Review: Frost and Flame by Gena Showalter

September 18, 2019 by · Leave a Comment

FROST AND FLAME
Series: Gods of War #2
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Author: Gena Showalter
Release Date: September 17, 2019

From Gena Showalter, the New York Times bestselling author of the Lords of the Underworld saga, comes Frost and Flame , the second book in the scorching paranormal romance series Gods of War.

Bane of Adwaeweth is the most feared immortal warrior in All War history. Possessed by a bloodthirsty beast, he will stop at nothing to win. Then he meets irresistible Nola Lee. He hates the power she wields over him, but she alone can rain vengeance upon his wife’s killer.

Unaware of her destiny to rule as queen of beasts, Nola battles illness, addiction and vulnerability. With Bane, however, she experiences pleasure for the first time, and only wants more. But being with him comes with a terrible price.

With enemies lurking around every corner, Bane and Nola must fight to survive. But time is running out, and neither can resist the sizzling attraction blazing between them. Will their romance save the beast and his beauty, or destroy everything they’ve come to love?

AMAZON 

You are my salvation and my damnation, rolled into one beautiful package.”


Well hot diggity damn, this was great! I’m so happy I gave this series another shot after not quite connecting with the first book, because this one officially hooked me. The connection and chemistry that I found lacking in the first one was absolutely incendiary in this one. Pun intended.

I was so curious about Bane and Nola’s book from the second they appeared in Shadow and Ice. The story here runs parallel to the one in the first book. But I will say that if you haven’t read the first, you may struggle in parts. This story doesn’t go as much into depth into some of the background given in the first, so I’d definitely recommend giving that a read before diving into this one.

Bane was a hero that was impossible not to love even if his hot and cold behavior did make me want to jock punch him more often than not. A dragon shifter, he’s a fierce warrior that is bound to the command of an evil queen that he’s sworn vengeance on. Determined to win the third All War in order to achieve his goal, he knows immediately that Nola plays an intricate part in his revenge.

Nola and Vale are foster sisters and tight as thieves. And while I liked Vale’s character, I absolutely loved Nola. There’s just something so endearing about a woman that’s dealing with an opioid addiction due to her fibro and lupus yet is still fierce as hell. This is not a woman that takes her situation lying down. Her body may be weak, but not her spirit. And I absolutely loved watching her fierceness grow with each chapter. She’s definitely much more than a simple mortal.

The connection between Nola and Bane is instant, even though Bane fights it tooth an nail. Knowing what Nola’s destiny is doesn’t help this matter. Bane already loved and lost, and he’s not looking to let another soon to be evil loyal get her hooks in him. But the more time they spend together, the more he sees just how different Nola is.

As per usual Showalter fashion, the quips and zingers are on point. With a splash of her signature humor and banter, the romance was everything I needed! I loved the internal monologue and I absolutely loved the two of them together. There’s a secondary character introduced that I can’t wait to learn more about, especially with the twist you learn in the end. I’m happy to report that while I felt overwhelmed with the sheer amount of information and too many characters in the first book, this was nothing like it. There was just enough story and plenty of romance to make this an absolute page turner. I did wish we got a little more in the end there because it did feel like it wrapped up much too quick for all of the build up, but it was still satisfying. I’m thinking we’ll be getting a little more on these two in the next book, but even if we don’t, there’s still a satisfying enough conclusion.

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Review: Entice by Ava Harrison

September 17, 2019 by · Leave a Comment

ENTICE
Genre: Contemporary, Forbidden Romance
Author: Ava Harrison
Release Date: September 16, 2019

Eight years ago, I gave Grayson Price a piece of my heart.

To him, I was the strange girl whose mom had just abandoned her.

To me, he was a savior, an anchor, someone who stood beside me on that beach.

The next time I saw him, I was twenty, and he was thirty-six.

He didn’t remember me.

And when he flirted…

I didn’t tell him.

By the time he found out, it was too late.

We tried to deny our desire, but our attraction was too enticing.

Eight years ago, I gave Grayson Price a piece of my heart.

Too bad he’s my dad’s best friend.

AMAZON 

 

She was an itch I needed to scratch, an addiction I needed to kick, but I needed a few more fixes before I gave her up.

