Review: Wrath of an Exile by Monty Jay

October 29, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

WRATH OF AN EXILE
Series: River Styx Heathens #1
Author: Monty Jay
Genre: New Adult Romance
Release Date: October 28, 2024

In Ponderosa Springs, this version of Romeo and Juliet isn’t a tragedy. It’s war.

Jude Sinclair is West Trinity Falls’ favorite exiled loner.

Cocky. Insufferably hot. Family foe.

Raised across the tracks in a rival town, he reeks of trouble. Which is the one thing I’ve always had a problem avoiding and now that he’s just down the hall, it’s harder to resist the pull.

My father made one rule when Jude moved in, never trust a Sinclair.

The last thing I need is for my new foster brother to make me question my loyalty with his filthy smirks and poet tongue. But with every forbidden kiss and secret hookup, I quickly find myself faced with two options.

Betray my family? Or betray my heart?

AMAZON

The Capulets and Montagues may have been Shakespeare’s famous foes, but in Ponderosa Springs? It was the Van Dorens and Sinclairs.

I feel like I have been waiting for this book for my entire life. It was pure, dark tinged and grungy poetry and man but I loved every page of it.

Now if you haven’t yet read Monty Jay’s Hollow Boys series, do yourself a favor and read that series first. While you can definitely still enjoy this without having read that series, you would have a much finer appreciation for these characters having met the first generation. This is the next gen spinoff as it is. Plus Hollow Boys is simply a deliciously addictive series that I can’t recommend enough if you need another reason.

Now if you have read Hollow Boys, then you already know the history between Sinclairs and Van Dorens. Rook (The Truths We Burn) was one of my favorite characters and books in that series and I couldn’t wait to meet his daughter, Seraphina, who I just knew would be as lethal as her parents.

You see, I’ve got this thing. This appetite for boys’ hearts. It’s impossible to survive my brand of chaos. I like bad decisions. Fast cars. And sex. Anything that makes me numb.

Now as a self proclaimed enemies to lovers connoisseur, a true enemies to lovers romance is hard to come by. But boy did this one deliver. And if you love the whole star crossed, Romeo and Juliet vibe? Well, it’s extra delicious. Because Jude is not just the bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks. His last name carries a dark cross that isn’t his to bear but bear it he does. Jude just so happens to be the son of Easton Sinclair, who also happened to be Sage’s horrible ex from The Truths We Burn. But let’s talk about this book, shall we. Because when you highlight this much in a book, you just know you’re reading a five star. And the level of obsession I now have with these characters knows no end.

Phi’s misery tastes like it could sustain me for an eternity.
“I hate you.”
“Right back at ya, sweetheart.”

To say that there’s bad blood between the Van Dorens and the Sinclairs is putting it mildly. But the amplifier to that is the particular history between Phi and Jude personally. This is a mystery that slowly unravels during the course of the book and had me in a complete chokehold.

Seraphina is not known for her soft heart. She’s known for her love them and leave them mentality. But deep down, this is a girl who has some dark scars and even darker secrets. Jude is the quintessential tortured bad boy who I fell for instantly. He lived through hell with his father, and the stain of his family’s last name carriers into his every day. And when his father suddenly dies and suddenly he’s the foster of the Van Doren family, let’s just say things get sticky. And the hate lust between him and Phi certainly doesn’t get better when they’re living under the same roof.

You think you like it rough ’cause a few guys tugged your hair, Van Doren?” I whisper. “You’ll carry my bruises for a goddamn lifetime.”

And did I mention the hate lust? Because oh my god the tension between these two was everything. EVERYTHING.

How long do you think it’ll take before you give in and let me fuck those pretty little lies out of your mouth, sweetheart?”

I loved everything about this book; the characters, the pacing, the mystery, the secrets, the history. All of it was effortlessly and masterfully intwined for an absolutely unputdownable reading experience. And that’s what this book was; an experience.

You’re a goddamn tragedy, Van Doren. But fuck, you’re beautiful.”

I devoured the book in one sitting. I was both rabid for the ending and dreading it because I didn’t want this book to ever end. The story was perfectly paced with a haunting romance full of pain and second chances. And the new generation characters already have me rabid for their books…especially Ezra. If you’re looking for a dark and gritty new adult romance, you simply need to read this one. Full stop.

