Review: Wall by Cate C. Wells

October 6, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

WALL
Series: Steel Bones Motorcycle Club #4.5
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Cate C Wells
Release Date:  June 30, 2020

What’s more dangerous than a second chance?

Wall

I want my wife back, but I lost the right to go after her one drunken night four years ago. She’s moved on, but I’m not going anywhere. I’m gonna be right here. And when she finally comes to me? I ain’t letting her go again.

Mona

John Wall wrecked my life, but I’ve put myself together again. I’m not the broken woman whose husband betrayed her. I can fight my own battles.

Then a favor for a friend backfires, and I run into more trouble than I can handle. I need backup, and John is still the biggest man I know. But he won’t help me for free. He wants something in return.

I thought I knew what tore us apart, but when I let John back in, I realize the past isn’t always how you remember. And second chances? They can heal you–or break you forever.

Wall is a 43,000-word novella set in the Steel Bones Motorcycle Club World. It takes place before the action of Charge and Nickel’s Story, and it can be read as a standalone. Wall is a second chance, redemption romance that deals with infidelity and pregnancy loss.

HEA guaranteed.

AMAZON

And so we’re clear. This ain’t me leaving.”
“It’s not?”
“Nope. ‘Cause I guess you don’t know this, but my heart’s right there.” He nods to where I sit on the bed. “Has been since I first laid eyes on you.”

Alright, so elephant in the room, this book is certainly not for everyone. But as a reader that loves a good redemption and the angst of cheating, I was all over it. Cheating in romance is hard to pull off. It has to be a reason where you can buy the redemption arc. And as ridiculous as it is for me to say, note I’m talking about fiction. So please don’t come at me with morality lectures, kay? But anyhoos.

I first discovered Cate with her PNR series and then her mafia Run Posy Run. This was my first MC read of hers and yes I know I read it out of order, but I had no issues diving right in. John (Wall) and Mona have been together since they were teens, but then life and tragedy happened and John made a decision that cost him his marriage and the love of his life. When he fessed up his one night mistake, Mona kicked him out. Now it’s been four years and neither have moved on. Wall protects her from afar while Mona has been in a state of limbo.

This was an entertaining read albeit a little fluffy for my taste. I wanted more grit considering the subject matter but it packed more sweet. I also can’t say I loved Mona. She didn’t annoy me but she wasn’t a memorable FMC either. So while it didn’t blow me away, I did read it in one sitting and plan on reading the rest of the series.

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Review: Empire of Hate by Rina Kent

October 5, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

EMPIRE OF HATE
Series: Empire #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Rina Kent
Release Date:  March 3, 2022

My boss. My enemy.

I escaped my life.
Leaving everything behind wasn’t easy, but I did it.
I turned the page and flew over the ocean.
This is my new beginning.
My new chapter.
My new book.
Or so I hoped before I met my new boss.
Daniel Sterling.
Rich as sin, illegally attractive, and the face of every magazine cover.
Oh, and the reason why I escaped in the first place.
I made his high school life hell.
He won’t stop until he gives me a taste of my own medicine.

Empire of Hate is a complete STANDALONE. No book should be read prior to this.
Note: This is NOT a dark romance.

AMAZON

You’re the only woman I wanted with a desperation that bordered on both pleasure and pain. The only woman who drives me fucking insane but I still can’t look away from.

Rina Kent’s books are easily some of the most recommended to me. Sadly, her books are also really hit or miss for me, mostly a miss from the few I tried lately. After DNFing Empire of Sin, I decided to give this series one more shot after seeing someone talk about a particular plot device in this story which left me drooling for it. And damn am I grateful I gave it a shot, because I devoured this.

If you read even some of my reviews, you know my undying love and devotion for all things enemies to lovers. You also know that I love my heroes mean. Like make me hate to love them and c*ck punch them at the same time sort of mean. I want to hate them for almost the entirety of the book and then I need them to irrevocably change my mind and forgive them in the last chapters. What? I have peculiar tastes, mkay? *buffs nails* But I digress.

If you’ve read Rina’s Royal Elite series , you’ll recognize these characters. This book features the “evil” stepsister from Cruel King which sadly I remember barely anything from. As a matter of fact, I had a hard time seeing the girl for the reputation she had because outside of one particular scene, I didn’t see one mean part of her, but I’m guessing that was featured in Cruel King and I just don’t remember it.

