#DGRFave & Review: Fair Trade by Millie Perez

August 14, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

FAIR TRADE
Series: New York Monarchs #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Millie Perez
Release Date: August 14, 2025

Nicholas Stonehaven is the devil.

The man was supposed to remain a stranger. A fond memory of a night I’ll never forget. Instead, I’m mortified to learn that my dirty little secret is now the new owner of the New York Monarchs, making him my boss. I tell myself I can handle this new development. I didn’t become the first female general manager in Major League Baseball without knowing how to handle a curveball. I make trades and close deals better than any other GM in the league. But when the arrogant billionaire offers me a contract I can’t refuse, it seems like I’ve earned myself another fancy, although temporary wife.

Luisa Álvarez is heaven sent.

When she’s not calling me Lucifer, that is. I can be a lot to handle. Hell, I use that to my advantage in the boardroom. But my experience as the CEO of a media enterprise did me no good when I inherited a professional baseball team from my estranged grandfather. I would have sold it off immediately, but even from six feet under, the old man held something over my head, and I couldn’t let it slip through my fingers. That’s how I found myself married to my Angel. She may be hung up on the fact that we made a deal and signed on the dotted line. But there is nothing fake about the way I feel for her or how she comes alive under my touch. We agreed to a fair trade, but now it’s time to renegotiate. Because when it comes to my wife, I never vowed to play fair.

AMAZON

I may be the devil, Luisa, but I am your devil. And don’t you forget it.”

I need you to stop everything that you’re doing right now and read this book immediately. EXPEDITIOUSLY! I’m so serious. This book is about to become my entire personality for the next several weeks and I need everyone to experience the greatness that was Luisa and Nick.

What’s your poison, Stonehaven?”
“Trust me, Luisa. If I had a poison, it would be you.”

Let’s talk about the trope candy here for a second, because we got: one night stand, enemies to lovers, hate lust, pining (all of the male pining), marriage of convenience, office romance (GM/Team Owner), and an absolute ball buster, fiery and take charge FMC that I loved almost as much as the MMC did

Oh, and Luisa? Please be careful when you call for the devil.” His tone is laced with amusement and warning all at once. “Because he just might show up.”

Luisa has fought tooth and nail for her career. As the first female GM not only does she have to deal with doubts and judgment because she’s young but also being a woman. She doesn’t shy from putting men in their place and I loved her take charge attitude.

Now let’s talk about Nick. After the death of his grandfather, Nick finds himself the new owner of a baseball team. As a self made billionaire, he’s a success in his own right, but he takes on the challenge. And Luisa is in for a shock of a lifetime when her fiery one night stand that she never expected to see again is now her new boss. And let me tell you, the sparks fly. OH BUT DO THEY FLY.

These two give as good as they get, and while Nick is pining, Luisa is fighting the attraction left right and center.

My flying heel barely misses Nick as he ducks. “Woman, are you mad? What the hell was that for?”
“I didn’t have a chancleta nearby, so a flying Louboutin will have to do.”

I’m not going to ruin the book for you by telling you anything else, but I will tell you that I had a big goofy smile on my face from cover to cover. It had everything; incredible banter, sizzling chemistry, fast paced story, great characters, male pining, and did I mention the pining? BECAUSE OMG THE PINING.

Lucifer,” I warn. He doesn’t stop until he rounds my desk and pins my ass to it. “Angel,” he all but growls.


It was one of those light hearted reads that just hit the spot so right and I can’t stop thinking about. I cannot recommend it enough for anyone looking for a book that has a little bit of everything; humor, chemistry, tension, emotion, and an MMC with an English accent and a FILTHY mouth. Le swoon.

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Review: A Wreck You Make Me by Saffron A. Kent

August 8, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

A WRECK YOU MAKE ME
Series: Bad Boys of Bardstown #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Saffron A. Kent
Release Date: August 8, 2025

I have been in love with Shepard Thorne since I was twelve.

He’s my best friend’s hot older brother, and I am the weird redhead who low-key follows him everywhere. He’s soccer’s bad boy, and I am stuck in a dead end job, serving drinks at the local strip club.