We’re not made for soft endings. We’re made for catastrophe, for the kind of connection that leaves scars, the kind that haunts you long after the final page is turned.
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Review: Tore Up by Abbi Glines

October 23, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

TORE UP
Series: Mississippi Smoke #1
Author: Abbi Gaines
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 23, 2024

Calculating, cold, often without emotion was how I was described by those closest to me. I had thought perhaps there was truth to their depiction until this endless searing pain took the place in my chest where my heart used to be. Vengeance now ate away at my soul. The wrath I planned to unleash would make the demons in Hell appear mild.

At least, that was until…

The twisted crux came in the form of eyes bluer than the sky on a warm summer day, a slightly upturned nose with a scattering of freckles, a pink cupid bow mouth, and a smile that made a man’s knees weak.

The events that brought us here meant I should loathe her existence for eternity, yet my need for her grows with each passing day. She’s too young, she’s vulnerable and broken, but somehow, she’s not damaged. She was the cause of what had left me with this raging agony, and yet, the balm that eased my soul. Still, I can never forgive the destruction she caused me and those I love.

I had become a mockery of my revenge because holding her at night while she slept was the only thing keeping me sane. She’ll pay the price through my cruelty, never knowing that while she dreams, I find my solace.

My story begins with my worst nightmare.
And she’s the reason behind all of it.

AMAZON

There were only so many things I was willing to do when it came to her. Forgiving her was not one of them.

If you’ve read Abbi’s Smoke and Georgia Smoke series, then you will definitely love the Mississippi branch spinoff.

Abbi’s formula just always hits the spot for me. She writes some of the best toxic, walking red flags of alpha MMCs and I am so here for it. And while the super forgiving and at times overly innocent heroines would grate on me anywhere else, in her books it just works. Don’t ask me why or how. It just does, ok.

Those eyes of hers were a weapon. The damn sky on a clear day couldn’t even compete.

This is the Mississippi branch of the souther mafia so expect some cameos from past favorites as well as the introduction of plenty of new and intriguing characters. If you’re expecting a lot of mafia elements, it’s not really that. They’re more like morally corrupt, Yellowstone kind of ‘mafia’. Ya know? And this girl has no complaints.

Now the premise of this story is a HUGE spoiler, so I won’t tell you much but I will say that my jaw was on the floor on chapter one. And it takes a lot to catch your girl by surprise.

Our MMCs is the type of morally gray fictional man that I love. He’s ruthless, cold, unfeeling, and as homicidal as they come. The man is a walking red flag if there ever was one, so naturally I fell for him. Fictionally speaking of course. Halo is her name personified. This girl is innocent and sweetness all wrapped up into one eager to please FMC. And she was the perfect balance to the MMCs craziness.

She wasn’t mine, and I had no right to do this, but I couldn’t seem to stop it.

This is a forced proximity so it also had a slow burn element to it which I loved. It burned so good, even when there were moments that I wanted to c*ck punch our MMCs. But I digress.

This pull she had on me was owning me.

There is just something about Abbi’s books that are just pure book crack for me. I read them in one sitting and while there’s definitely a formula to them, it just always hits and hits the spot. It’s quick paced, spicy, with just the right amount of grit.

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Review: From Here To Eternity by AL Jackson

October 15, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

FROM HERE TO ETERNITY
Series: Moonlit Ridge #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: A.L. Jackson
Release Date: October 15,  2024

I should have known everything was going to change when she walked into my tattoo shop…

Timid as hell and gorgeous to the extreme. I knew better than even thinking about touching a woman like that.

My life is dangerous.

My calling wicked.

Willing to cross any line to protect the innocent.

I thought I’d never see her again until my little boy tumbled and busted his lip, and I found her working at the doctor’s office.

The woman who’d taken possession of my thoughts.

When it becomes clear she’s in trouble, I offer up a deal.

Twenty questions to earn her trust.

Too bad trusting me is the last thing she should do.

With one kiss, I’m addicted. With one night, we’re falling into a passion greater than either of us has ever known.

The voices in my head warn I can never keep her. She can’t know the secret life I lead.

Only she’s keeping a secret, too.

And I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe, even if it means losing everything…

AMAZON

You don’t have to run anymore, Charleigh. You can rest in me.”