Nicole has been obsessed with Daniel since they met as children. But while she can’t see anything else but him, he wants nothing to do with her. And after years of obsession, Nicole left London to live a life that barely resembles the one of privilege that shattered when she left. Desperate to take care of herself and her family, she needs a job, and she lands at the desk of her biggest tormentor and obsession she thought she left behind.

Daniel remembers Nicole all too well and he’s determined to make her pay for every wrong he things she made. When I tell you I wanted to jock punch this man for the better part of the book, I’m not lying. What I loved about Nicole is while she has no choice but to take his abuse to keep her job, she still has a spine of steel. You also get flashbacks of their past that shows what led up to Nicole ultimately running from London to US. And when you get the full picture, you realize just how epically Daniel fucked up. And when he finally realizes it too? GAH. I admit his cold shoulder after the revelation was a bit much. I do get his beating himself up and blaming himself, but I wanted him to grovel. I wanted him to work for his forgiveness. And while he gave enough to be satisfying, it still felt a touch lacking.

All in all this was still a super addictive read.

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Review: Bad Girl Reputation by Elle Kennedy

October 4, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

BAD GIRL REPUTATION
Series: Avalon Bay #2
Genre: Contemporary, New Adult Romance
Author: Elle Kennedy
Release Date: October 4, 2022

When former bad girl Genevieve West returns home for her mother’s funeral, she’s prepared to keep her distance from her ex-boyfriend, Evan Hartley. Their history is rife with turbulence. And passion. A heck of a lot of passion… which she’s trying desperately to forget.

But it’s impossible not to run into Evan in the small coastal town where they once ran wild. And the moment she sees her gorgeous ex again, it’s clear to Gen that Evan is still as unruly, sexy, and irresistible as ever. This time around, however, she’s resolved to walk a new path. No more partying. No more foolish mistakes. Her plan is to temporarily remain in town to help her father run his business, but the second he finds somebody else, she’s out of there.

Evan has other ideas. He knows they can be good together, but he just has to convince Genevieve of that, even if it means turning over a new leaf himself. But can a bad reputation ever truly be shed? Do second chances really work? Genevieve and Evan are about to find out.

Bestselling author Elle Kennedy returns to Avalon Bay in this sexy second chance story about two exes who can’t stay away from each other, Bad Girl Reputation.

AMAZON  | PAPERBACK 

…a year gone, and I’d finally trained myself to stop thinking about her every time this thing or that reminded me of another time when. So of course, just when I’ve almost got her out of my system, she’s back. A fresh, unfiltered shot straight into my bloodstream when I was damn near clean. Now all I taste are her lips. I feel her nails down my back every night while I’m lying in bed. I wake up hearing her voice. It’s infuriating.

Know what I love more than a second chance romance? A second chance romance written by Elle Kennedy. *dreamy sigh*

I have been eagerly anticipating the story of the other Hartley brother ever since I greedily devoured Good Girl Complex. As much as I loved Carter, I couldn’t wait to get to the heart of the more reckless twin, and boy did he deliver.

Ever since Evan was old enough to notice girls, the only one he noticed was Genevieve. And growing up, these two were like fire and gasoline. Their toxic back and forth only fueled by the undeniable chemistry between them and their reckless behavior. So much so that everyone knew their reputation in high school. Evan, the heartbreakingly handsome bad boy, and Gen, the stunning bad girl who caused havoc together until the day Gen suddenly left town without so much as a goodbye. Now she’s back for her mother’s funeral, and Evan is like a moth to a flame.

But Gen is no longer the reckless bad girl who left the small town. She’s grown up, she’s changed, or at least she’s working on it. But tough to prove yourself in a town that remembers you at your worst and an ex that you can’t seem to stay away from.

We don’t get enough bad girls in romance, and Gen is one FMC I could really get behind. I love a good redemption arc, and this is a girl that hit a low and now working on bringing herself up and staying away from her triggers, like her reckless ex. But chemistry like theirs is impossible to ignore.

