#DGRFave & Review: The Brightest Sunset by Aly Martinez

THE BRIGHTEST SUNSET
Series: The Darkest Sunrise Duet
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Aly Martinez
Release Date: July 27, 2017

Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.
Bullshit.
Words destroyed me.
“I’m sorry. She didn’t make it.”
“Daddy, he can’t breathe!”
“There’s nothing more we can do for your son.”
Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.
Lies.
Those syllables and letters became my executioner. I told myself that, if I didn’t acknowledge the pain and the fear, they would have no power over me. But, as the years passed, the hate and the anger left behind began to control me.
Two words—that was all it took to plunge my life into darkness.
“He’s gone.”
In the end, it was four soft, silky words that gave me hope of another sunrise.
“Hi. I’m Charlotte Mills.”

AMAZON

he’s shown me that there doesn’t have to be light for something to be beautiful. Love can grow in the darkness

How do you even begin to review a book that touched you on such a visceral level that you don’t think you’ll ever forget it? How do you put those feelings into words that can even begin to do a book the justice it so deserves? How do you attempt to relay everything that this book was without giving anything away? You don’t. Because it’s impossible.

The sun still hung bright in the sky, but midnight fell all the same. And, in that moment, I feared I’d never escape it again. The darkness was going to be my executioner. It was going to crush me, suffocate me, and then devour me.

The Brightest Sunset concludes The Darkest Sunrise duet and man did it go out with a bang. Prepare for a story that will keep you up well into the night and I hope you have plenty of tissues handy because Aly Martinez will not just tug at your heart strings, she’ll rip them to shreds like the sadist that she surely is.

I won’t tell you what happens, because if you haven’t read the first book, my review will be one giant spoiler. But what I can tell you is that Porter Reese stole my heart and I never want it back. Here was a hero that had none of the typical frills. He wasn’t an overbearing alpha. He wasn’t intense or demanding. He was just an amazing man. A man that loves fiercely. A man that will make any sacrifice for the ones he loves. A man that isn’t afraid to feel and show those feelings. A man that’s an alpha but not in the obvious way.

If you were on the fence with Charlotte in book one, you won’t be in this one. You really get to see the soft beneath the cold front exterior. You get to see a woman that finally finds her voice and the way to use it. A woman that finally discovers what love means and how to fight for it. A woman that’s every bit deserving of an incredible man like Porter.

Aly puts this couple through hell and back. I was in hell right along with them. I have never had so much anxiety reading a book. I bit my nails to shreds. I sobbed my way through the entire last third. I was a sobbing, sniveling pile of goo and I loved every devastating second of it.

The Brightest Sunset was a stunning, emotional, unforgettable story of second chances and love beyond all odds. It was phenomenal. It was beautiful. It was everything.

He’d made the darkness a beautiful place filled with understanding and acceptance.

Geri’s Review: The Red by Tiffany Reisz

THE RED
Genre: Erotica
Author: Tiffany Reisz
Release Date: July 11th, 2017

Mona Lisa St. James made a deathbed promise that she would do anything to save her mother’s art gallery.

Unfortunately, not only is The Red painted red, but it’s in the red.

Just as she realizes she has no choice but to sell it, a mysterious man comes in after closing time and makes her an offer: He will save The Red if she agrees to submit to him for the period of one year.

The man is handsome, English, and terribly tempting…but surely her mother didn’t mean for Mona to sell herself to a stranger.

Then again, she did promise to do anything to save The Red…

The Red is a standalone novel of erotic fantasy from Tiffany Reisz, international bestselling author of The Bourbon Thief and the Original Sinners series.

AMAZON


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You smile like the devil,” Mona said.
“The devil doesn’t smile,” he said. “The devil smirks.”

I finished this book more than a week ago, and since then I spent my time searching for the right words to describe the kind of journey The Red took me on. I didn’t quite manage it.

The most appropriate thing that I could say about about this book is: The Red is an erotic assault on the senses. This is like Alice in Erotic Wonderland and we’re all  madly aroused here. But aside from the decadent eroticism, there’s also a bit of a mystery involved, and what can I say? I really, really enjoyed the ride.

This is a story about Mona Lisa St. James who made a deathbed promise to her mother to save the gallery, The Red she owned. Unfortunately, The Red is in the red and the only choice left for Mona is to sell the gallery. But then a mysterious stranger appeared and gave Mona a wild proposition: surrender her whole body to him for a year and he’ll help her save the gallery. Desperate to keep her promise to her mother, and fascinated by the mysterious stranger, Mona agreed to submit to his every whim and desire in exchange for helping her keep The Red.