As a long time fan of AL Jackson, the woman never disappoints with writing some of the most amazing and swooniest heroes I have ever read. And River Tayte? The man was absolute morally gray perfection. Not to mention possessive, protective, and with a dirty mouth to boot.

Gonna mark myself on you as deep as that tat on your arm. Permanently. Make you remember exactly what you want. What you need.”

Now if you’ve ever read a book by this author than you already know that she has the most unique writing style that I for one can never get enough of. It’s just the right amount of lyrical prose that just engrains her stories with something more. An oomph if you will.

River and Charleigh meet by chance when she stumbles into his tattoo shop. And knowing that he has a waiting list at least 6 months out, there’s something about the woman that calls to River and has him agreeing to tattoo her. And then when another chance meeting brings them together again, he’s not so willing to walk away. To say that the man falls and falls hard would be an understatement.

Don’t you think we’re taking this a little fast?” His thumb brushed the angle of my cheek. “How could it be too fast if I’ve been waiting on you my entire life?”

Charleigh is running. Her past shrouded in darkness and pain. And the more that the layers get peeled back on what this woman has been through, the more your heart breaks for her. She’s in constant fear and looking over her shoulder, but something about River just calls to her. She trusts him even if she can’t tell him the full extent of her past.

There is a strong suspense element that is intertwined in this story and even though I thought I knew where it was all heading, the story still managed to catch me completely by surprise. And I love when a book is able to do that because who doesn’t love a good plot twist. Especially when it’s done right. And boy was it done right. I do wish that we got perhaps a bit more details on the bad guy at the end, but it didn’t take anything away in the long run. It was such a satisfying conclusion and the most amazing epilogue.

I absolutely devoured this book and fully obsessed with this new series. I can’t wait for the next book!

It’s you and me, Charleigh. From here to eternity.”

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: Brutal Bargain by Laurelin Paige

October 9, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

BRUTAL BARGAIN
Series: Brutal Billionaires #4
Author: Laurelin Paige
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 9, 2024

She needs a husband. He won’t let anyone else have her.

Ax Morgan has played many roles in my life: My brother’s best friend. The most notorious member of the Sebastian News Corp executive team. My enemy with benefits.

But my husband?

No thanks.

Our after hours scenes are simply a convenient way for me to blow off steam while I plot my exit from my toxic family’s company.

But when I need a groom so I can claim my inheritance, he presents me with a choice that’s more like blackmail—marry him, or he’ll sabotage me. So between the devil and the deep blue sea, I let the devil put a ring on it.

Turns out this is the role he plays best of all.

The worst part of pretending with Ax is how real it’s starting to feel.

Now my future is in his hands. And if he finds out what I’m planning, he’ll be the one with the impossible choice. Who loses everything—his best friend or his fake wife?

AMAZON

Whatever you think you have planned,” he continues, “whatever scheme you’re up to, this doesn’t end until I say it does, so let me make this clear right the fuck now: You’re mine.””

I have loved Laurelin’s Brutal Billinaires series since book on. But this book? Ax and Adly? Hands down my absolute favorite in the series and so deliciously addictive, I cannot recommend it enough.

Now while you may read it as a standalone, you would appreciate the dynamics of this family so much more if you read it in order. Adly is the only female Sebastian sibling and while she has the wealth, she dreams of a career that is her own and not in the shadow of her family and her fairly high handed father who believes women should focus on having a family. Desperately needing to find her path, she sets her eyes on a business with her siblings. The only problem is the cost of the business has gone up and the only way to get to more funds is to access her trust fund that only pays when she gets married. So what’s a girl to do? Shop for a fiancé of course.

Ax has been part of the executive team of Sebastian News Corp for years. He’s also best friends with the black sheep of the Sebastian family, but we’ll get to that later. Ax and Adly grew up together and have had years of a contentious relationship that finally comes to a head one night…and I mean BOOM. Suddenly, they find an escape from reality with each other in the form of role playing and these two play hard. Oh my god I loved their role playing.

…when Ax texts me with the start of a new scenario, I don’t ask questions. I just come. Literally and cliterally.”

And while they’re only hooking up, when Ax learns of Ally’s plans to find a husband on paper, he refuses for it to be anyone but him.