The second I read the blurb to Entice, I knew this would be my first Ava Harrison book. I’m a sucker for a forbidden romance, and it just doesn’t get more forbidden than your father’s best friend.

An age-gap romance is not always an easy one to pull off, but Ava Harrison handled this effortlessly. With fifteen years between them, there’s something about the connection that River and Gray share that just makes sense. Even though River is only twenty-one, she’s definitely mature beyond her years. Having the childhood that she had with a flighty hippy mother and a teenage father that she didn’t know until she was over 12 years old guaranteed that. River struggles with plenty of abandonment issues, but she’s not some spoiled brat, even though she had all the luxuries when she came to live with her father.

Gray is her father’s best friend. Even though they had a falling out years ago, Gray and Tyler are attempting to build their friendship back. Gray is assisting Tyler with a business deal that can make or break Tyler’s life. This added element adds an additional deliciously forbidden layer to River and Gray’s connection.

This is a slow burn since Gray spends a good chunk of the story fighting his attraction to River but ultimately not being strong enough to resist the pull between them. I loved his brooding intensity, even though he had plenty of moments that I wanted to shake him for his stubbornness and cold and hot demeanor.

I really enjoyed the story, though I did feel for how slow and somewhat dragged out the relationship development was, the ending felt a bit rushed and glossed over. I would have loved for the family dynamic and some other things at the end to be further fleshed out. But as it was, it still made for one enticing read. Ha!



Ava Harrison is a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author.

When she’s not journaling her life, you can find her window shopping, cooking dinner for her family, or curled up on her couch reading a book.

 

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Review & Excerpt: Need You Now by Molly O’Keefe

September 12, 2019 by · Leave a Comment

NEED YOU NOW
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: M. O’Keefe
Release Date: September 12, 2019

MARCO

I have loved Rosa since I met her in high school English, even though the odds have always been stacked against us. She is the child of criminals, resigned to a bleak future. I’m the heir to a successful construction company and am not afraid to go after what I want.

And I want Rosa. Always and forever.

ROSA

I broke the law to make sure Marco got custody of our daughter, and I paid the price. But now that I’m out of jail, I’m terrified my ugly past might bleed into our daughter’s future.

The only way to ensure that doesn’t happen is staying far away from both of them.

But Marco isn’t letting me run from him. Not again.

 

A stand-alone, contemporary romance.

AMAZON | iBOOKS | B&N | KOBO 

He looked at me across the room and slowly shook his head. “I don’t want to love you,” he said.“I know.”

“Half the time I hate you.”

“I know.”

He looked away from me, his hands in fists, and I could feel the tension across the room, the fragile control he had on himself. How he was barely holding on. And I knew that he would never hurt me. The thing he was trying to stop himself from doing was touch me.

“I’m leaving,” he said and crossed the room in three angry steps. Everything in me told me to get out of the way. To let him go. But I didn’t. I stood right in front of the door in my gold vest and hot pants.

His face was flushed. “Get out of my way,” he said, and my mouth was full, my throat closed, and I shook my head. “Don’t make me,” he said. “Don’t make me touch you.”

It was exactly what I was doing, because I would take his touch any way I could get it.

“Fuck, Rosa,” he groaned. “Fuck you.”

And he put his hands around my arms and pulled me up and into his body so my breasts touched his chest, and between my legs I felt the hard pressure of him. I gasped and he turned. I expected him to let me go. I expected him to shove me away but he didn’t. Oh god, he didn’t. He lifted me off my feet and took two steps forward, pushing me against the wall. Not gently. But not rough. And then he leaned against me, his entire body against mine. And I was electrified. Every inch of my skin burned where it touched his.

I burned so hot I burned right through all the years. All the pain fell away and it was just us. Marco and me and the desire so pure it kept changing the course of both our lives.

He held himself so still, so carefully, and he was going to walk away. I knew he was. He would walk away and this moment would never happen again.

“Please,” I begged, because it was all I had left. No more pride. No more distance. I was only need.

What do you want?” she asked, like she honestly didn’t know.
“What I’ve always wanted. What I’ll want for the rest of my life,” I told her with the same intensity I’d used to say my vows four years ago. “You.”