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This book didn’t waste any time taking readers through a decadent, bawdy, erotic romp. Aside from the small set up at the very beginning, we immediately get introduced to the mystery guy who calls himself Malcolm and the filthy, twisted games he plays where each erotic setups mirrors very famous and controversial paintings.

The Red reminded me a lot of Anne Rice’s Sleeping Beauty Quartet where a female protag is thrust into this erotic adventure. And yeah, it is obscene, filthy, raunchy, dirty and every bit as indecent as you think a Tiffany Reisz book would be and more!

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Erotic adventures aside, this book as mentioned above has an element of mystery to it. Namely, Malcolm’s identity and background. Who is he? Where did he come from? Why did he choose Mona and The Red? Is he the devil in disguise or the savior?

There were clues throughout the book but you won’t recognize them as clues until the reveal happens at the end. And then all of these questions I had while reading this book was satisfactorily answered towards the end of the book. And like most of Tiffany Reisz’s books, there was a ‘whoa’ moment in here, too. Followed by, ‘oh yeah, that makes total sense’.

But what I really loved about this book was that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. It never presented itself as something other than an obscenely filthy romp that’ll make you blush and leaves you satisfied. No pun intended. But yeah, this book was perfectly smutty and gives you an ending that ties everything perfectly.

“I warned you I like to play games.”

Jenn’s Review: The Duke Meets His Match by Tina Gabrielle

THE DUKE MEETS HIS MATCH
Series: The Infamous Somertons #3
Genre: Historical Romance
Author: Tina Gabrielle
Release Date: July 10, 2017

The daughter of an infamous art forger, Chloe Somerton grew up poor. Desperate to aid her sisters, she’d picked a pocket…or two. Now circumstances have changed, and Chloe has a chance to marry a young, wealthy lord. Only his mentor—a dark, dangerous duke—stands in her way.

The duke knows about her past, and she’ll do anything to keep him from telling.

The moment Michael Keswick, the Duke of Cameron, sees Chloe Somerton, he recognizes her as a fraud. The stunning beauty with sapphire eyes and golden hair now appears to be a proper lady, but he knows better. What begins as a battle of wills soon escalates into a fierce attraction.

In Chloe, Michael finds peace from the memories of war, but he refuses to marry…and she won’t settle for anything less.

 

AMAZON

It isn’t often that I read historical romance author that I have never read before….and enjoy it! I am pretty picky when it comes to HR authors, typically sticking to my favorites. But I know I need to branch out, and I’m glad that I did!
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He had the power to ruin everything.

à la Mode St. » fashionsuzanne4u: “His princess ”Chloe has a past that no one knows about, except the Duke of Cameron. She is determined to put her past behind her and marry a title because she knows what it is like to go without money or food, and she is determined to never live like that again. The Duke is in her way of getting what she wants. Chloe is a strong-willed character with a hint of innocence, but she does not go quietly. I loved how determined she was through the whole book to go after what she wants.

Michael made a promise to a friend to protest his son, and that is exactly what he is determined to do. When he discovers that Chloe has set her sights on the young man he is protecting, he makes it clear that it will never happen. Michael is immediately attracted to Chloe, but he believes her to be a thief who is just trying to use the man he vowed to protect. His suspicions of Chloe’s character drives him to seek out the truth, but he doesn’t expect to be seduced.

The beginning of this book was wonderful! I loved how much they hated each other, and I wish that the animosity between them kept going. The sparks fly between these two!
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”You may be a duke, but you are not a gentleman.”
“There’s no room for chivalry in war.”
“And this is war?”
“Only if you don’t obey.”
Blue sparks flashed in her eyes. “So be it, Your Grace.”

à la Mode St. » fashionIt was only when the story became sweet that it began to falter for me. But I still wanted to keep reading about these fantastic characters to see what happened in the end. This was my first book by Tina Gabrielle, and I am definitely intrigued.

Jenn’s Review: (Glamour) BEDTIME STORY by Skye Warren

GLAMOUR
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Authors: Anthology
Release Date: July 18, 2017

Once upon a time…

Remember the fairy tales your parents read to you when you were little?

These are NOT those fairy tales.

From modern day royalty to metaphorical dragons, contemporary castles to sexy heroes, these bestselling authors twist tales as old as time into something new.

GLAMOUR contains eight exclusive never-before-seen novellas that each have an HEA… because they all lived happily ever after.