Our paths aren’t meant to cross.

Until one day I catch him getting a lap dance at the club and jealousy makes me ruin his fun.

Now he’s made it his mission to make my life hell and no matter what I do, there is no escape.

Everywhere I turn, there he is, waiting for his payback.

He threatens to kiss me one second, and choke me the next.

He promises to bring me to my knees and make me beg.

What started as a little harmless prank turns into a twisted game of blackmail that’s toxic but oh-so-good.

But it has to end.

Because I have a secret…

That ties me to my tormentor in an irrevocable way, and if he ever finds out, it will wreck everything I now crave.

Even his revenge.

 

Note: This is a STANDALONE set in the world of Bardstown

AMAZON

Why does it feel like I’m…”
Intensity swirls in his eyes as he whispers, “You’re what?”
“I’m more yours than I am mine. That you own me.”

Did I finish this book or did it finish me?

If you’re like me and like your fictional men extra toxic walking red flags, you’re going to gobble this right up!

That fuckface was your date.”
“He’s not a fuckface,” I protest. “His name is⁠—”
“You say his name,” he growls, his voice low and threatening, “and I’ll hunt him down and make him forget yours.”

Did I do things back*asswards yet again and read this book first before the rest of the series? Yes, yes I did. And I had no problems jumping right into the deep end and getting immediately sucked into the story.

Now when I tell you that these two were absolutely toxic together, I mean there were TOXIC together. I don’t know who I wanted to hit more at certain times; Shepard or Jupiter. Well, it was probably Shepard, because the man was the definition of hot and cold, but I digress.

Jupiter has been in love with Shepard since the moment she was old enough to recognize the feeling. I loved Jupiter so much. Here was a girl that had all the odds stacked against her; a family from hell and no emotional support. And yet she works multiple jobs so she can give her sick sister a better life. She’s also spent years carrying a secret that ties her to Shepard and his family.

Shepard was always the man she could never have. He’s a famous professional soccer player, older, and at one point; engaged. He also doesn’t mince words when he tells her that he wants nothing to do with her. But while Jupiter is wholly obsessed with Shepard, she doesn’t know that he is stalkingly obsessed with her right back. It the most toxic of ways.

He chases her down, he pushes her away only to pull her right back. The push and pull between these two was absolutely deranged. And to be honest, if it wasn’t what he would do for Jupiter without saying anything, I may have judged him more harshly for his words. But while he’s mean and ruthless in words, he takes care of her in ways that no one ever has.

Just so you know, you’re a toxic snake.” He hums. “Yeah, but when I bite it hurts so fucking good you can’t help but want more.”

But man oh man were these two absolutely toxic together. Their constant push and pull was almost unbearable at times but I also couldn’t get enough of it. I know, right? My feelings went through a rollercoaster of love and hate reading this book. I devoured it. Totally devoured it in one delicious sitting.

This was the kind of toxic my bookish dreams were made out of and now I need to immediately read the rest of the series.

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Review: Chasing Shelter by Catherine Cowles

July 22, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

CHASING SHELTER
Series: Sparrow Falls #5
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Catherine Cowles
Release Date: July 22, 2025

I came here seeking sanctuary, I never meant to fall for the broody single dad next door.

I’ve spent my life hiding in plain sight, burying my past beneath layers of carefully constructed lies. Moving to Sparrow Falls was supposed to be a fresh start. A place to lay low. But when I end up living next door to the single dad who just happens to be one of my brother’s best friends, everything changes.

Trace Colson sees too much, asks too many questions, and his protectiveness is as infuriating as it is alluring.

And when danger comes calling, it’s Trace who stands between me and the darkness.

But being close to him is its own kind of risk. Because with every heated glance and every stolen touch, Trace tempts me to open my heart, to dream of a life I’d long since given up on. The only problem? Trace has his own demons, and when they collide with mine, the fallout could destroy us both.

Forever.

AMAZON 

You breaking the rules for me, Chief?”
“I knew you were going to be a bad influence.”

I’ve said it before and I will say it again, Catherine Cowles books are my happy place. PERIOD. And her MMCs are the blueprint. Because every time I think I meet my favorite, she goes ahead and introduces the next one and I’m swooning head over heels. And Trace? Oh the swoon was so real.