Man, but Molly O’Keefe know how to serve up some feels. This was another heartfelt standalone in the same world as The Debt series If you’ve read and remember the pregnant teenager that the group met in their foster home, than you’re already familiar with the heroine. And if you haven’t read that series yet (I highly recommend it), no worries, because this is definitely written as a standalone. But if you’re like me and binge read that series and salivating for more Bates, this will definitely deliver. Because OMG Bates!!! But I digress. Let’s focus on the story here.

Once upon a time she’d send a glance my way and I knew exactly what she wanted for lunch. Or that she didn’t like the person she was talking to. I could read her feelings in the set of her jaw. Yeah. Now? Not so much. She wasn’t a mystery, she was a stone wall.

Marco and Rosa’s story is certainly a tearjerker. My heart broke for Rosa and everything that she goes through. This woman is a survivor and I loved her endearing combination of strength and vulnerability. Rosa made the necessary sacrifice to protect the love of her life and future baby by risking everything and going to jail. This is a woman that has always had all the odds stacked against her. A violent neo-nazi father and brother that threaten everything she loves and forcing her into a life of petty crime that she can’t escape. Pregnant at 16 and living in foster care with a terrible man and his wife. Rosa makes the choice to sacrifice her freedom in order for Marco to get custody of their baby and after serving a four year sentence the only thing cemented in her mind is that she doesn’t deserve anything good in life, especially not Marco and their beautiful daughter. Not when her family still threaten everything.

Marco is so angry with Rosa at first. He doesn’t understand why she stayed away all this time since getting out. But soon the resentment turns into determination and he wants nothing more than his wife back.

I loved the angsty and highly emotional thread between these two. I liked the the story is clearly broken up in past and present and doesn’t have the usual flashback song and dance. It was more impactful this way. I also loved Marco’s quiet intensity and the way he fights for Rosa and her self-sacrificing.

This was such a satisfying romance with plenty of feels and a dash of sizzle. Of course I was salving for more Bates and I’m damn near ravenous after the additional peek we get of him here. If I don’t get his book next, I’m pretty sure I’ll be shaking in a dark corner somewhere.

Molly O’Keefe is the USA Today Bestselling author of over 50 contemporary romances. She lives in Toronto Ontario with her husband, two kids and rescue dog.

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Review: Back In Bliss by Lexi Blake

September 10, 2019 by · Leave a Comment

BACK IN BLISS
Series: Nights In Bliss, Colorado #9
Genre: Erotic Romance, BDSM, Suspense
Author: Lexi Blake
Release Date: September 10, 2019

Re-released in a second edition with new content.

Logan Green is back in Bliss, but only for a few weeks to help out at the sheriff’s office. Everything changes when Seth Stark strolls into town with Georgia Dawson on his arm.

Seth’s arrival is anything but a happy accident. He always dreamed of a big house on the river and a wife he could share with his best friend, Logan. After building a software empire, his only goal has been to make that dream come true. He just needed the perfect woman.

Georgia is still haunted by the dark, troubled man who saved her life. She can’t get Logan out of her head. Her boss brought her to Bliss to help him decorate his new summer home, but when Logan Green walks through the door she discovers Seth has something different in mind.

Seth has a plan for their mutual happily ever after, but he never dreamed that coming home would put all their lives in danger.

AMAZON

Logan Green was the match and her body was lighter fluid waiting to explode.

This book was worth EVERY. SINGLE. SECOND. of the wait. GAH! I feel like I’ve been waiting for Logan’s book forever. The man went from the adorkable deputy to sinfully sexy Dom in seriously the blink of an eye and I’ve been waiting with bated breath for this man to finally get his HEA. And let me tell you friends, his HEA was EVERYTHING.

Like every menage relationship in this series, there’s always one man that’s beyond ready to settle down while the other one is the broody and broken one that doubts his place. So of course Logan and his beautifully broken self was the later. He went through a life altering experience and it turned everything he knew upside now. It’s been years and he still hasn’t recovered but his Dom training in Texas gave him the respite that he needed. But now he’s back in his hometown of Bliss and dealing with every emotion that he pushed down into the darkest parts of his soul.

Seth is Logan’s best friend since they were just kids. They grew up together but where Logan’s childhood was warm and loving, Seth’s was anything but. Now the man is a successful billionaire and he’s more than ready to settle down with the woman of his dreams. There’s just one problem. That woman is in love with his best friend and that best friend refuses to admit that he needs them as much as they both need him. Enter all of the angst and emotion!