Includes the following retellings…

KNOT by Lili St. Germain
A Rapunzel story

RED HOT PURSUIT by A.L. Jackson
A Little Red Riding Hood story

RIPPLES by Aleatha Romig
A Prince and the Pauper story

IN A STRANGER’S BED by Sophie Jordan
A Goldilocks story

BEDTIME STORY by Skye Warren
A Sleeping Beauty story

ROYAL MATTRESS by Nicola Rendell
A Princess and the Pea story

MUSIC BOX GIRL by Sierra Simone
A Twelve Dancing Princesses story

BROKEN HARP by Nora Flite
A Jack and the Beanstalk story

AMAZON | iBOOKS

 

Review of Bedtime Story by Skye Warren

Lost. Utterly and irrevocably lost in Skye’s words. Every. Damn. Time. It doesn’t matter how short the book is, or how long the book is, or if it never ends. It’s inevitable.

Jessica. We meet Jessica in The King. She is a single mom who has had shit handed to her, but she is just trying to make the most of it. She was sold as a young girl to the mafia and we can only guess what she went through. This short story begins when she is pulled over at the side of the road and she meets the sheriff. Jessica has the ability to look on the bright side despite what she has been through, but she still has trust issues.
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This was the part where I should leave. Where I should tell this man, who’s clearly good down to his bones, that I’m bad news. Where I ignore everything but survival, because that’s the only way I’ve survived this long. Instead he asks me to stay, and I do. 

à la Mode St. » fashionFinn. He was a surprise to me. I loved how he had a good side with a bad past. He was no stranger to the mafia life but because of an incident in his life, he decided to take the road less traveled and became the sheriff of a small town. He is determined to stay on the straight and narrow, but he cannot resist the temptation that is Jessica. I loved how he immediately wanted to take care of Jessica and her son because he is the type of guy that just wants to do the right thing. These two were just perfect for each other.
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She makes me crazy, and once upon a time I sought that out, wanting to feel wild and on edge. Not for a long time, though. These past years had been about isolation. About driving down dark country roads alone. And all along, I was looking for her.
Without even knowing it, looking for her.

à la Mode St. » fashionWhat I loved the most about this short story is how much Skye made me love these characters so quickly. I loved the chemistry between these two, but it wasn’t insta-love. These two lonely souls find each other and have an instant connection (without the cheese). Of course, the short wasn’t long enough for me (duh!).

Review: Wrecked by JB Salsbury

WRECKED
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: JB Salsbury
Release Date: July 18, 2017

Wrecked is the new standalone novel of deliciously dark, deeply emotional contemporary romancefrom J.B. Salsbury, the New York Times bestselling author of Split and The Fighting Series.

When you can’t trust yourself, how can you ask anyone else to?

It’s been months since Aden Colt left the Army, and still the memories haunt him. When he moved into a boat off the California coast, he thought he’d found the perfect place to escape life.

Then Sawyer shows up, and turns his simple life upside down.

Beautiful and sophisticated, she seems out of place in this laidback beach town. Something is pushing her to experience everything she can—including Aden. But as much as he wants her, starting a relationship with Sawyer puts them both at risk.

For Aden, the past doesn’t stay there; it shows up unexpectedly, uncontrollably, and doesn’t care whose life it wrecks.

AMAZON | iBOOKS

I look at you and I forget.” “What do you forget?” He leans in and brushes his lips so softly against mine. “Everything.”

It’s official, I’m totally and completely wrecked. Ruined. My heart hurts because the book almost crushed it with its incredibly powerful and emotional story. My eyes hurt because I cried hysterically through the entire last third. I’m moved down to the marrow of my bones. YES. It was THAT good.

No seriously. I don’t remember crying so hard reading a book before and I downright sobbed. SOBBED.

So what made this book so good? The story. It was simple yet emotional. Gripping yet not over the top. The characters. Both Aden and Sawyer are incredibly multilayered characters filled with so much depth, it practically overflows from the pages. But I’d be lying if I told you that Aden didn’t steal my heart. I had honest to god shivers reading the prologue. SHIVERS, people.

Dead bodies litter the floor.
Shock overtakes me.
My hands shake but I feel nothing.
Only one thought pumps furiously through my mind. It should’ve been me.

A soldier riddled with nightmares that he can’t escape. A survivor burdened with guilt and rage. A man filled with emptiness and regrets. He escapes in the only way he knows how, at the bottom of a bottle. Secluding himself from everything and everyone living on his uncles boat, he doesn’t expect a beautiful stranger to make him want to live again.