So basically, I should marry my bully so he can continue to bully me under the umbrella of the law.”
“I’m going to bully you either way, so why not make it legal? Though I prefer the term torment.”
“Terrorize is more accurate.”
In one fluid motion, he’s on his feet, his hands propped on the desk, leaning over with his face so close to mine that I can feel his breath on my lips. “Doesn’t matter what you call it, darling, as long as it gets you wet, and we both know that it does.””

When I tell you that I loved these two, I mean I was absolutely obsessed with them. Their chemistry, their banter, their role playing. Did I mention their role playing? I swear, Laurelin just reached into my head to pull out the pure fantasy that was Ax. He’s wholly obsessed, slightly mean but with a heart of gold, and when he falls, he falls so hard. I loved the way he fought for Adly as much as I loved the way that Adly fought him.

Why can’t you take everything I want to give like you take my cock? Is this the only form of attention you can accept?” “I don’t… I don’t know.” It’s truer than I want to admit. “Then I’ll tell you—you were made to be fucked like this. Fucked by me, Adly. And I alone know what you need. No one else. If I tell you you’re the fucking sun in the sky, then you’re the sun in the sky. If I tell you that you deserve more, then you take more. You take what I give. You understand yet?””

Brutal Bargain was pure romance perfection, full of heart, emotion, and enough chemistry to set your kindle on fire. Ax and Adly were incendiary together. I loved them so much! 

With millions of books sold worldwide, Laurelin Paige is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author. She is a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however. 

When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Killing Eve or Letterkenny, or dreaming of Michael Fassbender. She’s also a proud member of Mensa International though she doesn’t do anything with the organization except use it as material for her bio. 

She is represented by Rebecca Friedman.

Connect w/Laurelin:

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Review: Bull Rush by Maggie Rawdon

September 27, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

BULL RUSH
Genre: Dark Western Romance
Author: Maggie Rawdon
Release Date: September 27, 2024

Still married.
Those words change everything.

Now my should-be ex-husband, Ramsey Stockton, the former pro football star turned felon and hero who left this town—and me—behind years ago, is at my door offering me a deal with the devil.

If I let him stay and play his wife again for ninety days, he’ll give me a quiet divorce and his family ranch—the one my inn is on. When I scoff at the idea, he offers a million-dollar bonus to help my business float through this rough patch, but only if I’m his.

Then he’ll walk away, and I can walk down the aisle with my fiancé. Or I can say no and watch everything I’ve worked so hard for fall apart.

There’s only one answer I can afford to give him. But he knows everything about me—every hurt, every secret, and every single weakness I have, including him.

While Ramsey might want me, his brothers want him back in the family business. If there’s one universal truth in this town, it’s that Stockton men stop at nothing to get what they want.

AMAZON 

You remembered,” she says, and it’s quiet, so quiet I read the words on her lips more than I hear them over the music and the roar of the bar. I smile slowly, half afraid to do anything to mess this moment up. “Sugar, when it comes to you, I remember every single thing. Like you were branded on my soul.”

Well now, this is going to be a roller coaster of a series if this book is anything to go by. Because, what a ride! This was full of twists and turns and so much dirty talk that set my loins ablaze. Did I just age myself by typing that? I think I may have, but I digress.

The second I read the blurb to this book, I knew I had to have it, and it definitely delivered on that blurb and then some. I love a second chance romance and when that second chances is with your ex spouse that you thought you were divorced from? Color me all over it.

Hazel has finally moved on from her ex husband. It’s been years since Ramsey left to pursue his football career and left her his family’s inn. Hazel is engaged and happy, but then gets the shock of a lifetime. Turns out her divorce never went through. And her ex husband is back in town after he’s paroled from prison and making her a deal. He’ll give her the money she needs to fix the inn and grant her the divorce if she gives him 90 days as his wife. Now, the second Hazel’s fiancé agreed, I fully wrote him off. Bye Felicia! But I digress again.

Admittedly, Hazel took me a minute to warm up to. I knew there was definitely more than Just Ramsey and his family history that led to their falling out. But at times she came off as childish and petty. The way she chooses to punish him just rubbed me wrong even if I loved Ramsey’s reactions to her little rebellions. Luckily she did mature throughout the course of the book and definitely grew on me. But Ramsey? Ramsey definitely stole the show. This man was absolute fire with a dirty mouth to boot.

