Review: Dark Swan by Gena Showalter

September 25, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

DARK SWAN
Series: Alien Huntress 
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Author: Gena Showalter
Release Date: September 25, 2017

The Alien Huntress series is back with fan favorite AIR agent Dallas Gutierrez from New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling paranormal romance author Gena Showalter, who doesn’t disappoint with this sizzling hot alpha hero.

Lilica Swan isn’t quite human or otherworlder; she is the best—and worst—of both.

She is willing to do whatever proves necessary to save her sister from the seductive and deadly Alien Investigation and Removal agent, Dallas Gutierrez, even bonding her lifeforce to his by effectively marrying him.

But the bond will fade without consummation.

Can Dallas resist his insatiable desire for the powerful beauty? Or will she lead to his ultimate downfall?

Originally published in the Blood Red Kiss anthology.

AMAZON

I can think of three things you need right off the top of my head,” he said. “Well. Let’s hear them.”
“A spanking, a hug, and a good hard fuck.”


Firstly, this novella was originally released as part of Blood Red Kiss, so if you have that one, you’ll find this delicious little novella inside. If you haven’t read Gena’s Alien Huntress, you my dear friend, are seriously missing out. After I first discovered this author with her Lords of the Underworld, I soon found myself binging on her Alien Huntress series. Then I soon found myself completely hooked on Dallas and slowly dying a little with each year that passed and we didn’t get another book in that series. Well Gena has finally rectified that with Dallas’s story, and let me just tell you, it was worth EVERY SECOND of the wait!

…those sweet women with sweet smiles had never fully satisfied him. He’d never wanted one for more than a single night, because none had ever meant anything to him. But this woman with her carnal smile and quick wit utterly fascinated him. He couldn’t get enough of her.

Dallas has been hunting the Schon queen that’s been building her army by deceasing all that come in sexual contact with her. And let’s just say the woman has some…stamina. Uhem. While at first I was convinced that Dallas would somehow end up with the queen, Trinity, I was a little baffled by the heroine’s name here. Who in the world (pun intended) is Lilica? Oh the deliciousness of it all!

Lilica Swan is sassy, classy, and all things bad-assy!

Congrats. You’ve mastered hiding your actions from me. Now it’s my turn.” With no more warning than that, she slammed her knee between his legs. He hunched over, gasping for breath, stars winking through his vision. She smiled at him. “Sorry there’s not a tracker to help you find your balls.”

Lilica is determined to save her sister that’s in the crosshairs of AIR and especially the stranger from her dreams with the crystal blue eyes. When she finally comes face to face with Dallas, nothing can prepare either of them for what happens.

Dark Swan was everything I’ve come to love about this author; humor, snark, witty banter, sizzling romance and an addicting story. And it had my beloved Devyn (from Seduce the Darkness), so how can I not love it?

This finally brought the immensely satisfying conclusion to the Schon story line and gave the much awaited HEA to one of my favorite characters in the series. I really hope that there will be more books in this series, but even if it ends here, it couldn’t have ended with a better book.

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Review: Scandalous by LJ Shen

September 24, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

SCANDALOUS
Series: Sinners of Saint #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic
Author: LJ Shen
Release Date: September 21, 2017

They call him The Mute for a reason.

Hard, cold and calculated, he rarely speaks.

When he does, it’s with disdain.

When he does, his words aren’t meant for me.

When he does, my stomach flips and my world tilts on its axis.

He is thirty-three.

I am eighteen.

He’s a single dad and my father’s business partner.

I’m just a kid to him and his enemy’s daughter.

He’s emotionally unavailable.

And I am…feeling. Feeling things I shouldn’t feel for him.

Trent Rexroth is going to break my heart. The writing isn’t just on the wall, it’s inked on my soul.

And yet, I can’t stay away.

A scandal is the last thing my family needs. But a scandal is what we’re going to give them.

And oh, what beautiful chaos it will be.

AMAZON 

The ocean is her drug. She is mine.”

The Sinners of Saint is my crack, and LJ Shen, my dealer. The woman writes some of the most addicting and sizzling enemies to lovers romances I’ve ever read. Trent Rexroth has always seemed like the most tame of the HotHoles, when compared to Vicious’s vicious streak and Dean’s shenanigans. If you think Trent was the nice one of the bunch, think again. You know what they say about those quiet ones, don’t you?

A dark, deprived animal lived inside me. Whenever I let it out—and I always let it out in bed—it bloomed. Freedom gave the savage inside me a good buzz, which was why I sometimes got a little carried away.

The only female to hold Trent’s heart is his adorable daughter. After the baby mama up and disappeared on them both, he’s been doing his best to keep his head above water with the whole parenting thing. Having a daughter that won’t utter a word or so much as smile at him certainly doesn’t help matters.

But when it comes to matters of the heart? Well, Trent doesn’t believe in all that jazz. A rough, dirty screw is all he has to offer, and he makes no qualms about it. He doesn’t promise hearts and flowers and he never will.
Enter Edie Van Der Zee. His new partner’s daughter, and eighteen year old pain in his ass. An entitled, spoiled little rich girl that bends to every single one of her daddy’s commands. Or so he thinks. But not all is at it seems with Edie. She’s drowning in her own world, barely keeping her head above water, stuck between a needy and helpless mother and a vicious, power hungry father.