Scared?” I look up at him and get lost in the warmth of his gaze.
“No. I feel safe with you.”
“Yeah?” His lips part and his breath dances across my lips. “So I’m not a stranger anymore.”
“No.” I run my hands up the back of his neck into his hair and slide against his hard body. “You make me feel like I can do anything.”
His eyebrows drop low and his jaw ticks. “And you make me forget.”

Sawyer made a promise to her terminally sick twin sister; a promise that brings her to California and stumbling into a stranger that changes everything for her.

Because soon enough I’ll be out of his life and I’ll go back to being Sawyer, the kind of girl who would never turn the head of a guy like Aden, and I’ll be able to go on living my sheltered safe life knowing what it’s like to truly live. That is, if I survive it.

I expected a ton of angst with this book but that’s not what I got at all. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not exactly a light read but it’s also not filled with anything extra to take away from the character driven story. You really get to know Aden and Sawyer and what makes them tick. You get to see them be there for each other during some of the most difficult parts of their lives. You get to see them hold each other up and slowly fall in love. It was beautiful and touching, emotional and sweet.

I don’t want to forget you.”
He pulls his shirt off over his head, his wide muscular chest on display and tensing with anticipation. “I’ll make sure you never will.” He pushes down his shorts and closes in until the warmth of his bare skin presses against mine. “I’ll mark your fucking soul.”

Wrecked is very appropriately titled. Both of these characters were anything if not a little broken but in completely different ways. It wasn’t dark or full of drama. It wasn’t angsty or full of gratuitous sex scenes. It was just two broken people learning to make themselves whole together. It was a beautiful and memorable romance that I won’t forget for a long, long while, and a book I can’t recommend enough.

 

Review: Blackmailing The Bad Girl by Nina Croft

BLACKMAILING THE BAD GIRL
Series: Cutting Loose #2
Author: Nina Croft
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: June 12, 2017

Cynical CEO, Nik Masterton, believes he’s finally met a woman who isn’t interested in his money…until she vanishes with a hefty amount of it. He’s been searching for her ever since and has finally found her doing a stint in Holloway prison for stealing…from someone else. Clearly, he’s just one of many. Now she’s coming out, and it’s time for a little payback.

After two years in prison, Summer Delaney is determined she’s never going back. While she had good reasons for doing what she did, it’s time to move on to a new life and earn an honest living. Unfortunately, there’s a glitch in her plan, and he’s waiting at the gate as she comes out.

Nik isn’t above using blackmail to make Summer work for him until he decides just how he’ll get his revenge. But this time they’re both determined to keep their distance. Right until the inconvenient attraction explodes between them…

Each book in the Cutting Loose series is a standalone story that can be enjoyed out of order.
Series Order:
Book #1 Falling for the Bad Girl
Book #2 Blackmailing the Bad Girl

AMAZON

What do you want, Summer?”
“I want you to be my coming-out present.” She placed her empty wineglass on the floor and straightened. “After all, you’ve been my coming-out nightmare. Let’s balance the books. Let’s pretend I’m not a thief. Let’s go back three years to when I kissed you.”

I was immediately hooked on this series when I first met the “bad girls” in Falling for the Bad Girl. I was thrilled to get my grabby little hands on Summer’s book (and I’m seriously salivating for Darcy’s story). The premise of the story immediately grabbed me. Three years ago, Summer and Nik shared a passionate kiss that could have led to so much more…until she disappeared, taking a large amount of Nik’s money with her. He never ceased looking for her and he’s finally got her. Summer is about to be released from prison and Nik has plans in mind for her.

Still bitter from an ugly divorce, Nik thought he finally found a woman that was interested in him and not his money. After all, Summer believed that he was part of the maintenance staff when she worked at his company. It isn’t until she disappears with a hefty amount of his money that her lies truly hit him. He’ll make her earn it the honest way now, by making her work for his company as his personal assistant. He’ll just have to ignore that aggravating attraction that never ceased brewing between them.

Not everything is as it seems with Summer, but her secrets are her own. She’s not about to share her reasons with a man that’s basically blackmailing her into working for him. But maybe if she can work out their annoying sexual chemistry out of her system, she can finally move from the ghost of the memory of the kiss they shared. But nothing ever works out as it’s planned and things soon begin to get deliciously complicated between them.

While I loved the chemistry between Nik and Summer, I couldn’t help feeling like something was missing for me. There wasn’t anything about the story that truly grabbed me and I struggled to truly connect to the characters. They both had a great backstory but it just wasn’t enough. I couldn’t place my finger on what it was exactly that was missing, but it was. It was an enjoyable read, but not my favorite from this author.