There’s some mystery about his family legacy and his siblings that develops throughout the book that I can’t wait to learn more about in the next ones. There’s some grittier and darker elements of suspense as well, which I definitely enjoyed. I wouldn’t call it dark, but it wasn’t light either.

I loved seeing these two find their way back to each other against all odds. And I also definitely need to go back and read Mine to Gain because there’s definitely an appearance by Ramsey in that book that I want to know more about.

This was a fun page turner with plenty of spice and sizzle. But the set up for the next book? SALIVATING.

 

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Review: Play The Game by SJ Sylvis

September 26, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

PLAY THE GAME
Series: Blue Devils Hockey #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: S.J. Sylvis
Release Date: September 26, 2024

As a little girl, I dreamed of becoming many things. A twenty-five-year-old photographer struggling to make ends meet with a mountain of legal fees wasn’t one of them. Making questionable decisions wasn’t either.

After hanging up my camera, I start a job I loathe that has me questioning my morals on a daily basis.

Until I run into Chicago’s newest bad-boy goalie whose reputation is a trainwreck—???????????????????? ????????????????????.

In a desperate effort to rid my debt, I corner Emory and try to exploit him. When my plan backfires, I not only have a new enemy with steely blue eyes and a talent for the game but a man now on a mission with his own insane plan in mind.

The terms are simple: I marry Emory and act like his doting wife in front of the press to clean up his image, and he’ll pay off my debt when the job is done. But now, instead of my bills keeping me up at night, I find myself fantasizing about my fake husband and his devilish stare.

He tells me to play the game, but when lines start to blur and his touches linger, I’m not sure what’s real or fake anymore. The sizzling attraction and fiery chemistry between us can’t be contained.

Emory Olson says he never loses, and by the end of our marriage game, I’m pretty sure I’m no exception.

AMAZON 

I think my fake wife just became my vice.

This is my favorite book from SJ Sylvis that I have read and if I can’t convince you that it needs to be on your immediate TBR, I’m not yelling at you hard enough!!

She’s undeniably beautiful, and I can’t stand it.

Emory Olson was a secondary character who I loved to hate in Puck Block. He was Ford’s best friend and Taytum’s extremely overprotective older brother. So overprotective in fact, that he was overbearing. And when I heard that he was getting his own book, I couldn’t wait to meet the woman that was sure to bring him to his knees.

He’s an animal on the ice but resembles a Calvin Klein model off of it.

This book takes place several years after the ending of Puck Block, with Emory now a professional hockey player and the new goalie for the Chicago Blue Devils. And if you haven’t read that other series, not to worry, because while I highly recommend it, this definitely reads as the start of a new series.

Emory is a man with a reputation and his most recent PR problem lands him being traded to Chicago. So he’s not looking for any more trouble, especially of the woman variety.
But nothing, and I mean nothing could have prepared me or Emory for the storm that was Scottie. When I tell you that I immediately loved her character, I mean I couldn’t get enough of this woman and her sassy mouth.

Scottie is a girl with big dreams but struggling to make ends meets working as a stripper. And can I just say that I loved the camaraderie that these girls had without any cattiness. So refreshing. But I digress. Scottie is as sweet as they come, but desperate times cause some drastic decisions. And the one that lands her in the crosshairs of Emory is one she instantly regrets because it’s not who she is. But then Emory sets his sights on her and has an idea that would benefit them both. She gets the money she desperately needs and he gets a fake wife to clean up his image.

I’ve gotta admit, this is probably the most romantic way anyone has ever asked a woman to marry them. A forced lap dance in a strip club, with a prenup, NDA, and a contract waiting to be signed in my car. What can I say? I’m a romantic at heart.

And while that set up sounds pretty cliche, it was anything but. The story and the characters just brought this story to life and oh my god how I loved it. It was a delicious slow burn that was so full of chemistry, I felt my fingers singe every time I turned the page.

Emory and Scottie were incendiary together. Their banter, their connection, their everything just did it for me and I loved them so hard. This story gave me all the feels. It made me laugh, it made me swoon, and boy did it make me sweat. Obsessed is an understatement and I desperately need more in this series!


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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Review: Wicked Dreams by S Massery

September 19, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

WICKED DREAMS
Series: Fallen Royals #1
Genre: Bully Romance
Author: S. Massery
Release Date: September 19, 2024

He once swore he’d marry me—but now he’s desperate for my ruin.