I can’t place my finger on exactly why, but I didn’t quite devour this one as quickly as I did book one. And while I really enjoyed it, it still took me 4 days to finish. There was nothing specific either, I just didn’t get as enraptured in this story as I did the previous one. Did I enjoy it? Absolutely! Did I adore Gen and Evan together? Without a doubt. Do I recommend this for fans of steamy second chance with a bad boy and reformed bad girl? YES. I really loved Evan’s growth in this story as much as I did Gen’s. And while I can’t say it was my favorite, it was still a super satisfying fun read and I can’t wait for more in this series

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Review: Final Proposal by K. Bromberg

October 4, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Series: S.I.N. #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: K. Bromberg
Release Date: October 4, 2022

Fall in love with billionaire, Fordham Sharpe, and sassy businesswoman, Ellery Sinclair, in this all-new wrong place at the right time, forced proximity, office romance by New York Times bestselling author, K. Bromberg.

One stormy night.
One hotel bar full of stranded travelers.
One available chair next to a charming, mysterious, and sexy-as-hell man.

There was something about him and our conversation that made me feel alive. That made me feel heard. That sparked a fire within me.

When our paths crossed again, I never expected the stranger to be Fordham Sharpe, one-third of the sinfully rich and ridiculously successful Sharpe International Network brothers. Nor did I expect we’d become partners—fifty-fifty—in a hotel transformation that dreams were made of.

My dreams, anyway.

To him, I was off limits. He was my venture partner, and we knew better than to mix business with pleasure. But we had one thing in common—we were both hiding. From our pasts. From unresolved family conflicts. From what really mattered—our hearts.

But as each day passed, our mutual attraction became harder to resist.

We agreed to the partnership to prove our worth to our families, but perhaps we’d only prove our need for something else. Each other.

Are you ready to fall for the Sharpe brothers in K. Bromberg’s sexy, contemporary, billionaire romance series? These books can all be read as standalones, but can be enjoyed as a series as well . . .

Last Resort (Book #1)
On One Condition (Book #2)
Final Proposal (Book #3)

AMAZON |  iBOOKS | NOOK | KOBO | GOOGLE PLAY

You . . . you are the biggest pain in my ass and the greatest love of my life.”

The third and final Sharpe brother is here and he was definitely worth the wait. Ford has been the rock of the Sharpe brothers, the stable one, the hardworking one. And now on the cusp of his father’s book coming out after his passing, he’s also the one spiraling. Need to get away from it all lands him at a hotel where a bout of bad weather locks him in for the night. There in the bar he meets a woman who changes everything, only he has no idea who she is and doesn’t expect to see her again.

Ellery Sinclair has everything to prove. Her step brothers take constant credit for her ideas, and it’s almost impossible to prove her worth to her stepfather. All she wants is something of her own. And then she finds the perfect opportunity, with the perfect hotel renovation, with the unlikeliest of business partners, Ford Sharpe.

If you’re a fan of forced proximity, this one brings it in spades. Locked together for their business venture these two try as hard as they can to deny and avoid their incendiary chemistry. But it doesn’t take long for it to finally get the best of them. I loved the way these two build each other up and bring out each other’s best and worst. They challenge each other. They fight and they make up and I was so here for it. And even though I’m not usually a big fan of sweet contemporary, this one just hit the spot just right when it brought all the feels. And I particularly loved Ellery’s love for romance books feature some very steamy scenes from Bromberg’s previous books. That’s a steamy cameo I couldn’t get enough of.

New York Times Bestselling author K. Bromberg writes contemporary romance novels that contain a mixture of sweet, emotional, a whole lot of sexy, and a little bit of real. She likes to write strong heroines and damaged heroes who we love to hate but can’t help to love.

A mom of three, she plots her novels in between school runs and soccer practices, more often than not with her laptop in tow and her mind scattered in too many different directions.

Since publishing her first book on a whim in 2013, Kristy has sold over one and a half million copies of her books across eighteen different countries and has landed on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers lists over thirty times. Her Driven trilogy (Driven, Fueled, and Crashed) is currently being adapted for film by the streaming platform, Passionflix, with the first movie (Driven) out now.