Jenn’s Review: Pound of Flesh by Jessa Kane

POUND OF FLESH
Genre: Erotic Romance
Author: Jessa Kane
Release Date: December 8, 2016

Beast saw Beauty. And the hunt was on.

A beast has just kicked down my front door.

He’s massive, scarred, just out of prison and refuses to budge.

Unless I go with him.

He’s made it clear what he wants—my untouched body beneath his giant, damaged one.

If I run, he’ll hunt me down and take it.

But when he slips and shows me his desperation…

I’m no longer sure whether I want to run to him or away from him.

 

AMAZON

Two words….JESSA…..KANE. I want this entire book. Give me 400 pages I loved it so much because 59 pages wasn’t enough! It’s like Jessa Kane asked me what all my of fantasies are and then wrote this book just for me!

Why did I love this book? ALL THE REASONS.

1. Big, Burly, Man.

What else could I ever ask for? He’s big, and mean, and he wants what he wants. He’s been in prison for years, thinking about getting out and getting to HER.
2. Ex-Con.

Yes, please. There is something about a criminal that gets my blood flowing. Two examples come to mind: Lady Luck by Kristen Ashley (Duh!) and Prisoner by Skye Warren & Annika Martin.
He is just so RAW. And unleashed. And he likes it dirty.

3. Dirty Talk.

It’s my #1, y’all! And oh man. This book has the best dirty talk.

4. “Daddy.”

I openly and unashamedly admit that I am a fan of the “Daddy” talk. Disclaimer: If you’re not a fan, then this book isn’t for you. From the readers I’ve talked to, it’s either you love it or hate it….AND I LOVE IT!!! It isn’t the central theme of this book, but it is said several times.

Will I read this book a million times?! You bet I will!

Review: Hello Forever by Sarina Bowen

HELLO FOREVER
Series: Hello Goodbye #2
Genre: Contemporary MM Romance
Author: Sarina Bowen
Release Date: July 14, 2017

A SINGLE BASKETBALL GAME CHANGES EVERYTHING…

When they were only teenagers, Axel and Caxton were caught making out in the woods at church camp. And afterward, Cax had disappeared from all the youth group activities.

Six years later, Axel is astonished to spot his first love’s face in the crowd of a college basketball game he’s watching on TV—at a school which has just offered him a job. It’s a thousand miles away, in a tiny rural town. But suddenly, he can’t wait to get there.

Cax can’t believe his eyes when Axel appears in the same Massachusetts town where he now lives. And he’s still just as drawn to Axel as ever. But he can’t let himself go there again, because loving Axel will mean giving up everything else he holds dear.

Both men have so much to lose. But as far as their love is concerned, it’s Hello Forever.

Hello Forever is a stand-alone novel with no cliffhangers. Readers of Goodbye Paradise will get to check in on Caleb and Josh and their clan.

AMAZON

Axel had walked into my life holding a basketball when I was eight. And without even knowing it, he’d made my life at home more bearable.

Oh le swoon. Sarina Bowen brings the swoons one more time with book two in her Pay It Forward series. Hello Forever was previously published as It’s Never Over and while I never read the original, I enjoyed this one so much!

Axel and Caxton were childhood friends. Finding each other at a time when they needed the other the most, they became instant best friends. But over the years that friendship began to transform into something…more. Until a kiss at church camp gets them caught and everything changes.

Not having seen each other in over six years, they now lead very different lives. Axel is openly gay and has an amazing mother that loves him no matter what. After his recent relationship fail, he takes a chance on job at a small town, but there’s more to it than that. In his research of the college, he spots a very familiar face in one of their online videos. A face that never fails to ramp up his heart rate. A face that he needs to see again because it’s one he’s never forgotten or gotten over.

He tasted of everything I ever wanted. His tongue slid warm and wet across mine, and I wrapped my arms around him to get as close as I could.

Caxton is rocked to his very core to see Axel in his town. Deeply closeted with a mean bigot of a father, Caxton has put his life on hold to be a solid presence in his younger brothers’ lives. But Axel is one person that he’s never forgotten and the years did nothing to dilute his feelings.

They slowly pick up where their friendship paused all those years ago but it’s not long before their feelings for one another become too strong to ignore.

Caxtastrophe and Axeldental were absolutely adorable together. They were so sweet in a tentative and romantic sort of way. There’s no guessing game to how they feel about each other. The only angst come from outside factors like Cax’s a-hole of a father and keeping his sexual orientation a secret.