Caleb Asher has everything he could ever want. He’s rich, hotter than sin, captain of the hockey team and king of the school.

My return to Emery-Rose Elite derails him.
I am the walking reminder of everything that went wrong in his childhood and mine.

While I long to be invisible, to slip through school unnoticed, he forced the opposite.
He wants my fear, my fight, my pain, all out in the open.

The more I resist, the worse his obsession becomes. He won’t stop until even my dreams are filled with him.

But even royalty have their weaknesses, and Caleb? He’s just been reintroduced to his.
Me.


Author note: this book was previously published, and has since undergone major edits and changes while remaining true to the original story.

AMAZON 

How can he destroy me and make me feel better at the same time? We’re fucked up.

Having had read the original version, I was so excited to see S Massery announce that she will be releasing a revamped version of this story. And oh boy, it hit just as well the second time around, if not better.

Now if you don’t like bully romance, this is not for you, my friend. But if you’re a self professed bully romance addict, you will gobble this one right up. And while I prefer college bully romance, if S Massery writes it, I’ll read it. So a high school bully romance it was.

Also, fair warning, if you don’t like deranged MMCs who hate the heroine as much as he wants her and you especially don’t like teenage drama, this is definitely not for you. But me? Finger licking good. But I digress.

This was a wild ride of a story. We have Margo, who finds herself back in the town she grew up in after a new foster family takes her in. But to say that she’s excited about being back is certainly a stretch. The town comes with memories of everything she lost; her family and her reputation being a few. And the boy who was once her best friend wants to make her pay for something that she doesn’t understand or remember.

She really is like a lost lamb, standing waiting for a predator to devour her. Me. I’m her biggest predator.

Caleb is the king of the campus. He and his best friends rule the school. And I love that Massery switched him from Lacrosse to hockey star in this version. Caleb is determined to make Margo pay for everything she cost him. We just have no idea what it is, and seems like Margo doesn’t either. But Margo doesn’t take any of it sitting down, even when no one but her new friend Riley seem to be on her side. I loved her backbone and tenacity.

The story is crazy and I loved every deranged page of it. The more the layers get peeled back, the more questions I had. And thet cliffhanger? Thank goodness the wait for the next book isn’t long because I need it! 

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Review: Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver

September 3, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

WILD EYES
Series: Rose Hill #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Elsie Silver
Release Date: September, 2024

A rugged mountain town seemed like the perfect escape from a life in shambles. But on day one I ran full tilt into the world’s hottest single dad and now all my plans are ruined.

As a chart-topping country singer with a recent streak of bad press it’s hard to find any peace. But I find it in Rose Hill. With a little boy and a little girl who steal my heart just as thoroughly as their dad.

Weston Belmont.

The man is a shameless flirt. He oozes confidence and masculinity in a way that’s downright distracting. And in bed? He’s addictive.

Everything with him is wild and impulsive and I’m desperate to regain some control.

But no one has supported me like West does. And no one has ever made me feel as loved as he does either.

So, while my brain says settling down with a small-town horse trainer is impossible… my heart says I’m right where I belong.

Still, my life as a celebrity haunts me. It has the power to pull us apart.

I can see in his eyes that wants me to stay. And I want that too.

But I know better than anyone that we don’t always get what we want.

AMAZON 

Breathing is overrated. I’d rather be drowning in you.”

This series just continues to get better and better! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Elsie Silver books are my happy place. And this swoony romance is a perfect example why.

I’m done pretending that being your friend is enough.” I grip her thighs. “Now spread your legs.”

I just knew that I would be fully obsessed with West the second he was introduced as a secondary character and Rosie’s brother in Wild Love. But to say that I fell head over ovaries for him as a main character is a mild understatement. I fell so hard for this cinnamon role eternal bachelor and single dad with a heart of gold and a filthy mouth.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about Skylar considering she’s introduced. I mean, it’s not every day a singing superstar stops in the middle of a road for a selfie with a grizzly. Suffice it to say that their meet cute was more than memorable.

That’s a goddamn grizzly bear. You need to get back in your car,” I hiss, hiking a thumb over my shoulder toward her car.
She shakes her head and continues glaring. “You know what I’m fucking sick of?”
“Is it living?” I bite out as instinct takes over and I step out of my truck.