Of course this wouldn’t be Bliss if there wasn’t some mystery and action thrown in. So if you’ve been waiting to see who is after John Bishop after reading Once Upon a Time in Bliss, you’ll get those answers here.

But so much of this book is Logan coming to terms with his experiences and opening himself up. This was probably my favorite part of the story. I absolutely adored the way that Lexi handled his healing process and my heart broke at the full details of his torture and what he went through.

Admittedly I was a little afraid I wouldn’t like Georgia after I first met her in Siren Unleashed. She came off as a spoiled and slightly fluffy character. But then by the end, you can see that there’s more to her. And that more definitely gets expanded on here. Georgia is a character with plenty of depth and I loved seeing her true personality come out. She’s fierce and loyal and impossible not to love.

This was probably my favorite in the series so far but I’m already rabid for more!

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Review: Jock Road by Sara Ney

September 7, 2019 by ·

JOCK ROAD
Series: Jock Hard #3
Genre: New Adult, Sports Romance
Author: Sara Ney
Release Date: September 5, 2019

EAT. SLEEP. FOOTBALL.

Those are Jackson Jennings, Jr’s three mantras . His entire life, he’s been a trained athlete with only one end-game: the Pro’s. No girls. No parties. No alcohol.

EAT. SLEEP. FOOTBALL.

Repeat.

Every Friday night, Triple J cruises the strip on campus, bored, lonely and conditioned not to party. But the night he meets Charlotte Edmonds on the side of the road, he wonders if his three mantras will ever be enough.

BIG. DUMB. JOCK.

Charlie has no time for Jackson’s antics. Not when he’s stealing her food or teases her to no end, making her tingle in all the right places. But if she’s ever going to have a boyfriend, she’d choose one who isn’t a Neanderthal. One with manners and actual time to spend with her. Not a hulking man-child who cruises the strip at night, in his Big. Dumb. Truck.

AMAZON

She stands there, unmoving, letting the simple kiss simmer, tattooing my mouth forever with the imprint of hers.
It burns.
Singes.
Electrifies me.

This was So. Stinking. Cute.

Like seriously cute. With a splash of feels and Sara Ney’s signature humor to lighten things up.

Now cute isn’t typically my thing. I love my NA steamy and angsty. But there’s something about this book that just worked for me. Maybe it was the completely refreshing hero that was JJ. Here you have a handsome wide receiver that is top in his country and headed for the draft, and the man is basically the antithesis for the stereotypical college athlete in books. He’s the furthest thing from a player, completely focused on school and football, and the most endearing touch of awkward. I fell head over ovaries for his adorable brand of awkward right away. There’s just something about him that you can’t help but love and want to hug and protect at the same time.

The romance is definitely a slow burn and I LOVED the build up between JJ and Charlie. When JJ steals Charlie’s sandwich at lunch their antagonistic enemies with an undercurrent of sexual tension begins. I loved their hilarious meet cute and their other run ins. Charlie is a straight shooter that doesn’t mince words and she definitely gives it good to JJ. But when she comes to see that he’s not the stereotypical jock she thought him to be, a friendship forms that soon builds into something more.

I absolutely loved the build up of the romance. But when the build up had a deliciously slow pacing, it then took a turn and went breakneck speeds. Everything just wrapped up so quickly at the end that I couldn’t help but want more. There were some plot lines that felt slightly unfinished (like JJ’s family) but ultimately it was just the sudden shift from slow to such quick wrap up that played against it for me.

Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed the heck out of this story and read it cover to cover in practically one sitting. If you’re looking for a sweet, lighthearted and sexy NA romance, you can’t go wrong with this one.

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Review: Black Sheep by Meghan March

August 31, 2019 by · Leave a Comment

BLACK SHEEP
Series: Dirty Mafia Duet #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Meghan March
Release Date: August 27, 2019

From New York Times bestselling author Meghan March comes a story of untold truths and one man’s redemption in the Dirty Mafia Duet.

 

Every family has a black sheep.

In the infamous Casso crime family, that black sheep is me—Cannon Freeman.

Except I’m not a free man. I’ve never been free. Not since the day I was born.