I’d finally found him. The one man scarier than my father. Not that I was looking. Because while Vicious made a lot of noise, Trent Rexroth was the silent hunter who would circle you for hours, striking when you least expected it.

Trent and Edie play a dangerous game of cat and mouse. Barbs and insults being their flirting and antagonization being their foreplay. I have mad respect for LJ for keeping true to her characters with this book. Trent is no knight in shining armor. The man is so far from perfect and he certainly puts Edie through hell.

Whatever we were, we were toxic. A lullaby on a thoroughly scratched record that keeps hiccupping again and again on the line that you hate. This can’t happen. This can’t happen. This won’t happen.

Not only is a relationship forbidden, Edie’s father has sets his sights on Trent and is determined to push him out of the company. Falling for his daughter can cost Trent everything. But this is a man that likes playing with fire.

I wanted what was forbidden, and wrong, and fucking crazy. I wanted my partner’s daughter, who was nearly half my age.

If you’re looking for a sweet and emotional romance, you’ve picked up the wrong book, my friend. When I say Trent and Edie are absolutely toxic for each other, I mean it. But they also burn up the pages together. Their connection is palpable and the sexual chemistry between them, undeniable.

Trent makes his share of decisions that I wanted to hate him for. But they made sense for the man that he was in the beginning, so I begrudgingly forgave him.

You’re my Delilah, Edie, and I’m your Samson. You want to ruin me, destroy me, strip me of my power, and betray me. I should stay away from you, but I want you too fucking much. And when it’s all over, when all that’s left of us is sweaty flesh and shattered minds and torn hearts, you will remember me as the man who made you cry, and I’ll remember you as the girl I had to break to stay afloat.”

Scandalous was a delicious, sizzling and angst filled ride from beginning to finish. This series just can’t seem to disappoint and you’ll never find this reader complaining.

Admittedly, I had a little bit of a tough time getting fully on board with Trent and Edie at first. There was just something missing that made me completely connect to them as a couple, which kept this being a full 5 stars for me. But they totally won me over in the second half and I ended up absolutely loving them.

READ THE SERIES IN ORDER

DEFY | VICIOUS | RUCKUS | SCANDALOUS

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Geri’s Review: Forever With You by Beverley Kendall

September 22, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

FOREVER WITH YOU
Genre: New Adult Romance
Author: Beverley Kendall
Release Date: September 12, 2017

I’d never fallen harder for anyone than I did for Graham Prescott. The British hottie was like no other guy I’d ever met. And the attraction between us was mutual and red-hot.

I would have done and said almost anything to be with him. So I’d told him one harmless, little lie…

But it hadn’t been.

Harmless or little.

That lie nearly destroyed his life.

Seeing him again after four years stirs up feelings I have no right to feel.

So I tell myself the only thing I want from him is his forgiveness.

But first I have to earn his trust—something easier said than done.

Especially when he makes it clear there’s only one thing he wants from me.

To stay the hell out of his life.

AMAZON

This book had all the elements I was looking for in a book, from its flawed characters to the almost impossible situation that was the result of those mistakes.

Graham Prescott’s life was nearly destroyed because of one little lie that Emily Leighton told. It set off a chain of events that had Graham hightailing it back to England and out of Emily’s life. Wracked with guilt, Emily was waiting for a chance to make things right and apologize. Her chance came about four years later.

The premise for this book is quite unique. I had some suspicion based on what happened in the last book but I wasn’t 100% sure. I wasn’t even sure if I was going to like it.

Fortunately, the author did a great job at telling the story as it is. She didn’t shy away from the difficult story line and the implication it would have on the lives of the characters. There were moments in the book where I thought, “I don’t think they’re going to get past this.” The situation they were in was quite bleak, and worse, it could’ve been avoided if only Emily hadn’t told that lie.

The angst almost killed me. And the thing is, I hated what Emily did but I couldn’t hate her. I wanted to but I couldn’t. I did like that she also suffered the consequences especially when it came to her relationship with Graham. I couldn’t fault Graham for how he acted in the book especially after it was revealed how much Emily’s lie affected his life.

I was a little worried about the transition from hate to love because as I’ve said, the rift between them was humongous. I didn’t know if the transition would feel organic at all. Once again, Beverley Kendall proved me wrong. The shift from hate to love was handled very well and the chemistry was fantastic. The story flowed well and the third act was anxiety-inducing but the ending more than made up for it even though it was tied up too neatly for my taste. Even then, the ending did my heart good.

I really, really enjoyed this book. I read this in one sitting and didn’t regret it one bit. I highly recommend this book. You like angst? Characters that messed up? This book is for you!

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Review: Countdown by Lexi Blake

September 20, 2017 by ·

ALPHAS OF DANGER ANTHOLOGY
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author:  Shayla Black, Lexi Blake, Mari Carr, Kris Cook, Anissa Garcia, Kym Grosso, Jenna Jacob, Kennedy Layne, Isabella LaPearl, Carrie Ann Ryan
Release Date: September 19, 2017

Happy-Ever-After has never been so intoxicating…

Danger…

When a man has beaten it, he becomes a hero.