I lifted a hand to her face, my thumb tracking under her eye, the same one that had been bruised yet hidden beneath coats of makeup. “Who hurt you?”

After the events of Beautiful Exile, I was so excited for Linc’s sister to get her story. Her character growth and journey to finding herself and her strength was one of my favorite things about this book. Right after her sassy mouth and immediate connection with Trace’s adorable daughter, Keely.

Don’t worry, Chief, I won’t tell.”
“It’s Sheriff,” I ground out.

Is it really frenemies to lovers when the attraction is there but the stubborn man just refuses to admit it?

Trace is determined to avoid the much too tempting Ellie. Not only does he not have time for women when he’s busy with his job as sheriff and raising his daughter, but she’s also Linc’s sister. But then as fate would have it, Ellie becomes his neighbor and bis impossible to resist.

Can I tell you something?” I asked.
“Anything.”
“I like when you say fuck.”
A low chuckle sounded over the speaker. “Fuck, baby.”

Ellie is determined to find herself outside of her despicable father’s influence and her abusive ex fiancé’s hold. She wants to make a life for herself around what she wants, not what she’s told. But while the small town is a perfect place to start, not every person is welcoming her into the fold. Her father’s legacy is not a pretty one. And when danger starts to nip at her heels, Trace is determined to protect her. And oh Trace, the man you are.

You deserve to be in your power.” His mouth trailed lower, featherlight touches until he reached my lips. And there he stayed, speaking against them. “You deserve someone on their knees for you, not someone forcing you to yours.”

The romance was a delicious slow burn that I loved oh so much. Although there was a point where I thought that if they were going to be interrupted one more time, I may riot. But the burn was so worth it because when they do finally get together, it was deliciously satisfying.

As always, the suspense was a gripping layer that built on top of the romance and made this one unputdownable read. The ending did catch me a bit by surprise and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it for a minute there. But then I love when something manages to surprise me, so can’t complain there.

And did I mention Loli? Because this hilarious grandma is one of my all time favorite secondary characters, EVER.

Hey, what’s wrong with my place?” Cope pouted.
Sutton patted his chest. “You built that monster mansion in the middle of nowhere, Hotshot. It would take twenty officers to surround it.”
“I hope that doesn’t mean you’re insecure because you’re lacking in other departments,” Lolli said, arching a brow.
Cope’s jaw went slack and then his face screwed up like he was a little sick to his stomach. “Did my grandma just insult my dick size?”

I gobbled it up and can’t wait for more. If you haven’t read this series yet, you’re seriously missing out!

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Review: At the Edge of Surrender by A.L. Jackson

July 15, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

AT THE EDGE OF SURRENDER
Series: Moonlit Ridge #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: A.L. Jackson
Release Date: June 16, ,2025

A surprise single dad, small town romantic suspense…

I’m the last guy on the planet who should be a dad. My life is chaos. My sins written dark and deep.
So, imagine my surprise when my doorbell rings and I open it to find the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen standing on the other side.
And she’s holding the hand of a little girl who looks just like me.

Emery tells me her sister, the child’s mother, is dead.
I feel like dirt since she’s a woman I can hardly remember, and it’s no wonder Emery doesn’t trust that I’m worthy of caring for her niece.
But I can’t turn my back, and I insist on raising Maci.
So, we strike a deal—she’ll stay with me for one month to ensure the little girl is safe.

Emery tries to hate me for who I am, but neither of us can resist the attraction that blazes between us.
One brush of her hand, and she has me on my knees.
One kiss, and I’m falling fast.
Soon, we find ourselves tangled in my sheets.

But when it’s discovered her sister’s death wasn’t accidental, the secret life I’ve been living collides with the past Emery has tried to keep hidden.
And when the fiends come back to finish the job they started, I’m in a race against time to save the two people who I’ve come to love most…

AMAZON

You shouldn’t look at me that way, Emery.”
“What way am I looking at you?”
“Like you want to surrender.”

Swoon. When I tell you that AL Jackson can write one hell of an MMC, this is what I mean. Kane Asher is the epitome of a tortured character. I loved him so much.