I owe my loyalty to my father, Dominic Casso, even if he won’t publicly acknowledge me as his blood.

I’ve never had a reason to go against his wishes…until I met her.

Drew Carson turned my world upside down when she walked into my club looking for a job.

Now, my honor and my life are on the line.

Going against my father’s wishes might buy me a bullet straight from his gun, but black sheep or not, it’s time to make my stand.

 

She’s worth the fallout.


AMAZON | iBOOKS | B&N | KOBO | GOOGLE PLAY

 

 

She’s a beautiful woman, who’s smart and private and doesn’t want a damn thing to do with me. Apparently, that’s the recipe for my downfall. Who fucking knew?

Crackalicious! That’s the only way to describe this book. Pure, intense alpha male crack. The way only Meghan March knows how to deliver. It doesn’t matter how many books I read by this woman. She never fails to suck me right back into her fictional word and keep me riveted to her words until the very last page. Her books are binge reads. Completely unputdownable until the jaw dropping finish. And if you’ve read her books in the past, you already know the woman is also the queen of cliff hangers. Her twists will have you crying for your mama and wine. In that order. But I digress.

If you’ve read Deal with the Devil, then you may recall Cannon. But boy, does Cannon have so much more than meets the eye. The man is intense with a capitol I. He’s everything I’ve come to expect from March’s alphas and so much more. He’s utterly delicious.

Then there’s Drew. You know what I love most about Meghan’s books? The fact that she writes these fascinating, multilayered and strong heroines that I can’t get enough of. And Drew was no exception. She’s mysterious. She’s stunning. She’s also hiding some big secrets in her quest for revenge and answers. Unfortunately the one man that may hold the answers is also the man that tempts her like no other. Thus beginning a dangerous game where neither player knows all the rules and that’s guaranteed to burn both of them.

The story was deliciously enrapturing. It was a page turner and thrilling from beginning to end. It’s quick paced, sizzling, and completely addicting. I need, no I’m desperate for my next fix. My #MarchMadness is real here, people. My need for the next book is damn near rabid!

 

Making the jump from corporate lawyer to romance author was a leap of faith that New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Meghan March will never regret. With over thirty titles published, she has sold millions of books in nearly a dozen languages to fellow romance-lovers around the world. A nomad at heart, she can currently be found in the woods of the Pacific Northwest, living her happily ever after with her real-life alpha hero.

 

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Review: Far Cry by Kate Canterbary

August 29, 2019 by · Leave a Comment

FAR CRY
Series: Talboott’s Cove#3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Kate Canterbary
Release Date: August 27, 2019

Brooke Markham needs a man. A real good man.

But she’s not looking for a keeper. She’s too busy kicking ass, running an empire, and caring for her ailing father to spend time with men who want annoying things like relationships and commitment and…conversation.

Brooke knows what she wants and it’s not a future with the growly barkeep.

JJ Harniczek needs money. A whole lot of money.

He’s determined to launch his distillery, expand his tavern, and put Talbott’s Cove on the foodie tourism map. But there’s no way he’s asking Brooke for a dime. Not before he takes her to bed and definitely not after.

JJ knows where he’s headed and the blonde bombshell isn’t about to change that.

Not until she changes his entire world.

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I couldn’t shake the sense she’d let me fuck her until she couldn’t walk right, but then she’d rip one of my kidneys out and keep it as a trophy.

Ummm….Kate Canterbary, where have you been all my life? How is this the first book I’ve read by you? HOW, I ask you? Because both of my ovaries are currently giving you a standing ovation. Lady boner, party of one? PRESENT! Sweet mother of FIRE this was hot!

Now if you follow my reviews or know me even a little, than you know that enemies to lovers is my jam? And this book CHECKED. EVERY. SINGLE. BOX.

It’s so great that you have opinions,” she mused. “Even better that I don’t give a single fuck what you think.” She leaned forward, folded her arms on the edge of the bar. “Then again, I can’t give a single fuck because I don’t have any. Literally. I have no fucks because you cockblocked me.”