We get to catch up with Josh and Caleb, which I loved getting more of. Hello Forever was sweet and sexy and I simply loved Axel and Cax together. It brought the feels and the swoons and a dollop of angst and I loved how everything wraps up at the end. It was such a treat to finally see Cax grow into his own and not hide from who he is. There’s also a secondary character that was introduced here that I’m seriously hoping will be getting his own book.

Blog Tour & Jenn’s Review: Wicked Intentions by @JTGeissinger

WICKED INTENTIONS
Series: Wicked Games #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: JT Geissinger
Release Date: July 11, 2017

In the Caribbean for his best friend’s wedding, ex special-ops officer and security expert Ryan McLean meets a beautiful woman in the hotel bar. Their connection is immediate and intense, and they spend a passionate night together with pleasure as their only goal.

But when Ryan wakes the following morning to discover the beautiful woman has vanished, along with millions worth of jewels from the safe of the Saudi prince staying in the suite next door, he realizes their meeting wasn’t accidental and becomes determined to find her.

A notorious thief known to authorities only as the Dragonfly, Mariana Lora has one final job to complete before she’s free from the oath that bound her to a life of crime, but the sexy-as-hell Marine she spent one explosive tropical night with is hot on her heels at every turn. She has to outwit him to stay out of jail, but fighting their magnetic attraction soon becomes a game neither one of them can resist.

When Mariana’s last job goes dangerously wrong and she needs Ryan’s help to survive, he has to decide if their game of cat and mouse is only a game, or if he can trust this beautiful thief with something no woman has ever stolen: his heart.

AMAZON | iBOOKS | B&N | Kobo | Amazon Paperback | GOOGLE PLAY

If I could give only ONE BOOK RECOMMENDATION this whole year, it would be THIS BOOK. Holy Book Perfection. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, JT Geissinger is a genius. You know those authors that are underestimated and not nearly enough people know about them or read their books? That’s JT Geissinger.

I read Wicked Sexy last year and was blown away. After reading Wicked Intentions, my brain and heart and body are bursting!! These books are the whole package (pun intended). What I love about this book? EVERYTHING. It seriously has everything you ever want in a perfect book. The feels. The humor. The sex. The dirty talk. The amazing story. The words. The dark. The light. All wrapped up in one perfectly packaged book.
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I discovered love was nothing like a fairy tale. It was more like a bad poem written in indecipherable meter by a drunken poet who couldn’t keep a job, so he lived with his mother his whole life while writing the most outrageous roadblocks and outcomes, based on nothing but the whims of his own inebriated brain. It had an awkward beginning, a wildly improbable middle, and an awful, painful end. And nothing rhymed.
Love was the worst.
Inconveniently, it was also the best.

à la Mode St. » fashionMariana. BAD. ASS. HEROINE. It’s impossible for JT to write a weak heroine. Mariana is a genius thief. The best. She has a sordid past and was raised to become the best thief the world has ever known. Riddled with secrets, she steals in order to keep herself safe. She meets Ryan when she is on a mission, and she has to seduce him, but the tables turn and he ends up seducing her instead, and THE CHASE IS ON!!!
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“Wrap your legs around my back,” I say, panting too, “and tell me how much you hate me while I make you come.”
Her thighs become a vise around my waist. Her eyes burn. “I do hate you.”
I flex my hips, and her lashes flutter. She whispers, “I do.”

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Ryan. BEST. HERO. EVER. JT writes the best heroes!! I loved Ryan’s natural humor and laid-back personality. But at the same time, he is a genius. I love all the geniuses!!! Ryan is irresistible. I am just grinning and giggling thinking about him. He is part of a top-notch security firm that is very well-connected. Mariana continues to underestimate him in the book, but Ryan doesn’t give up on her. His confidence. His swagger. His humor. Gah!
He melted my mind

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He comes like he does everything else, one thousand percent committed. Crying out until he’s hoarse, praising me, making me feel beautiful, like fairy tales could be true and happily every afters might be an actual possibility. When it’s over and he’s spent, lying motionless and panting, his chest slick with sweat, I sit back on my heels and just look at him. I drink him in with my eyes, memorizing every golden line of his body.

Because in some dark part of my heart, no matter how much I want to believe in them, I know that fairy tales aren’t true.

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Ryan chases Mariana in this book, and this chase is delicious. Mariana cannot resist him every time he catches her (who could?!). It’s a game of trust issues. The beginning of this book is perfect. The middle is perfect. The end is perfect.