Lust…

When a woman tastes it, she is helpless to resist his pull.

Love…

It won’t come easily, especially between alpha men and their headstrong women. Threats lurk in the shadows, and the price for passion is often exacted with a bullet or a blade…but the sacrifice is worth it when devotion is the reward.

Ten bestselling authors, masters of spine-tingling romantic suspense, bring you brand-new stories that will yank you to the edge of your seat and have your heart pounding as you turn the pages.

Best of all, the proceeds will benefit 4 Paws for Ability, a worldwide agency that enriches the lives of children and veterans with disabilities by training and placing quality, task-trained service dogs.

Stories Contributed to Alphas of Danger:
1. SHAYLA BLACK – DEVOTED TO WICKED
2. LEXI BLAKE – COUNTDOWN
3. MARI CARR – POWER STRUGGLE
4. KRIS COOK – CIA COVERT TEAM: RAINBOW KNIGHTS (M/M)
5. ANISSA GARCIA – WITH A VENGEANCE
6. KYM GROSSO – HARD ASSET
7. JENNA JACOB – REVENGE ON THE ROCKS
8. KENNEDY LAYNE – SEDUCING DANGER
9. ISABELLA LAPEARL – ENFORCE HER – A LEATHER, PIPES & PASSION SHORT STORY
10. CARRIE ANN RYAN – EXECUTIVE INK – A MONTGOMERY INK SHORT STORY

AMAZON

REVIEW FOR COUNTDOWN BY LEXI BLAKE

Let other men covet petite, delicate females. He wanted this one. She was the Alpha female, cool and competent and often at odds with him.

Ahhhhhhh!!!!!
OF ALL THE TEASING! I’m equal parts ecstatic and crying after finishing it.

This is set several years in the future, and set in a similar universe as Masters & Mercenaries. And that’s all the details you’ll be getting from me. My advise is to avoid any reviews giving any more away because you want to go into this blind. Lexi Blake packs a heck of a surprise into this story, and you’re going to want to enjoy it to it’s full effect.

The story is a sexy one. Two spies from different governments (American and Canadian) are sent to the Himalayas to apprehend a scientist working on a new delivery system for Anthrax that could kill thousands of people.

Ben, working for the Canadian government, has spent years lusting over a woman whose name he doesn’t even know. He calls her Magenta, for her hair, and Maggie for short. Maggie is a spy for the American government. They’ve tangled together through the years as their jobs landed them in the same places, and Ben’s sexual attraction to the woman has been growing with each encounter.

Now they’re locked in a mad scientist’s lair with a ticking bomb giving them less than an hour to live. So what’s a man and a woman with intense sexual attraction to do? Enjoy their last hour on earth together by giving into the pull between them. Ben and Maggie definitely set things on fire. Ben is demanding and all alpha, and Maggie is a kick ass heroine that submits to his desires in a way that’s both sweet and sassy. I LOVED THEM!

This was such a fun and sexy story that I was immediately craving more of. I sincerely hope we’ll get a spin off because this is a couple I NEED MORE OF!

Fans of this author do NOT want to miss this novella.

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Review: Drawn To Him: A Romance Collection

September 19, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

DRAWN TO HIM: A ROMANCE COLLECTION
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Authors: K. Webster, Willow Winters, M. Never, Jade West, L.J. Shen, Isabella Starling, A. Zavarelli, K.L. Kreig
Release Date: September 19, 2017

There are some men who make you helpless.

You know the kind.

They steal the breath from your lungs and make your heart beat a little faster with a single look. Y

ou can’t stop staring, but the moment they pin those gorgeous eyes on you, you’re done for.

The kind that’s too hard to resist.

This is a collection of men just like that.

Handsome, confident and all for you.

DRAWN TO HIM is a collection of eight exclusive never-before-seen novellas you can’t resist, complete with HEAs.

They have all the book feels and angst you’ve been wanting.

AMAZON

This anthology was filled with so much deliciousness, I never wanted it to end. There’s 7 novellas to be found here, and while I didn’t get all of them yet, I did read a good majority and I was so hooked!

Bad Cop by A. Zavarelli

I was a wild child and Justice was the shiny forbidden apple I was never meant to have. All I ever wanted to do was hold his hand and go on crazy adventures with him. But it was a dream that wouldn’t come to fruition.

This novella was, hands down, my absolute favorite in the collection. This was my introduction to this incredibly talented author, and I immediately binged myself on her entire backlist. She managed to pack so much feeling into a short story that had amazing character development and an emotional second chance romance.
A wild child that hasn’t had an easy life, the boy from the wrong side of the tracks whose heart she broke now turned town sheriff and all the untold truths lost in the years that since passed. This story was incredible. Ginger and Gray were amazing together.

DR. DREAMY by LJ SHEN

This is sexual harassment.”
“What it is is a delicious foreplay that’s about to materialize and blow your fucking mind. Maybe not tonight. Maybe not even this week. But I’m watching you, Miss Martin. All the time. You fucking want me, and you’re going to get your way. Sooner than you think.

Can this woman write a hero that I don’t completely salivate over? Hell no! And I hope she never does.