Now I love me a strong heroine, but Brooke was so much more than that. This is a female after my own heart. She’s a strong, independent woman that’s ridiculously successful. She’s beautiful and she owns it. She knows how to get things done in her world and she takes no prisoners while doing it. She’s a take-charge sort but what I loved most about her is that she’s totally sexually uninhibited. This is a woman that enjoys sex for sex’s sake and doesn’t make excuses or think less of herself. We need more female characters like this. I’m so over the almost 30 year old virgins that spend their adult lives pining after a man that may be out of reach to them or waiting for the right time. Not Brooke. No, ma’am. This woman is in her mid-thirtys and she’s not afraid to live. She also doesn’t mince words.

When she finds herself back in the small town she grew up in and couldn’t get farther away from, the struggle is real. She’s there to take care of her ailing father, but her sex life is now suffering. Because it’s tough to pick up a one night stand when you grew up with practically the entire male population of the town.

JJ is the sexy tavern owner and bartender that she has entirely too much history with to even consider. But he’s determined to block her game at ever corner, and it doesn’t take long before their sexually charged banter soon turns into something neither of them really saw coming.

Brooke.”
I couldn’t stop staring at his cock. I hadn’t looked away since it’d appeared. “Mmhmm?”
“Close your mouth, sweetheart, unless that’s where you want me putting this.”
I glanced up as he joined me on the bed. “Could you talk less? Your cock looks bigger when you’re quiet.”

JJ.
*dreamy sigh*
Has a more perfect male character ever been written? I think NOT. This man was everything. EVERYTHING I tells ya. He dishes as hard as he takes, and let me tell you, friends, Brooke doesn’t spare any punches for him. Their chemistry was incendiary. Absolutely incendiary.

What the hell do you want?”
I glanced down at his jeans. “Take off your pants.”
His brows pinched together. “Come again?”
“I’d love to, but I’m going to need you to drop those jeans first.” I ducked under his arm and stepped into his home. “I trust you have a condom or two.”

The pacing was perfect, though I did feel like the back and forth these two shared was a touch longer than I would have liked. But at the same time, the tension and chemistry was so delicious, that ultimately I just didn’t care.

The ending was absolutely perfect and the epilogue even better. I loved this book to pieces and am an instant fan of Kate’s. She’s going straight to my auto-buy list and I’ve already went on a one0clicking binge of her entire backlist. If you’re looking for a fun and sexy enemies to lovers romance, you need this book in your life.

Kate Canterbary doesn’t have it all figured out, but this is what she knows for sure: spicy-ass salsa and tequila solve most problems, living on the ocean–Pacific or Atlantic–is the closest place to perfection, and writing smart, smutty stories is a better than any amount of chocolate. She started out reporting for an indie arts and entertainment newspaper back when people still read newspapers, and she has been writing and surreptitiously interviewing people—be careful sitting down next to her on an airplane—ever since.

Kate lives on the water in New England with Mr. Canterbary and the Little Baby Canterbary, and when she isn’t writing sexy architects, she’s scheduling her days around the region’s best food trucks.

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Review: How To Love A Duke in Ten Days by Kerrigan Byrne

August 28, 2019 by · Leave a Comment

HOW TO LOVE A DUKE IN TEN DAYS
Series: Devil You Know #1
Genre: Historical Romance
Author: Kerrigan Byrne
Release Date: August 27, 2019

These men are dark, bold, and brave. And there is only one woman who can bring them to their knees…

Famed and brilliant, Lady Alexandra Lane has always known how to look out for to herself. But nobody would ever expect that she has darkness in her past—one that she pays a blackmailer to keep buried. Now, with her family nearing bankruptcy, Alexandra strikes upon a solution: Get married to one of the empire’s most wealthy eligible bachelors. Even if he does have the reputation of a devil.

LOVE TAKES NO PRISONERS

Piers Gedrick Atherton, the Duke of Redmayne, is seeking revenge and the first step is securing a bride. Winning a lady’s hand is not so easy, however, for a man known as the Terror of Torcliff. Then, Alexandra enters his life like a bolt of lightning. When she proposes marriage, Piers knows that, like him, trouble haunts her footsteps. But her gentleness, sharp wit, independent nature, and incredible beauty awakens every fierce desire within him. He will do whatever it takes to keep her safe in his arms.

AMAZON

Kissing Piers Gedrick Atherton was like standing at the mouth of the Nile and realizing the scope of it was beyond comprehension. That the beauty matched the peril, and in the awe-inspiring danger existed its own strange appeal.