Are you annoyed yet about how much I love this book?

My work here is done.


 Want to read the other standalones in the Wicked Games series? Find out more about WICKED BEAUTIFUL and WICKED SEXY below!


About WICKED BEAUTIFUL

WickedBeautiful.Ebook.v4.Amazon

Life coach and best-selling author Victoria Price has it all: a successful career, fabulous friends, a fantastic penthouse in Manhattan. What she doesn’t have—and doesn’t want—is a husband. Fifteen years ago her high school flame broke her heart so badly she swore she’d never love again. Now she makes millions teaching other women how to be just like her: a ruthless bitch.

Drop-dead sexy restauranteur and infamous playboy Parker Maxwell has only three rules for the women he dates: no questions about his past, no expectations for the future, and no spending the night. When he meets Victoria, however, he’s willing to break his own rules if it means sating the explosive desire she arouses in him. What he doesn’t know is that the alluring Victoria Price used to be the mousy Isabel Diaz, the girl he deflowered and dumped long ago.

Presented with a perfect opportunity for revenge, Victoria decides the game is on. But when her connection with Parker proves more than just skin deep, she has to make a choice: continue with her plan for payback, or risk her career, her reputation, and her heart by taking a second chance on love?

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About WICKED SEXY
WickedEbook.v3.Amazon

A badass ex-Special Ops officer and a smartass hacker fight a dangerous enemy…and a blistering attraction to each other.

Connor Hughes is an ex-special ops officer, CEO of Metrix Security, and bonafide badass. His private security firm is renowned for its effectiveness. He’s renowned for his lethal precision and iron self-control. But when the former Marine meets a gorgeous young hacker with a mouth as smart as her brain, his control unravels in ways he never could have predicted.

Tabitha West is a genius MIT dropout with a bad attitude, an obsession with Hello Kitty and piercings in unmentionable places. Tabby amuses herself by outwitting the most secure technology systems on the planet. Known in hacker circles as Polaroid due to her photographic memory, she’s as secretive as she is accustomed to working alone. So when Connor decides she’s the only one who can help him catch a cyber criminal intent on taking down one of his clients, she tells him exactly where he can stick it.

But when the cyber criminal turns out to be the Hannibal Lecter of computer crime—and a dark presence from Tabby’s past—Tabby and Connor are drawn into a dangerous game of cat and mouse. They quickly find themselves fighting not only their common enemy, but also an explosive desire that threatens to consume them.

When the stakes are this high and the game this deadly, will falling in love be the most dangerous move of all?

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A former headhunter, J.T. Geissinger is the author of more than a dozen novels in contemporary romance, paranormal romance, and romantic suspense.

She is the recipient of the Prism Award for Best First Book, the Golden Quill Award for Best Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, and is a two-time finalist for the RITA® Award from the Romance Writers of America®. Her work has also finaled in the Booksellers’ Best, National Readers’ Choice, and Daphne du Maurier Awards.

Join her Facebook reader’s group, Geissinger’s Gang, to take part in weekly Wine Wednesday live chats and giveaways, find out more information about works in progress, have access to exclusive excerpts and contests, and get advance reader copies of her upcoming releases.

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#DGRFave & Review: HOT Valor by @LynnRayeHarris

HOT ADDICTION
Series: Hostile Operations Team #11
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Author: Lynn Raye Harris
Release Date: July 18, 2017

A new standalone romance from New York Times Bestselling Author Lynn Raye Harris. Sexy, action-packed, and thrilling!

Colonel John “Viper” Mendez searches for a ghost from his past… and when he finds her, nothing will be the same!

They told him she was dead. They lied…

Colonel John “Viper” Mendez is having the second-worst day of his life. Accused of using the Hostile Operations Team to assassinate a foreign official, he’s gone from being a respected military black-ops commander to a fugitive in the space of an hour. On the run, hunted, and stripped of his honor, Mendez has nowhere to go–and few people he can trust.

Russian spy Ekaterina “Kat” Kasharin is a carbon copy of the woman Mendez once loved. Twenty-one years ago, Valentina vanished from his life. Kat claims to be her twin–but Kat’s lying. Ordered by her superiors in Russian Intelligence to abandon the man she loved–or watch him die–Kat had no choice but to obey.