But man oh man did this woman grow on me and fast. The more the layers were peeled back on Skylar, the more I loved her. But what I loved more was seeing the budding friendship between her and West that was amplified by their fiery chemistry.

Skylar is a music superstar who has never known life outside of fame. Desperate to bring together the shambles of her life, she makes the drive to Rose Hill, hoping that Ford Grant, the famous producer, will be the answer to what she needs. The last thing she expects is for her temporary room to be in the house of the handsome stranger who rescued her on the side of the road.

Weston Belmont. GOD. This man. The eternal town bachelor who doesn’t do serious but is the most amazing single father with a super healthy coparenting relationship stole my heart. He fights his attraction to Skylar with everything he’s worth. But man oh man did I love not only his inevitable fall but I also loved the budding relationship Skylar formed with his two adorable kids.

The chemistry as always was through the roof and I absolutely loved the slow burn. The personal growth of both of these characters was amazing, but there was something so completely satisfying about Skylar’s specifically. I loved watching her come into herself, outside of her Hollywood image. And I loved the way that West was a part of it without being the entire part of it.

I simply adore this series and already chomping at the bit for the next book. 

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DGRFave & Review: Alone With You by Aly Martinez

August 24, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

ALONE WITH YOU
Author: Aly Martinez
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: August 22, 2024

From the USA TODAY bestselling author of From the Embers comes a new jaw-dropping standalone romance.

Pain trapped me in this house. Can love set me free?

Death had been chasing me my entire life. I survived the horrors of war, but it was the aftermath that truly destroyed me.

People called me a recluse, but the only time I didn’t feel like I was suffocating was inside that house.

For my daughter, I kept some semblance of normalcy by implementing a rigid routine. Once a week, I forced myself to walk to the diner at the end of the block—a ritual I despised but relied on as my last anchor to the real world.

Until the day a “Closed” sign on the door shattered my fragile existence. Worse, the new owner was the most haunting ghost from my past.

It had been years since I’d laid eyes on Gwendolyn Pierce. She hated me—and rightly so. But when a film crew arrived in town to dig into my past, she became my only ally.

With my secrets threatened, I leaned on Gwen, forging a connection neither of us could deny. But with a past as dark as ours, I feared it would eclipse any hope for a future.

I always said that when Death finally came for me, I would be ready, eager, and alone.
Always alone.

But for Gwen, maybe I could face the world again as long as it meant I could be alone—with her.

AMAZON

My life started that day when I slid my ring on her finger. And years later, when she dropped that same ring at my feet, my life ended.

This was, hands down, one of my favorite books of 2024. It was everything I’ve come to expect from the phenomenal talent that is Aly Martinez; poignant, emotional, unputdownable, and completely unforgettable.

Have you ever read a book and thought this NEEDS to be a movie? Because when I tell you that this story unrolled like a movie reel behind my eyes, I mean it. If this isn’t made into a movie, I will downright riot. But I digress.

I will go so far as to say this is one of my favorite second chance romances I’ve read to date. I don’t remember the last time a book wrung this level of emotion out of me, but I SOBBED my way through the last 30% of this story and still can’t stop thinking about it.

I would have loved you for the rest of my life. But, now I will hate you for the rest of yours.”

Gwen is recently divorced from her toxic and narcissistic ex and finds herself starting over. She buys a diner in town with the hopes of renovating it to be her dream. The last thing she expects is to find a blast from her past, playfully coined “the hot gargoyle” sitting in the diner’s booth.

Truett has been a shell of man, living in his past, unable to move on in his present. As the full extent of his past comes to light, you find yourself both completely enraptured, heartbroken and devastated for this man. And when you learn the full extent of his history with Gwen, you find yourself fully invested in their present. I loved everything about them; their chemistry especially so.

This story deals with some very sensitive subject matter and I found myself living it right along with these characters. The book had me in a chokehold from cover to cover. And Aly seriously knows how to give a twist, because let me just tell you, this one had my jaw on the floor with one I never saw coming.

I deserve every bit of hate and anger and resentment you feel for me. But make no mistake, I have never, not ever, not for one fucking second of my entire god-forsaken life, stopped loving you.”