Now do I love a surprise pregnancy trope? No. Do I like it even less when it’s not the FMC’s baby? Yes. But if anyone can make me love it, it’s this author. And I was honestly blown away at just how well it worked in this story. Kane is a lone wolf and doesn’t spend more than a night with a woman. So imagine his surprise when he learns he has a daughter he knew nothing about and the woman to deliver the news is the sister of the mother who tragically passed away.

Now Emory took me a minute to warm up to. She was so hard on Kane and judged him so much that it was frustrating at parts. I understand her rationale but it was just too much of it also.

The story itself was gripping and Jackson writes a suspense like no other. It had twists and turns, it had chemistry galore, and it was another fantastic installment in one of my favorite series. 

A.L. Jackson is the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance. She writes emotional, sexy, heart-filled stories about boys who usually like to be a little bit bad.

Her bestselling series include THE REGRET SERIES, CLOSER TO YOU, BLEEDING STARS, FIGHT FOR ME, CONFESSIONS OF THE HEART, FALLING STARS, and REDEMPTION HILLS novels. Get her latest enemies-to-lovers, second-chance romance, NEVER LOOK BACK, available now!

If she’s not writing, you can find her hanging out by the pool with her family, sipping cocktails with her friends, or of course with her nose buried in a book.

Be sure not to miss new releases and sales from A.L. Jackson – Sign up to receive her newsletter https://geni.us/ALJacksonBookClubB  or text “aljackson” to 33222 to receive short but sweet updates on all the important news.

Connect with A.L.

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Review: A Royal Mile by Samantha Young

June 19, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

A ROYAL MILE
Series: Return to Dublin Street #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Samantha Young 
Release Date: June 19, 2025

A steamy enemies-to-friends-to-lovers romance from New York Times Bestselling Author Samantha Young.

It’s hard to stay in the friend zone when the attraction is this hot…

Going into my senior year of university at war with a member of the British royal family wasn’t in my carefully laid plans. Sebastian Thorne might be the grandson of a princess, but it’ll take more than a royal pardon to get me to forgive him for pretending to be someone he’s not.
 
But Sebastian is determined to be my friend. Even if it means signing up to a psych experiment just to get me to talk to him. Who knew a sincere apology and him saying my name in that posh English accent would make me weak in the knees?
 
This year was supposed to be about my dissertation and graduate school. Only, Sebastian has thrown my ordered world off kilter. He makes me bolder, more confident. A braver version of me.
 
Yet every lingering glance and stolen touch has me realizing one thing…
 
I’m falling for my best friend.
 
There’s just one problem. Sebastian has demons, ones that make him determined to keep me in the friend zone no matter the cost.
 
And even when temptation sends his walls tumbling down, the beauty we’ve found might not survive against the will of powerful outside forces…

AMAZON

Are you incapable of concentrating?” “I am very capable of concentrating.” He opened the note’s app on his tablet. “I’m going to prove it by staring at your mouth for this entire session as you talk.”

It’s official, I am completely and utterly obsessed with this series. Sam’s Dublin Street series is one of my all time favorites so of course I’m going to be just as obsessed with the second generation spinoff. A Royal Mile features Lily Sawyer, the daughter of Nate and Olivia from Before Jamaica Lane, which is my favorite book from the series. So to say that I was super excited for Lily’s book is a mild understatement.

If you’ve read On Loverose Lane, then you already got a peek into Lily. She’s the painfully shy and introverted to her younger sister’s boisterous personality. But as shy as she is, she’s no pushover, and I loved that about her. We start the book partially into Lily and Sebastian’s story. We know that Sebastian deceived her and she’s not giving him the time of day to apologize. But we don’t yet know why. That gets revealed as the story goes on and I loved the way those flashbacks were interwoven into the story. I also loved the nods and parallels to her parents’ story and I swear you would appreciate it so much having read their book as well. Trust me. But I digress.

Sebastian is determined to get Lily’s forgiveness and once he finally breaks down her defenses, they begin an amazing friendship. But no matter how amazing they are as friends, Lily can’t swallow her feelings for him. Feelings that she believes are not reciprocated.

