how perfect they are for each other.

I loved Lex’s fiery sass. The woman had attitude and zingers for days and I couldn’t get enough of it. She’s a spitfire but she’s also a fierce friend and I loved the way she loved Hudson. As for Hudson, I can’t even begin to describe all of his perfection. This single daddy with a heart of gold was just GAH. He was everyone’s rock. He’s there for his family and his friends when they need him and he’ll do anything for those he loves. His son was the most adorable secondary character every and the way Hud and Lex were with him just melted my heart.

There was no crazy drama but there were plenty of feels. It was just one of those utterly perfect feel good romances that just suck you right into its world and wrap you up in it like the coziest blankets. It was magical. It was swoony perfection. It put a smile on my face and kept it there until the very last page. I loved the hell out of this book. I didn’t want it to end. And if you’re a fan of friends to lovers, you simply need this book in your life. It was EVERYTHING. ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING. And I simply cannot recommend it enough.

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#DGRFave: Flock by Kate Stewart

July 30, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

FLOCK
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Ravenhood Duet #1
Author: Kate Stewart
Release Date: July 28, 2020

??? ??? ???? ? ???????

I grew up sick.

Let me clarify.

I grew up believing that real love stories include a martyr or demand great sacrifice to be worthy.

Because of that, I believed it, because I made myself believe it, and I bred the most masochistic of romantic hearts, which resulted in my illness.

When I lived this story, my own twisted fairy tale, it was unbeknownst to me at the time because I was young and naïve. I gave into temptation and fed the beating beast, which grew thirstier with every slash, every strike, every blow.

Triple Falls wasn’t at all what it seemed, nor were the men that swept me under their wing. But in order to keep them, I had to be in on their secrets.

Secrets that cost us everything to keep.

That’s the novelty of fiction versus reality. You can’t re-live your own love story, because by the time you’ve realized you’re living it, it’s over. At least that was the case for me and the men I trusted my foolish heart to.

Looking back, I’m convinced I willed my story into existence due to my illness.

??? ??? ???? ????????.

 AMAZON

My greatest hope is to be in all-consuming love. My biggest fear is to be in all-consuming love.

Shut. The. Front. Door. TWICE.

I am totally and completely ruined. Dead. DEAD I tells ya. How do I even go on living after this book? HOW? I’ve been sitting in my room, staring blankly at the wall for the past 3 hours, just trying to figure out how to go on with my life. And I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s simply impossible. Until I have book two in my hands, the only existence is my currently over caffeinated and slightly manic state of OHMYGODWHATDIDIJUSTREAD!!!!

The only love I’ve ever known or craved is the kind that keeps me sick, sick with longing, sick with lust, sick with need, sick with grief. The distorted kind that leaves scars and jaded hearts.

I don’t know about you, but my love affair with Kate Stewart actually began with her books under her pen name. All I remember is cracking open Excess and falling head over ovaries for this woman’s words. Since then, I’ve been greedily devouring each of her releases without even bothering to read the blurb. This one being no exception. And if there’s one piece of advice I can give you, is that you do the same thing. Go in absolutely blind. Trust me on this and thank me later.

But back to my point and where I was going with this. When I learned that Angelica Chase was none other than Kate Stewart, it was like two worlds colliding for me. Angelica wrote twisty and erotic romances and Kate Stewart wrote unforgettable stories. So where am I going with this? Well, Flock happened to be the most amazing culmination of Kate and Angelica that I couldn’t even imagine in my dreams.

This book was….how do I even describe this to you. First of all, that blurb is vague AF. And as much as I want to give you more, I won’t. because this isn’t a story you read. It’s one you experience. And it’s one you need to experience to its full potency. It was a twisty and erotic masterpiece that sucks you in and doesn’t let you go. It’s a thrill ride of emotion and frustration as you grasp at straws to try to make sense of it all, only to fall victim to the author’s evil genius mind and realize you no longer know up from down and left from right.

All I know is I binged. BINGED y’all. I stayed up all night reading and while I can barely function this morning, I’m not even a little sorry because it was all worth it. Well. Maybe not my manic screaming when I got to the end and woke up my husband who preceded to look at me like I just lost my ever loving mind at 4 am. And you know what? He’s not wrong. Because I definitely did. And I won’t be sane until I get my answers in book two. And while it’s only a few days away, the wait for Exodus is the worst sort of torture.

So let me end my “review” (if you can even call it that) with this: if this book is not on your radar (you’ve been living under a rock), it NEEDS to be. If you’re not sure about reading it, dive in! If you read ANY book this year, make it this one. If you want a unique, captivating, and utterly unforgettable read, GET. THIS. BOOK.

That is all. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to rock myself in a corner somewhere (preferably with booze) in my wait for Exodus. And in case you’re wondering, no, I am most definitely NOT OKAY.

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance, DGR Favorites · Tagged With: , ,
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