Who’s a reader that will jump on whatever book Kerrigan Byrne writes but was even MORE excited for a brand new series?
Spoiler alert; it was me.

I’m obsessed with Byrne’s historicals and when I saw that she’s coming out with a brand new series, I jumped on it so quick I’m pretty sure I left a dust trail behind me.

The premise to this series is definitely delicious with three friends bonded by dark secrets that threaten to ruin them all.

We are eternally bound,” she repeated. “By secrets, blood, and pain.”
“And by trust, passion, and revenge,”

And while Byrne is a master when it comes to creating tortured and broken heroes, it was a nice change of pace to get that from the female character. Lady Alexandra Lane is a heroine that grabs your attention immediately and you can’t help but bond with. This woman is a survivor in every sense of the word, and I loved that extra zing of fierceness to her. I loved how Byrne took a delicate and yet poignant subject and shed all the more light on it. Alexandra’s past is not an easy one, but it’s not laced in morbid detail either. The author gives the reader just enough of a glimpse to set the tone and boy did it set the tone.

His entire life, he’d never quite had a sense of belonging. Had never known what the words “home” or “family” meant, or why they meant so much to others. Until here. Until her.

Piers Gedrick Atherton, the Duke of Redmayne, is exactly how he sounds from the blurb; intense, brooding, and driven by revenge. His potential bride is not exactly thrilled at the idea of marrying the Terror of Torcliff, particularly since it clashes with her own agenda. So color him surprised when her friend strikes a bargain to marry him in her stead.

Alexandra and Piers were everything. EVERYTHING. I loved watching this brooding man fall harder and harder for her even though he fights it at every turn. Alexandra has dark secrets and Piers is full of preconceived ideas due to his past. There’s a dark undercurrent to their union, paved with deadly secrets and scorching chemistry.

I was immediately enraptured with this world and these characters. I’m so excited for the next book in the series! If you’re looking for a Historical Romance with a dash of grit, suspense, and plenty of action, you need this book in your life.

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#DGRFave & Review: Absolution by Keri Lake

August 26, 2019 by ·

ABSOLUTION
Genre: Dark Romance
Author: Keri Lake
Release Date: August 27, 2019

 

According to canon law, it is forbidden for a priest to betray the penitent for any reason. Even murder.

The consequences?

Excommunication.

For years, I’ve listened to your confessions. I know your darkest secrets, and have swallowed your sins in silence. In return, I’ve offered you forgiveness in His name. But behind the partition that separates us, I’m nothing more than a man who has long questioned his own faith.

Your contrition is my invitation: to mete out the kind of justice you pray will never come. I’m neither pious, nor merciful, despite what you see. I’m an imposter, an abomination to all I represent. A quiet executioner who’s kept below the radar.

Until her.

She’s seen what I’ve done. She knows the man beneath the cloth and my every mortal sin. She has witnessed the uncontrollable vices she hopes to use against me in order to get what she covets most.

Yet, I know her sins, too. Ones she doesn’t bother to confess. The kind, for which, there is no absolution.

*The short story first appeared in the Wanted: An Outlaw Anthology. This is the full-sized novel, which includes the conclusion to Damon and Ivy’s story.

AMAZON

C’mon, pécheresse, let me hear you scream.”
“Oh, God!”
“There is no God here, Ivy. Only me.”

Bless me, father, for I have sinned. Oh how I’ve sinned! I’ve sinned So. Freaking. Hard. And I’m not even a little sorry. Absolution was a deliciously thrilling ride that skirts the edge of propriety and was so good, it was downright sinful!

Moans muffle into the pillows, while she rolls her head and claws at the bedding as if possessed by demons. Maybe she is. Surely, God isn’t present here, while I f*ck her with the kind of reckless abandon that’ll land my soul in hell.

If you’ve never read anything by the immensely talented Keri Lake, then this is the story you need to start with to get a good taste of her addicting story telling. And if you’re a fan of taboo romance, that you definitely need this book in your life!

This was originally published as a novella in a limited time anthology and it’s now been expanded to be a full length novel and it packs an even bigger punch. If you’ve read the novella, then you’ll definitely want to get your grabby little hands on this because it delivers on the satisfying conclusion that was missing in the novella. There has been an entire second half added that takes the reader beyond Ivy’s revenge and deep into the dark bowels of Damon’s.