I’d met my unicorn. The guy who made me feel so comfortable I could talk to him about anything. And yet whom I was so attracted to, I felt like every fiber of my being came alive in a way it never had until him. A bloody unicorn. Yet he didn’t feel the same way. Of course not.

I loved the way Sebastian was with Lily, even when I wanted to shake him for his hard headedness when it came to anything between them. Though, the more the layers get peeled back from him, the more you understand his fierce avoidance of anything beyond a friendship. I also loved Lily’s quiet and unassuming strength. She isn’t shy about putting Sebastian in his place and I loved the way she understood him and his behavior more than he understood himself.

They definitely had their moments when I wanted to shake them both to see reason, but I did love the way they find their way to each other. It was a delicious slow burn full of emotion and angst and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I also loved the way that Lily stood up for herself with her sister, because she had moments where I wanted to shake her too. Though I cannot wait to see the man that is January’s perfect match.

If you’re looking for a swoon, steamy, and highly emotional friends to lovers romance, this one will check every box. The series is now a favorite and I cannot wait for more!

Samantha Young is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. She’s been nominated for several Goodreads Choice Awards. Samantha writes adult contemporary and paranormal romance, YA urban fantasy and YA contemporary fiction and is currently published in 31 countries.

She resides in Scotland.

 

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Review: Tenderfoot by Kristen Ashley

June 17, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

TENDERFOOT
Series: Avenging Angels #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Kristen Ashley
Release Date: June 17, 2025

Harlow O’Neill is waiting for Javier Montoya to make his move. She has it bad for the gorgeous new investigator at Nightingale Investigations and Security. She’s sure he knows it. She’s also sure he’s just as into her.

And she’s read the Rock Chick books. She knows how those Hottie Squad men are supposed to win their women.

Javi is just not trying to win her.

Then one evening Harlow is undercover on a mission for the Avenging Angels, and Javi blows her cover. She’s not happy about it. They share words and some of the ones Javi uses aren’t all that great.

Harlow retreats. Javi goes on the advance.

And the man Harlow was investigating winds up dead.

The Angels go all in to discover what’s happening with a dating app scam that ended up with a dead guy. The Nightingale men aren’t fans of the women wading in on such a dangerous case, and they’re doing something about it.

It’s a race between the Angels and the Hottie Squad as to who’s going to solve the mystery.

While all of that happens, Javi’s not taking any chances with Harlow’s safety. He moves her into his place and Harlow learns firsthand what it means to be in the romantic crosshairs of a member of the Hottie Squad…and the heartbreaking reasons why Javi kept her at arm’s length.

AMAZON

His gaze grew intent on me, so much so, I felt like I’d suddenly been engulfed in an inferno. “I want you so fucking much,” he growled.


Oh the way this book hit the spot for me. Heck, it hit spots I didn’t even know I had. I binge read it in a giddy fever and swear to you, if I was in a position to kick my feet as I did it, I would have.

Now Rock Chick Regret is one of my all time favorite Rock Chick books. If you haven’t met Hector OMG Chavez, you haven’t lived. And dare I say I now have a favorite from the Rock Chick spin off with Javier “Javi” Montoya. This man was everything. All the ovary tingling things. ALL OF THEM.

This isn’t a date. I’m getting mine.” Register guy started ringing me up.
“Mine’s with hers,” Javi repeated. “And I’m paying.”
Register guy looked to Javi. Javi pushed me out of his way, pulling out his wallet. “I can get my own dinner,” I told him.
He looked down at me. “I know you can. That doesn’t mean you are.”
“Okay then, I don’t want you to buy my dinner,” I returned.
Javi switched his attention to register guy. “She’s full of it because we’re fighting. This is a date and I’m buying her dinner.”

Do you SEE what I mean? THE SWOON.

Now if you’ve read this series then you’re already in love with this girl gang and I don’t have to convince you of their awesome. And if you haven’t, then you need to get on this immediately.