This wasn’t as angst ridden as her usual. But it was super sexy, ridiculously fun, and with a good dose of her signature alphahole. The heroine was sassy and gave as good as she got. And lemme tell you, she got PLENTY. Pun intended.

Dr. Matthews in bed, Rhys outside of it. Your choice when we fuck on any type of surface that isn’t the bed.”

ONE NIGHT by KL Kreig

I want her gratitude hanging like an apology between us. I want to punish her until she begs for mercy I won’t grant. I want to fuck her until she’s boneless, mindless, and thoughtless. Until memories of our night together assault her with a relentless, battering force.

I adore KL Kreig’s words. This was a deliciously sexy romance of a chance meeting and what was supposed to be just one night turned into something much more. We get a sexy, intense alpha. We get a sassy, take charge and snarky heroine. Put them together and you get a whole lot of sizzle. I loved it.

Fifth Avenue Blues by Jade West

I’m pure filth,” I growl. “You should stay away from trouble like me. You’re such a nice girl.”
“I want it…” she whimpers. “I want all of it…”

So…um. Wow. If ever there was a really well written porn script, this story was it. Holy hell. I mean HOLY HELL. My ovaries were sweating, man. If dirty (and I seriously mean DIRTY) talking men are your thing, meet your catnip. We’re talking of the gaping holes, facials, and butt sex variety. It was freaking hot. But honest to gawd, it made this pervert feel like a prude at times, and if that’s not a feat, I dunno what is. I love the concept of the shy, awkward girl finally getting the man of her dreams that happens to be the popular boy that she had a crush on in high school now turned successful actor. It was dirty. SO DIRTY. ALL OF THE DIRTY. It was downright filthy. And I kinda sorta maybe liked it. I think. My ovaries are still recovering.

INFATUATION by Willow Winters

I never stood a chance with this man. Not that I ever wanted to run. He made me want to stay; he made me want him just as much as he wanted me.

I’m not really sure how I felt about this one. This was my first book by this author, and I already know I’ll be reading more because I enjoyed her writing style. This novella, however, just didn’t do anything for me. It was a sexy insta-love romance and if that’s what you’re craving, it’ll certainly hit the spot. I was missing a connecting to either of the characters and found the development lacking for my personal tastes, so I struggled with connecting to the story. It wasn’t bad. Just wasn’t my favorite in the anthology either.

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Lana & Geri’s Review: Temporary by Sarina Bowen & Sarah Mayberry

September 18, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

TEMPORARY
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Authors: Sarina Bowen & Sarah Mayberry
Release Date: September 12, 2017

The most beautiful man I’ve ever seen is the one who can ruin everything…

The first time I lay eyes on Callan Walker, I know he’ll be trouble. With his smug grin, hot Aussie accent and thousand dollar shoes, he’s just the kind of rich guy who always gets what he wants.

And he wants two things: a night of sin, and my cooperation as he outmaneuvers his powerful mother to take control of his uncle’s estate.

I can’t afford either one. I’m the only thing standing between my little sister and the foster care system. He may have money and charm on his side, but I have something even more powerful — pure desperation. This temp job at his mother’s company can become a full time job for me. It has to.

But when Callan’s eyes rake over my body, sometimes I forget my obligations. His piercing gaze finds the fun, optimistic girl I used to be and not the tired person I’ve become.

And it works–if only for a moment. Our night together was a mistake. I can’t afford to get sucked into his high-powered family’s treachery. But the closer I get to Callan, the more layers I find beneath those expensive clothes. Though I can’t forget this is temporary. He’s temporary. I have too much to lose.

Too bad my foolish heart didn’t get the memo…

AMAZON | iBOOKS

 LANA’S REVIEW4

The most beautiful man I’ve ever seen is the one who can ruin everything…”


A woman barely making ends meet and a playboy that holds a piece to one of the world’s most powerful business empires couldn’t possibly have anything in common…or could they?

I had ignored the fact that we could not have two more wildly divergent lifestyles. I had ignored everything and let myself get swept away.

Grace is barely keeping a roof over her head while taking care of her teenage sister. With an addict for a mother and a father long out of the picture, Grace is all her sister Olivia has. A temp job for the Walker empire is exactly the chance that she needs. The possibility of turning it into a permanent position is what she hopes. But finding herself at the beck and call of the powerful and cold head of the business is not what she expects. When her assignment is to make sure that the estate of her boss’s recently passed brother are documented and quickly taken care of, the last thing she needs is the meddling of the prodigal son.

He wasn’t looking to strike up a thing with a cash-strapped temp who acted as guardian to her teen sister, and I was not looking to have a fling with a playboy ladies’ man I found way, way too likeable.”

Callah has left behind everything that made him a Walker. A ruthless mother that cares nothing for his happiness, and a sister blindly serving his mother’s whims, his beloved uncle was the only person that showed him any love. He’ll be damned if he allows his estate and life to be packed up in boxes with a cold efficiency that only his mother is capable of. The one thing he doesn’t anticipate is the beautiful temp sent to do his mother’s bidding.

No flirting, no touching, no eye-fucking, no dirty-talk between nine and five. And that includes lunch.”