Father Damon is not all that he seems. There’s a dark undercurrent to this man of the cloth and a history riddled with demons that have followed him into his present. When a man steps into his confessional to describe a crime that’s horrific beyond words, it sends Damon into a tailspin of repressed anger and vengeance. Then a a beautiful woman with her own dark secrets puts his faith to a true test.

Absolution is a sizzling story full of grit and a dash of darkness with a heavy layer of taboo. It was a page turner from beginning to finish. A high paced thrill ride of vengeance with a deliciously sizzling romance.

Ivy is a character that I wasn’t sure I’d like at first but boy did she grow on me as the story progressed. Even more so in the second half. Her reasons for getting to Damon aren’t exactly altruistic. This is a woman with a hidden agenda, but one made out of utter and complete helplessness. She’s desperate to get away from a demon of her own past and she’ll do anything to escape him. Even make a sinner out of Damon…

In her signature gritty style with an undercurrent of darkness, Keri delivers on the side of Damon we barely got a taste for in the novella. Here you get to know the man he used to be and the man he becomes along with the sacrifices he makes along the way. There’s so many twists and turns, it will leave your head reeling.

With plenty of mind-blowing twists and turns that I’ve come to love and expect from this author, Absolution was one unputdownable read that I recommend for any fans of gritty taboo romance. Trust me, people, if there’s one book you need to read right now, it’s THIS ONE!!!

· Filed Under: All Reviews, Dark, DGR Favorites, Dirty Talkers, Erotic Rom · Tagged With: , ,

Review: Dangerous Desires by J.T. Geissinger

August 20, 2019 by · Leave a Comment

DANGEROUS DESIRES
Series: Dangerous Beauty #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: J.T. Geissinger
Release Date: August 20, 2019


He’s everything she has ever desired. But there’s only one way to keep her man alive: let him go.

With Nasir’s life on the line, Eva makes a deal with the devil. She slips away to return to Dimitri, the mob boss who held her captive for years, only to step into a new world of trouble. Abducted by one of Dimitri’s most cunning adversaries, Eva finds herself an unwitting pawn in a dangerous game of cat and mouse.

When Eva disappears, Naz is prepared to do anything to find her. Tracking her to the remote regions of Portugal is just the beginning of the hunt. Bewitched by Eva’s beauty, the darkly seductive spy who abducted her now has more than business on his mind, but the only way for the trio to defeat Dimitri is to work together…despite the explosive desires threatening to consume them.

With a game so deadly and the stakes so high, Naz and Eva’s love will be tested in ways neither of them could foresee…or perhaps survive.

AMAZON

She’s all there is. This is all there is, this powerful thing that lives between us, this fierce and elemental force I’m no more able to control than I could control gravity.

It’s a rare dang occasion when I enjoyed the second book in a trilogy even more than the first, but man. I devoured this one!

I’ve been utterly antsy to get my hands on the second installment of this trilogy ever since the jaw dropping cliffhanger in book one. Naz and Eva completely stole my heart in the last book, but it was nothing compared to what I experienced with their story in this one.

Eva was ready to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect the man she loves, even willingly hand herself back to the devil again. But just as she’s determined to protect Naz, he’s just as determined to protect her. But in order to protect the woman he’s fallen so hard for, he needs to find her. And it’s extremely hard to find someone when they go through a lot of trouble to ensure that they can’t be found.

I don’t want to give too much away about the plot in this book, so I won’t say anything about it. What I will tell you is that there’s a secondary character that was introduced here that I’m fairly certain I’d give an ovary to get a book for. Talk about your enigmatic and mysterious characters, because OMG! I NEED.

Eva and Naz are just as potent together. Their cute joking insults and their undying devotion for each other is captivating. You can’t help but fall for these two. They are both so fiercely protective of each other. I love that Eva is no one’s victim. This woman is a survivor and a fighter where Naz is a natural protector. And together, they’re absolutely incendiary.

I’m in love. I’m so fucking in love. If I lose her, it will end me.

I devoured this book in one sitting! I couldn’t put it down. And twist after delicious twist, it continued to own me until the very last page. Now if I could just survive the unbearable wait until the conclusion.

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