Harlow was impossible not to love with her sweet and caring nature and penchant for self soothing with Taylor Swift. She’s been lusting after Javier for as long as she’s known him, but he never gave signs that he wants to go there. And then he epically puts his foot in his mouth with his assumption of Harlow being the quintessential rich girl who is essentially slumming it with her friends. And while Harlow definitely comes from money, she still yearns for the one thing she never had; love and acceptance. I loved all of her vulnerable layers. But what I loved the most was the way that Javi immediately realized his mistake and pursues her relentlessly. And you don’t know woo until you read a KA alpha woo his woman. SWOON.

Now I gotta work to fix it, and I’m gonna do that, mi pequeña Lolita. I promise.”

Of course it wouldn’t be this series without the fun suspense subplot that runs parallel to the romance and I loved the way that both of those things seamlessly wove into the other.

This is the kind of romance book that made me fall in love with KA’s writing to begin with and it was pure nostalgia. I loved these two together so much. The story was emotional and the characters multilayered. My heart absolutely broke for Javi and everything he survived to be the man that he is. And I hope we continue some more development with that in the future books. I don’t want to spoil it and say with what, but you’ll see what I mean when you read it.

The romance was sheer perfection. No extra drama, no third act breakup. Just a man who gives his all for a woman who deserves it all. And mad oh man did I gobble it up. 

For more information on Kristen Ashley, visit: https://www.kristenashley.net/

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Review: Rush The Edge by SJ Sylvis

June 4, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

RUSH THE EDGE
Series: Blue Devils Hockey #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: S.J. Sylvis
Release Date: May 22, 2025

A brother’s best friend, enemies-to-lovers, hockey romance by Amazon Top 50 and USA Today bestselling author, S.J. Sylvis.

I never would have moved to Chicago, if I had known he would be there.

Moving to a brand new city to share an apartment with my older brother was bad enough.

Becoming neighbors with Kane Barlow, my brother’s arrogant pro-hockey-playing best friend, was just the cherry on top of the dumpster fire my life has become.

Did I mention that Kane is also the guy I had a secret fling with years ago?

I haven’t seen him since and let’s just say his icy glares and frigid demeanor are reason enough for me to get my own place.

Little does he know, I’m in Chicago for a reason that has nothing to do with him. So what if his snide remarks and attempts to get under my skin are wildly entertaining? I came here for stability – not distractions, and definitely not the kind with infuriating smirks.

But the more we clash, the more the tension between us shifts. His icy glares turn into heated glances, and our aversion to being around each other quickly morphs into secret trysts and spicy moments we swore we didn’t want.

The line between love and hate is razor-thin – and this time, we’re both rushing towards the edge.

AMAZON 

She was the girl I was never supposed to look at, let alone touch. Except, I did, and I haven’t been the same since.

Know what I love more than a second chance romance? A second chance romance written by SJ Sylvis. I knew I would fall for Kane the second he made an appearance as the hothead secondary character in Play the Game. Then we got a peak into layers in Skate the Line but nothing compares to being in his head and finally understanding what makes him tick.

Kane fell fast and hard for his best friend’s sister, Daisy, back when they were teenagers. But then she broke his heart and he’s spent years trying to erase his feelings. When suddenly the blast from his past is not only back in his life but living with her brother who just so happens to be Kane’s neighbor, he quickly finds out that feelings, though tainted by anger and resentment, are still there.

God, I’ve missed you.” Such a bitter truth.
“No you haven’t,” she says quietly.
“I have,” I argue. “But I hate myself for it.”

The push and pull between these two almost drove me to the brink. I loved it as much as I wanted to shake them both in parts. Kane and Daisy are equally stubborn so obviously each gives as good as they get. The chemistry was sizzling and the slow burn definitely notched it up a point. But when they finally give in? INCENDIARY! I also loved the way he would take care of Daisy, especially after he learns about her condition.

Addiction comes in all forms, and mine is her.

My only quibble is that I wish Kane got a bit more closure with his mom but it was still satisfying so I can’t complain much.

If you’re looking for a deliciously dirty hockey player who still pines the girl he never got over, a friends to lovers to enemies back to lovers, and lots of sizzle in between, definitely check this one out.