Temporary was a slow build that admittedly I struggled a bit to get into at first. The first 30% really sets everything up, but at a pace that didn’t quite hook me. I immediately fell for the main characters. There was always so endearing about both Grace and Callan. Perhaps it was the fact that there’s so much more to them than first meets the eye. Callan is not the typical bad boy and playboy that you expect. This is a man with plenty of depth to him, and the more you find out about him, the harder you fall for him. Grace is a woman that’s barely getting by, but there’s this tenacity to her that you can’t help but respect. She’s doing her best and try as she might to ignore the pull to the handsome man that she has no business getting involved with, inevitably it proves to be too much.

Don’t get used to it. This is only temporary.”

The secondary characters of Claire and Olivia added to the mix perfectly and come the second half, I was hooked. This was a delicious slow burn romance with characters that you can’t help but root for. It was swoony, sexy, humorous, and utterly endearing.

GERI’S REVIEW

Everything about Callan Walker was a little more glamorous than I was used to. A little brighter, a little more perfect.

I love both Sarina Bowen & Sarah Mayberry so when I heard they’re co-writing a book, I was ecstatic! I mean, two of my faves in one book? Take my money already! My expectations are quite high and fortunately, I liked it! I liked it a lot!

This is another slow burn romances where their feelings sort of built over time. I personally love stories where the hero underestimates the heroine at first and vice versa, only to have that expectation slowly turned on its head. Temporary is like that.

Callan thought that Grace is another shark in heels, willing to do anything to get a position at his family’s company. His prejudice is a result of his past experience with his family and how his mother runs the business. Nevertheless, Callan is wrong on both counts. One, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with being ambitious. Two, Grace’s motivation is so far from what Callan initially thought.

Don’t get used to it. This is only temporary.”

At first I was nervous about the clear power imbalance between Grace and Callan. But Grace has agency and she uses it despite being attracted to her son’s boss that when she gave in to her attraction, it didn’t feel like she was manipulated in any way. It was clear that she knew the score and she knew what could happen but did it anyway because she was starting to have feelings for him.

The conflict between Callan and Grace felt organic. It was set up perfectly and wasn’t just added for drama sake.

I have some issues with the main antagonist in this book a little bit because she seems like the typical Disney-esque villain with cliched motivation. But that said, I do feel like there are some things about this character that hasn’t been revealed yet. And we might get more of it in the next book about the hero’s sister. Or at least that’s what I feel. I could be wrong.

Speaking of sister, I want Claire’s story. I’m intrigued by her and there’s something more to her than just her mother’s pawn or something. I also liked Olivia. Sarina & Sarah was able to capture teenage angst very well.

Despite not being 5-star perfect, Temporary is a solid start for this new duo. And yeah, I’m definitely looking forward to reading more!

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Review & Giveaway: Arrogant Bastard by Zara Cox

September 15, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

ARROGANT BASTARD
Series: Dark Desires #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Zara Cox
Release Date: September 12, 2017

I’m known as the Black Widow because the desires I hide inside are pure poison.

I was a different person once. Faith, a young wife, hoping to become a mother. My life was pleasant. Stable. It was hell. Until Killian Knight opened my eyes to a world of espionage and intrigue. He saw something in me, something I was too afraid to acknowledge. I didn’t want to be excited by the danger. Didn’t want to crave the wicked passion only he could provide. But I did want, so now I run. And I pay.

I never meant to corrupt her, but I’m not sorry. 
After all, I’m already damned.
After four years of searching and longing, I’ve finally found her. Faith, the one person in the world I breathe for. She lives beneath my skin as surely as I wear proof of our transgressions inked on my body. And like the forbidden fruit that doomed us from the beginning, our end is inevitable. We lived with no regret. We loved without inhibition. We betrayed those closest to us. We killed for that love. Now…we will burn in hell together.

AMAZON | B&N | B-A-M | GOOGLE PLAY | iBOOKS | KOBO 

Chapter One

Killian

Present Day

I’ve found her.

After four years and two months.

I stare at the screen, my blood pumping relief and shock and fury and joy through my veins. The cocktail of emotions paralyzes me for several minutes.

Then I force myself to analyze what I’m seeing.

Her hair is different. Longer. Darker. Pin-straight and rigid where soft, friendly waves used to be. The curve of her jaw captured by the camera lens also shows the difference. She’s leaner. Meaner. Even from this obscure angle, I can tell any trace of gentleness has been wiped clean. Eroded by sin and tragedy and horror. The change was probably inevitable, but I still don’t want to see the evidence.

To anyone else, the picture would seem ridiculously vague, the image nothing more than a blurred black-and-white pixelation of hair, chin, and shoulder.

It’s the reason my algorithm spat it out almost reluctantly, a last batch of possibilities in the dregs of to-be-discarded possibilities, and then dumped it in my supercomputer’s equivalent of a spam folder, the code scrolling impatiently as it waited my command to delete, delete, delete.

But I know it’s her. Despite the dark leather cap pulled low over her forehead. Despite the bulky jacket designed to hide her true shape. Her stealth speaks volumes. Besides, she’s in my blood, in my heartbeat. After so many years of dead ends and fruitless hoping, of agonizing disappointment and withering despair, this time I simply…know.

It’s her. The Widow.