If there is one book that you need to read this year, make it this one. If you want to feel every emotion that the characters experience, read this book. If you want a book that completely enraptures you and keeps you glued to the pages until the end, read this book.

It was, in a word, unforgettable. I will be thinking about these characters and this story for moths to come and this book will be my Roman Empire because WOW. Just WOW.

Notice how I barely tell you anything about this story? Trust me when I tell you that you need to experience it completely blind.

Originally from Savannah, Georgia, USA Today bestselling author Aly Martinez now lives in South Carolina with her four young children. 

Never one to take herself too seriously, she enjoys cheap wine, charcuterie boards, and her mildly neurotic golden retriever. It should be known, however, that she hates pizza and ice cream, almost as much as writing her bio in the third person.

She passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a super-sized tumbler of wine by her side.


Connect with Aly Martinez:

https://linktr.ee/AuthorAlyMartinez 




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Review: Of Heartbreak and Harmony by Brit Benson

August 16, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

OF HEARTBREAK AND HARMONY 
Series: The Hometown Heartless #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Brit Benson
Release Date: August 16, 2024

He burned me once.
This time, I won’t be the one consumed by the flames.

Torren King is rock-and-roll’s broodiest bachelor.
Mysterious, moody, and coveted by nearly everyone.
But to me, he’s just the sad boy who set fire to my heart,
then reduced me to ashes in the desert.

For four sweltering nights, I burned for him,
and he conquered my heart one whispered lyric at a time.
But on the fifth night, he shattered me in the way only a flawless rock god can:
irreparably, and with devastating finesse.

Four years later, the last place I expect to be is sitting before him,
reading through a contract with a pen poised in my fingertips.
A favor for a favor, he says.
A US tour and a fake relationship in exchange for the answer to all my problems.

I hate him. I hate that I need him.
And what I hate the most?
He doesn’t remember me. At all.

But despite the burning chemistry between us,
the rapidly blurring lines and the suffocating attraction,
he’s still the rock star who ruined me,
and I refuse to let myself forget.

****

Of Heartbreak and Harmony is the second standalone in The Hometown Heartless series. It has a guaranteed HEA. It is not necessary to read Between Never and Forever before reading Of Heartbreak and Harmony.

AMAZON

He was my harmony when all I heard was dissonance. He’s my love song.


You know what I love about Brit’s books? Her unnerving ability to wreak havoc on my emotion. And this book? Was a two by four hit of emotion and angst that I devoured in two days with a mix of rage, tears, wanting to hug my kindle and then wanting to chuck it against a wall. Suffice it to say, I loved this story.

You intrigue me, Firebird,” he says finally, his voice a sensual rasp. “And I think I might be a bit of a pyro.”

Now, if you haven’t read Between Never and Forever, I highly recommend you read that first for the best experience. But if you haven’t, you can also easily read this as a standalone.

Torren and Callie’s story is not for the faint of heart. It’s brutal and painful, but it’s also beautiful and unforgettable. While I’m not a reader that reads many rockstar romances these days, Brit Benson is always a must. And this book reminded me everything that I love about a good rockstar romance; the angst, the feels, the absolute epicness.

Torren and Callie have a history that only one of them seems to remember. And I loved the way their story unraveled with strategic flashbacks to their past that is seamlessly interwoven into their present. Four years ago, Torren came into Callie’s world like lightning but these days she hates the mere thought of him. So when the man himself appears back in her life with a proposal that she can’t pass up and no memory of their time spent together, she’s conflicted. A PR relationship with a man who she hates is the last thing she needs. But the money he offers in exchange is too good to pass up for her struggling family. So she agrees. But nothing prepares her for the shock of being in his world again or the attention from the man she can’t seem to forget.

When I tell you this book put me through the wringer, I mean it. I wanted to hate Torren, and truth be told, at one particular part of the story, I absolutely did. But I also hurt for him and by the time the truth revealed itself, I was too deeply intwined in his web that I simply couldn’t care less. I loved Callie and her fierceness. This is a woman that is no groupie and no pushover. And I loved the way she was with Torren.

The romance is a slow burn, but when it ignites, it’s absolutely incendiary. I loved everything about this book; the story, the music, the romance, and did I mention the romance? Because oh my god, it was epic. Absolutely epic.

If you’re looking for an angsty and unforgettable rockstar romance with all the feels, look no further.

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