S.J. Sylvis is an Amazon top 50 and USA Today bestselling author who is best known for her new adult romances. She currently resides in Arizona with her husband, two small kiddos, and pets! She is obsessed with coffee, becomes easily attached to fictional characters, and spends most of her evenings buried in a book! 

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DGRFave & Review: Be With Me by Gabrielle Sands

May 14, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

BE WITH ME
Series: House of Ferraro #1
Author: Gabrielle Sands
Genre: Mafia Romance
Release Date: May 14, 2025

She’s the mayor-to-be’s perfect daughter. He’s the ruthless villain set to ruin her.I’ve spent my life putting others first. So when my father runs for New York City mayor—on a promise to take down the city’s most notorious crime family—I do what I always push my own dreams aside to help him win.

Until I wind up at the wrong party. Trapped in a bedroom with Romolo Ferraro—the dangerous, merciless youngest son of the man my father has sworn to destroy.

He terrifies me. He fascinates me. Six foot four and covered in tattoos, he’s everything I should avoid.

When he starts pursuing me, I know I’m just a pawn in his game. A means to an end. And yet… part of me wants to play along.

I tell myself it’s to protect my father’s campaign. But I’m not thinking about politics when Romolo’s rough hands slide over my skin, teaching me how good it feels to burn.

They say good girls don’t fall for the villain.

But maybe, I’m tired of being good.

~

Be With Me is book 1 in House of Ferraro, a series of interconnected standalones following the Ferraro brothers, where dark and sensual romance plays out against a backdrop of family secrets and mafia intrigue.

AMAZON

Mia Morales had infected my black heart with a virus that compelled me to do right by her. Fuck knows if I’d ever recover./i>

First of all, how is this my first Gabrielle Sands book and what rock have I been living under? An immediate binge on her backlist is incoming because I have been sleeping on this author and now kicking myself. My fellow mafia romance lovers, if you haven’t yet discovered Gabrielle Sands, you need to crawl out from under that rock right along with me. When I tell you that I binge read this book in one sitting, I mean I was GLUED to the pages from cover to cover.

I excelled at many things, but there was one thing I discovered a long time ago I was particularly good at—destroying people’s lives. Sometimes, I barely even had to try./i>

If you love a Romeo and Juliet vibe with a good girl/bad boy trope thrown in, prepare yourself because OH MY GOD. And if you love a good tortured antihero, then really prepare yourself because Romolo was IT.

Romolo is the Ferraro brother who gets sent in to get information no matter the cost; whether it be his fists, his manipulation, or something else entirely. And he’s damn good at it. Mia’s father poses a threat to his family because his entire campaign trail is on the platform of bringing organized crime down with a focus specifically on the Ferraro. And what better in than his daughter? But what he doesn’t anticipate is the sizzling connection between the two of them.

What exactly are you proposing?”
“Simple. You. Me. A sturdy bed with a headboard, and a box of condoms. Remember how you said I hadn’t earned you moaning my name? Let me fucking earn it.”/i>

Mia is the epitome of good girl with her savior complex when it comes to her friends and her agreeable nature at any cost when it comes to her father. While at first I thought these qualities would annoy me (because usually they would), they were somehow endearing with her. She just wanted love and a part of me really connected with that.

But what I loved even more is her unwilling attraction to Rom, no matter how hard she tried to fight it. Their chemistry was absolutely incendiary and I couldn’t get enough of them.

It’s eleven. If we leave now, you’ll be screaming it by midnight,” he said roughly./i>

As a huge mafia romance fan, I am so excited to find a new to me author to obsess over.

I read it obsessively and still find myself thinking about it days after finishing. It was everything I love in a mafia romance; gritty, action packed, and with just the right amount of steam. The story was addictive and the romance was sizzling. I’m completely obsessed and can’t recommend it enough for all my fellow mafia romance lovers out there!

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Review: Finding Forever by Natasha Anders

April 1, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

FINDING FOREVER
Author: Natasha Anders
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 1, 2025

Niall Caden Hawthorne—Cade—lives an exacting, uncompromising life. His only priorities are, and always will be, his family and his business. He’d do anything for them. This includes marrying a colorless, drab moth of a woman who leaves him physically and emotionally cold.