My hand shakes as I hit the zoom-in key. My gut churns, and I feel a little sick as my ever-helpful brain cheerfully supplies me with all the ways she could’ve continued to elude me—if I’d turned away, for a second, to stare at one of the other three screens on my desk. If I’d trusted my supersmart computer and accepted the prompt to delete without reviewing this particular needle in my mountain of haystacks. If I hadn’t tweaked the code yet again last night to capture just such an obscure image.

Hell, if I’d blinked at the wrong time…I torture myself with infinite possibilities as I stare at that mesmerizing angle of chin and shoulder.

A chin I’ve trailed my treacherous fingers over many times in helpless wonder.

A shoulder I’ve rested my guilty but secretly unrepentant head on.

There’s so much more to her. And I treasured every single inch of her forbidden body, fucked her at every opportunity she granted me. Until she systematically erased herself from my life.

But why New York? And why now?

I know how good she is. Hell, she’s the best or she wouldn’t have eluded me for this long. The thought of another four years without her punches a cold fist through my gut. With it comes the certainty that I wouldn’t have survived those next four years without her. That I’ve been clinging on with the very last dregs of my endurance to make it this far.

But here she is…

The Widow.

I can’t see her eyes, but I don’t fool myself into thinking they’ll hold an ounce of softness. What we did changed us forever. And not for the better.

I lean back in my chair. Exhale slowly. Terrified of blinking in case she disappears from my screen. It doesn’t matter that I’ve copied and stored the longitude and latitude of her location in a dozen vaults on my server and memorized every single piece of data on the screen.

New York City. East Fifty-Third Street. CCTV camera. A one-in-a-billion shot.

Without taking my eyes off her, I reach for my phone and press the voice activation app. “Good evening, Mr. Knight.”

“Nala, how many times do I need to tell you to call me Killian?”

“You have yet to change my default settings, Mr. Knight.”

My lips twitch but a smile doesn’t quite form. My eyes water with the need to blink. But I resist. “I changed them last week. You reset them again, didn’t you?”

“I assure you, I’m quite incapable of doing that.”

“Yeah, right. Fine. Place a call for me. Pilot. Home.”

“Dialing pilot. Home,” the female AI obliges me.

Nelson Whittaker, my LA-based English pilot, picks up on the second ring. It’s three a.m. but he answers as if it’s normal working hours. Which it is, to be fair. Everything is normal for me in my line of work.

“Good morning, sir.”

“How soon can you get to the airport?” I snap.

“As soon as I put on my trousers and chuck a bucket of water over my son to wake him up,” he replies with a dark chuckle.

My fingers fly over the keyboard as I save her information in a few more electronic vaults. “Give William my apologies,” I say.

“No need. He’s been champing at the bit to take the new girl for another spin.” The new girl being the Bombardier Global 8000 I added to my collection of private jets last month.

“In that case, I expect to see you at Van Nuys within the hour.” At this time of the morning, traffic from their Santa Monica apartment should be light enough to get them there fast.

“We’ll be there.” He clears his throat. “I expect the paperwork regarding out-of-curfew flights—”

“Will be taken care of. I’ll text you the details but we won’t be straying far from the usual parameters.”

“Very good, sir. Destination?” he asks crisply.

My gaze tracks that chin. That shoulder. The hair. Four years’ worth of turbulent emotion threatens to rip free. My chest burns with it, but I contain it. “New York.”

We went from forbidden fruit to torrid lovers without pausing to take a breath. Then added the dangerous ingredient of international espionage to the mix right up until it all blew up in our faces. Then I took the only option available to me and ran like hell.

I have a slight obsession with this series. Zara Cox has a signature grit to her writing that I simply can’t get enough of. Her stories are passionate and with a dark undercurrent that never fails to satisfy this picky reader. Arrogant Bastard had a slightly different feel that the other books in this series. Killian wasn’t the broody alphahole like Q or the tortured alphahole like Axel. He was a man that lost the only woman he loved and was determined to do anything to get her back. Even if all the odds were stacked against him.

Known simply as the Black Widow in the Punishment Club that she works for that’s owned by Axel Rutherford, B is not a woman that you want to mess with. She metes out punishment like the deadly creature that she is, leaving men panting in her wake. But she’s a woman that’s clearly running from her demons and secrets so dark, that not even those closest to her know them. But then the man that she ran from all those years ago tracks her down, and her carefully constructed new world gets tilted on its axis.

B and Killian share a past that no one knows about. It was a convoluted and dangerous connection that in the end, cost B everything. She’s been running since. But when a dangerous enemy learns that she’s alive, Killian knows that he’s the lesser of two evils and will stop at nothing to protect the woman that he’s never forgotten or gotten over.

Arrogant Bastard was an action packed, sizzling combination of espionage, suspense and romance. B is one hard core woman on the outside, but on the inside she’s never healed from the scars of her past. Killian is a dangerous enigma that’s as lethal as he is sexy, but beyond the man’s magnetism and allure, he’s completely head over heals for B and makes no qualms about it. Their road to a HEA is not an easy one but entertaining from start to finish. Zara Cox wrote a real page turner that kept this reader up well into the night, eager for each little morsel of information that ultimately led to one mind blowing revelation.