But twenty-one years is a long time to love a man from afar, and Kat won’t stand by as a traitor plans his death–even if it means risking her heart and her life to save him. She can never reveal her true identity–or the secrets she keeps locked away. Secrets he would hate her for. Working with him is strictly business, and she won’t let emotions get in the way. But the attraction between them is smoking hot–and it’s not long before they’re burning up the sheets.

When the truth comes out, the mission implodes. Everything Mendez thought he knew was a lie. He’ll have to pull it together though before a deadly foe succeeds in taking away all he loves. By the time he realizes Kat might be most important of all? It could be too late to save her…

The Hostile Operations Team is a covert military Black Ops unit. Their motto is Where None Dare. H.O.T. operators come from all branches of the military. The only criteria for membership: they must be the best of the best!

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She was an itch beneath his skin. A mosquito buzzing in his ear. A compulsion that threatened to tip across the line into addiction.

This. Book. GAH! It was worth every single second of the wait. Mendez was everything. EVERYTHING.
Harris can write a hot military hero like no one else. Is it any wonder why I’m addicted to this series. It’s become my crack. Pure and simple.

Lies, scandals, secrets, and espionage. All of it explodes in this incredibly powerful second chance romance. It was a heart pounding, action packed, sizzling story of love lost and found. I don’t even have words for how much I loved it, but I’m going to try.

Colonel John “Viper” Mendez has always been the man behind the scenes. The commander of HOT that always set their missions in motion and oversaw things from his desk. But his time in his position earned him a number of enemies and they’re ready to collect. When he gets set up to make it seem like he was using the Hostile Operations Team to assassinate a foreign official, all bets are off. Mendez is not a man that runs from his responsibilities, but he can’t catch the ones responsible from his jail cell. With the help of an slinkily ally, Ian Black, Mendez gets a blast from his past he never expected.

He was no longer commander of HOT. He was a fugitive with a price on his head. He was also a man with a past waiting for the answers to a mystery he’d never stopped thinking about.

Twenty one years ago he fell hard and fast for a beautiful Russian spy, only to lose her and never recover from her death. Valentina is the one woman that he will never forget or get over, so when he meets her carbon copy claiming to be her twin sister, Kat, sent to assist him on his mission, it’s like getting hit by a two by four of memories he can’t hide from.

Every time he looked at her, it was like being plowed into by a high-speed train. He was flattened, gutted, gasping for air.

Not all is as it seems with Kat. Twenty one years ago she was forced to give up the man she loved or watch him die, she made a choice that she never quite recovered from. She’s hardened, jaded, and even more deadly than the woman that Mendez knew as Valentina. Now she’s Kat and she’ll protect the man she never stopped loving even at the cost of her own life, but her identity is a secret that she’ll take with her to her grave.

You could run from your past. You could put years and distance between you and the things that haunted you. But you never got over them. You never got free.

I love a second chance romance. But when that second chance romance is between a special ops commander and a Russian spy he believed dead for 21 years? Holy mother of everything! It’s utterly delicious. Mendez struggles with his instant connection to Kat. He can’t understand if it’s something beyond her uncanny resemblance to the woman he loved, or Kat is keeping something from him. Theirs is a relationship that’s based on secrets and mistrust, and yet it crackles with enough chemistry to spark an explosion. I absolutely loved the two of them together. And as you get more and more of Kat’s past and the reasons why she did what she did along with what she’s been through for the past years, it becomes harder to stay angry at her. This is an incredibly strong woman that’s been through so much.

As for the story? HOT Valor was absolutely explosive! It was the perfect blend of action, suspense, and sizzling hot romance. It was delicious. Addicting. A non-stop action packed ride from beginning to finish. If you’ve been eager for more of Ian Black, you’ll be salivating with this book because the mystery finally gets revealed and it’s a doozy! I think I’ll go insane waiting for his book.

In the meantime, we get a sneak peek into the next couple and I’m already itching for their story.

If you’re a fan of this series, you simply cannot miss this book. It’s an absolute must read. Mendez lives up to every single promise and then some.


READ THE SERIES IN ORDER


HOT PURSUIT
AMAZON | MY REVIEW

HOT MESS
AMAZON | MY REVIEW

HOT PACKAGE
AMAZON

DANGEROUSLY HOT
AMAZON | MY REVIEW

HOT SHOT
AMAZON | MY REVIEW

HOT REBEL
AMAZON | MY REVIEW

HOT ICE
AMAZON | MY REVIEW

HOT & BOTHERED
AMAZON | MY REVIEW

HOT PROTECTOR
AMAZON | MY REVIEW

HOT ADDICTION
AMAZON | MY REVIEW

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