Fern Lambert is everything Cade has never wanted in a woman—timid, sheltered, shockingly inexperienced, and—after a night of uncharacteristically bad choices—pregnant with his baby.
She is also the key to securing an elusive business contract that Cade has been after for nearly a year. Marrying her means giving up three years of his life, it means acknowledging a child that he never planned on having… it means complications and disruptions to his well-ordered life.
But Cade knows it’s the right thing to do. It’s the only thing to do. That doesn’t mean he has to like it.

And—inexplicable fascination with her lush upper lip notwithstanding—it certainly doesn’t mean he has to like her.

AMAZON

I refuse to be your crutch. I don’t want to be your friend. Or your confidante. I don’t want to hear about your past, or your future aspirations. I don’t care about any of that. All I care about is getting through this marriage with as little emotional investment—from the both of us—as possible.”

When you want a true a-hole MMC, you look no further than Natasha Anders. As a long time fan and reader, she just has this skill of giving you heroes that you love to hate and then hate to love before you just love them. And boy did I love to hate Cade.

Now if you love a modern day cinderella retelling with a twist, this will be your new book crack. Take a wallflower FMC but instead of an evil stepmother, make it an evil stepfather and his two wretched daughters. But while the FMC is a wallflower and hasn’t experienced much of life because of her stepfather’s cruel bid to keep her rightful inheritance from her, she is no pushover. And if there’s one thing I love, is an FMC who is vulnerable, shy, but nowhere close to a doormat.

When Cade spots Fern at an event, effortlessly blending into the wall, there’s really nothing about her that should call to him. Yet he finds himself talking to the timid woman. And one catastrophically unmemorable encounter later, she finds herself pregnant with his baby. Fern, while inexperienced and with the odds stacked against her, is determined to get herself from under her stepfather’s thumb. So she makes Cade an offer he can’t refuse; marry her (in name only) and she will give him the company that he and his father have been trying to negotiate with her stepfather.

Now the one thing that I absolutely love about Natasha’s book, is her ability to take an MMC who seemingly has no interest in the FMC to the point you question how they’ll be together, and make him fall so hard that the MMC is as shocked by it as you are. And boy oh boy did I love Cade falling deeper and deeper. As much as he fought it, the woman was simply not at all who he underestimated her to be.

He’s cruel, and hot and cold, and some of the things that he said to Fern had me wanting to c*ck punch him. But I love and I mean LOVE the way that Fern makes him work for it in the end. She doesn’t just turn around and forgive him at the first sign of feelings. As a matter of fact, she makes him prove them at every turn. And I loved that for her.

We can be happy together,” he maintained. “I don’t think so. I think we can be content. But I don’t think we’d ever be truly happy together.”

This was a delicious slow burn full of tension and heartache, emotion and grit. I loved watching Fern come into her own almost as much as I loved Cade helplessness in falling for her.

I love Natasha’s brand of angst, and this book brought together everything I love about her writing. It hurt so good and I loved every emotional page of it.

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Review: Dark Horse by Maggie Rawdon

March 28, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

DARK HORSE
Series: The Quiet Horsemen #2
Genre: Dark Western, Small Town Romance
Author: Maggie Rawdon
Release Date: March 28, 2025

Grant Stockton is the devil incarnate. The cowboy turned casino-owning crime boss has been the bane of my existence for as long as I can remember—first as my older brother’s best friend, then as my guardian when my brother died at his side, and now as the rival bar owner and landlord running me into the red.

He might be the head of The Quiet Horsemen, the man everyone else in this town fears, but I’m not about to cede a single inch of ground to him.

If I have to lie, cheat, and steal to keep him from finding out my bar’s underwater—well, that’s exactly what I’ll do.

At least until he breaks into my apartment and discovers my secret. One that gives him all the leverage he needs to control my fate.

My only reprieve is that The Horsemen are in the middle of a war, one that’s been spilling blood for the better part of a decade, and his enemies are closing in on our small mountain town.

Which is why I’m taken off guard by the demand he makes in exchange for keeping my secret.

Apparently there are benefits to being at the mercy of the devil…

AMAZON 



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