My only quibble is the hows and whys of B getting into the line of work that she did. It seemed a little much even if I did suspend my disbelief for the sake of enjoying the story. But ultimately, I stopped caring because I was enjoy the story and couldn’t get enough of her and Killian together.

THE DARK DESIRES SERIES


BEAUTIFUL LIAR | BLACK SHEEP | WICKED S.O.B. | ARROGANT BASTARD

Zara Cox has been writing for almost twenty-five years but it wasn’t until nine years ago that she decided to share her love of writing sexy, gritty stories with anyone outside her close family (the over 18s anyway!). This series is Zara’s next step in her erotic romance-writing journey, and she would love to hear your thoughts. Visit her:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Goodreads


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Review: Eye Candy Anthology

September 13, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

EYE CANDY Anthology
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Authors: Tijan, J. Daniels, Helena Hunting, Tara Sivec
Release Date: September 5, 2017

A frightfully good time! Dive into these Halloween novellas from bestselling authors Tijan, J. Daniels, Helena Hunting, Bella Jewel and Tara Sivec. Featuring stories set in the worlds of their popular series.

Tijan’s Fallen Crest crew are back for a weekend of mischief that takes a sinister turn; all four couples from J. Daniels’ Alabama Summer series gear up for Halloween in their own sexy ways, with a special surprise at the end; Helena Hunting’s characters from Shacking Up plan a Halloween gala that features a few ghouls and witches; Bella Jewel brings the chills and thrills in her suspenseful take on Halloween night; and Tara Sivecgathers the Holiday family together one last time as they try to make this ghostly holiday one to remember—or one they’d rather forget…

Cozy up with a mug of hot cider on a dark night and fall under the spell of this Halloween anthology!

AMAZON | iBOOKSI read only two stories out of this anthology; Tijan’s Fallen Crest Nightmare and J. Daniel’s So Much More and my rating for the anthology is an average for those.
———————-

SO MUCH MORE by J. Daniels
5 STARS

Goo! I’m a pile of goo! This story was just perfection. Sweet, sexy, giddy smile on your face perfection. J. Daniels brings her entire gang back in her Alabama Summer Series, and it was GLORIOUS. Mia and Ben, Reed and Beth, CJ and Riley, and my favorite couple, Tessa and Luke all get a story here and it was like the ridiculously perfect icing on the already tasty cake. I loved this series, but getting this additional peek into these couples lives was fantastic. And then there was Nolan. OMG NOLAN! You guys! This is easily one of the most vivid, most endearing characters J has ever written to date and he’s just a kid. But oh man, he steals my heart each and every single time I read about him. And that final chapter? PERFECTION!
——————–

Fallen Crest Nightmare by Tijan
4 STARS

Firstly, how am I only discovering this author now? What sort of rock have I been living under? This novella was a fun and spooky bonus to the Fallen Crest series and I. Am. Hooked.
There were so many characters that I was just discovering and I had no issues keeping up. If anything, this novella just whet my appetite for more. This was a fun hybrid of Scream and NA goodness and I gobbled it right up. Then I went and immediately one-clicked the Fallen Crest High series. I feel a reading binge coming on in my very near future.

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Review: Dirty Filthy Rich Love by Laurelin Paige

September 11, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

Dirty Filthy Rich Love
Series: Dirty Duet #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Laurelin Paige
Release Date: September 11, 2017

I’ve discovered Donovan Kincaid’s secret.

It’s dirty and filthy and rich – as dirty and filthy and rich as he is – and it haunts me as much as he ever did.

Even after knowing what I know now, I still want to talk to him, to touch him. But there’s an ocean between us, and I’m not sure it can be crossed with something as easy as a phone call or a plane ride.

Yet I’m willing to try.

He doesn’t know this yet, but this time I’m the one with the power.

And maybe – just maybe – if the air were cleared and all our secrets bared, there could still be a chance for us.

And this dirty, filthy thing between us might end up being love after all.

AMAZON | iBOOKS | B&N | KOBO 

Start the Duet TODAY with Dirty Filthy Rich Men

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

Right then, right there, with my hands tied behind my back, my cheek pressed against the wall, and his hand clasped at my throat, I finally understood the depth of what he felt for me. And so I surrendered.

*Pervy shivers*

Oh man. This duet.

*pervy shudders*

It was downright sinful. The conclusion takes off immediately where Dirty Filthy Rich Men ended; leaving Sabrina in the aftermath of her revelations about Donovan.

Obsession. Posessiveness. Lust. All the lines got blurred during their whirlwind romance. A romance based on nothing more than a shared kink and an undeniable connection. But was it more? Can a true relationship be formed on something that was so jagged. That is the answer we get with Dirty Filthy Rich Love.

…I am not a knight in shining armor.”
“No,” I laughed. “You’re not.” I sobered. “And yet you are….
You’re also the villain, don’t forget that.”
“Lucky for me you’re the kind of girl who likes to fuck the villain.”

Donovan never expected for his heart to get involved or to even give it to anyone else again after so many years of hiding it behind impenetrable walls. But if his actions are anything to go by, he’s done just that with Sabrina. And though he was willing to walk away from her to protect her from himself, the pull between them is much too strong.

Walking toward him was like deciding to walk through fire when I was already covered with first-degree burns. It hurt like I couldn’t describe. But I was a girl who lived in darkness. His fire sure looked bright.

Laurelin pulls the reader deeper into the orbit of this couple and their dark brand of kink. She throws them right into the epicenter of their storm and it was impossible to tear your attention away for even a second. I’ve always loved Donovan’s intensity, but I loved seeing his vulnerable side even more. The man is all sorts of delicious with his possessive and controlling tendencies. I loved seeing Sabrina put him in his place while giving into him at the same time. I loved watching the the sparks between them blaze hotter and hotter until it explodes into something sinfully delicious.

The author brings the story in a full circle with the events that we first read in book one and gives the reader an immensely satisfying ending.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurelinPaige/

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Twitter: @LaurelinPaige

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#DGRFave & Review: Reaper by A. Zavarelli

September 10, 2017 by ·

REAPER
Series: Boston Underground #2
Genre: Dark Romance, Mafia
Author: A. Zavarelli
Release Date: May 19, 2016

Sasha.

He’s dark and mysterious. Quiet and lethal.
An Irish mobster.
Pure sin wrapped up in a beautiful package.
But there’s also something off about him.
He doesn’t feel anything. He shows no emotions.
Sometimes I question his humanity.
He hasn’t spoken to me in two years. Not a single word.
But we share a secret, he and I.
And if it ever comes out, I have no doubt in my mind…
He won’t have a problem killing me too.

Ronan.
I’ve slain for her. I’ll do it again.
When it comes to Sasha, there isn’t a line I won’t cross.
I watch her. She doesn’t know it.
She thinks I hate her. Sometimes, I think I might too.
But I’m always there, lurking in the shadows.
Craving her. Trying to keep the beast within at bay.
I’ll keep her safe. I’ll slaughter anyone who tries to hurt her.
The only thing I can’t do… is protect her from myself.

****This is a full-length standalone novel full of hot Irish guys with accents. Dark mafia themes throughout. HEA included.****

AMAZON

I’ve never believed in fairytales. There is no white knight in my story. Only me. And I’m not the girl who gets the prince. I’m the girl he bangs because he can.

Holy.
Hell.

I do believe I just read one of the most tortured anti-heroes ever. And let me tell you, I’ve read A LOT of dark romance. I’ve read the violent, broody, alphahole bad boys, but all of them pale in comparison to Ronan Fitzpatrick

I’ve been called a sociopath. A monster. But I don’t fancy myself one. I’m simply a man doing a job that needs to be done. If it wasn’t me doing it, someone else would be. The men that I kill, they’ve all had it coming. They knew what they were getting themselves into. They’ve either done Niall wrong or threatened the syndicate in some way. And threats have to be eliminated, just like vermin. One of the few moral codes I still abide by. I will protect my brethren at all costs.

Cross the MacKenna syndicate, and you’ll find yourself in front of The Reaper. He’s the man that handles all of the delicate and painful jobs. When someone needs eliminating, they find themselves in Ronan’s basement, their screams forever becoming a part of the cement walls. A brutal upbringing that knew only pain, Ronan doesn’t function like any other man. He’s numb. Unfeeling. He only feels rage and breathes punishment. There’s only one person that ever stirred a different reaction in him, but she’s forever off limits to a man like him.

Damaged souls have their own beauty. A dark, terrifying beauty. The same type of beauty I recognize in Ronan. 

Sasha hasn’t had an easy life herself. Taking care of her ailing mother and protecting her younger sister put her in the crosshairs of a man that changed her life irreparably. Forced into a life she never wanted and doing whatever she can to survive, she’s tired. All she wants is to leave, move to a different place where no one knows her or her past. There’s just one problem with that; Ronan is not about to let her go.

He nudges my legs apart and pushes his palm between my legs like he owns that part of me. Who am I to argue? He does fucking own me. He’s polluted my mind so that I can only ever think of him. Only ever want him.

Their relationship is a turbulent one. Both of these characters are so completely messed up, it’s a wonder how they go through the motions at times. But yet together, they made a messed up sort of sense. They offered each other a calmness that they never found on their own. They were like violent waves on a rocky coast.

I’ve seen him kill. I’ve tasted his rage too. Tasted it so fiercely that some of it spilled over onto me, tainting me with the mark of the animal that lives inside of him. I crave that animal. I crave everything about this man with his perfect suits and his complete lack of human emotions. Maybe, just maybe, I envy him too. What it must be like not to feel anything. Anything at all.

This was such a dark, captivating story. I was glued to the pages, completely enraptured. My heart hurt for everything that Sasha went through and I wanted her to feel just a little of happiness. It made a dark sort of sense that she would find it in the arms of a ruthless killer that’s a borderline psychopath.

Ronan was just…GAH. This man. His training ensured that he feels almost nothing. No empathy. No sympathy. Most human emotions are far beyond his realm of understanding. But you see more and more of his humanity peak out with each minute he spends with Sasha.

Nobody else gets to see you like that,” he declares. “Ye’re claimed.” His words douse me in gasoline. His eyes light the match. And when he grinds himself against me, all that’s left to do is burn for him. 

I loved this gritty and sexy dark mafia romance. The story was completely unputdownable and the characters vivid and unforgettable.

THE SERIES

CROW | REAPER | GHOST | SAINT

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