With her imagination always in overdrive, she is currently scheming, plotting, and swooning over her latest hero. You can find out more about him or chat with Kristy on any of her social media accounts. The easiest way to stay up to date on new releases and upcoming novels is to sign up for her newsletter (http://bit.ly/254MWtI) or follow her on Bookbub (http://smarturl.it/KBrombergBB)

Connect with Kristy

Website: www.kbromberg.com

Goodreads: http://smarturl.it/Kbromberg_GR

Amazon: http://smarturl.it/KBrombergAmz

Facebook: http://smarturl.it/KBrombergFB

Facebook Group: http://smarturl.it/DrivenFB

Instagram: http://smarturl.it/KBrombergIG

Twitter: http://smarturl.it/KBrombergTwitter

Bookbub: http://smarturl.it/KBrombergBB

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kbrombergwrites/

Other: http://smarturl.it/DrivenMoviesFB

Verve: https://ververomance.com/app/bromberg

Text Kbromberg to 77948 to stay up to date on all things Driven movies and new releases

 

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Review: Promises We Meant to Keep by Monica Murphy

September 23, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

PROMISES WE MEANT TO KEEP
Author: Monica Murphy
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: September 22, 2022

Spencer Donato.

My brother’s best friend.

My dirty little secret.

We fell for each other at Lancaster Prep. Sneaking around. Not wanting anyone to find out. He was my first love, my protector, my knight in shining armor. We were made for each other, and I truly believed he was my forever.

But then I did the unthinkable, and betrayed him in the worst possible way. I thought I lost him for good…

Until I saw him at my brother’s wedding. Now he’s older. Crueler. Unbearably handsome. We’re drawn to each other still, but will Spencer be there for me when I need him the most? Or did I ruin us once again?

AMAZON

I have been in love with you for so long, I don’t know how to stop. I will do whatever it takes to make this work.

Sylvie was a character I equally loved and hated in Things I Wanted to Say, But Never Did. She was such a complex character who I couldn’t wait to peel back the layers in her own book. So I have been eagerly anticipating her story.

He was my respite. A way for me to forget. Until I made myself forget him.

Spencer is Sylvie’s brother’s best friend and her most sacred secret. He was her everything when they were at Lancaster Prep, but then she broke them in the most irrevocable way. Years later she’s a different Sylvie but with more scars, and her scars run deep. When she sees Spencer again he’s not the same boy that allowed her to toy with him in her hot and cold persona back in the day.

I think this is the part that I wanted a little more angst in. There’s nothing I love more than the angst of second chance romance, and considering the history and betrayal between these two, I was eagerly anticipating some angst…which never came. They worked past their differences pretty quick. And I think my masochistic heart yearned for something more here.

I absolutely adored Spencer. And as much as I was back and forth with Sylvie in her brother’s book, being in her head really endeared me to her here. She’s such a broken, tortured soul. You couldn’t help but love her.

The ending felt a little rushed, but was ultimately satisfying. And while the story wasn’t fully what I had hoped for, it still hit the spot.

 

Monica Murphy is a New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling romance author. Her books have been translated in almost a dozen languages and have sold over two million copies worldwide. Both a traditionally published and independently published author, she writes young adult, new adult and contemporary romance.

A native Californian, she lives on fourteen acres in the middle of nowhere with her husband, son, their goofy dog, and three cats. When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about writing. Or reading. Or binge watching something.

 

Connect with Monica

Website | Goodreads  | Amazon | Facebook | Facebook Group | Instagram | Twitter | Bookbub | Pinterest | Verve Romance | Tik Tok 

 


 

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Review: Devil of Dublin by B.B. Easton

September 22, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

DEVIL OF DUBLIN
Genre: Dark, Mafia Romance
Author: B.B. Easton
Release Date: September 22, 2022

From the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of 44 Chapters About 4 Men (inspiration for the Netflix Original series Sex/Life) comes a dark mafia romance steeped in Irish folklore.

I can’t remember anymore if my grandfather’s eyes were blue or green, but I’ll never forget the way they wrinkled at the corners when he laughed at one of his own jokes. Or the way they sparkled with mischief when he told me tales about the magical creatures that dwelled in the forest behind his humble Irish sheep farm—shy fairies who liked to eat tea biscuits, cruel witches who liked to eat children, a moody lake spirit with a taste for expensive gifts.

As a child, I believed every fantastical word. But when he warned me about the mute boy who also lurked in those woods, the one the priest had declared to be the spawn of Satan himself, I refused to listen. Kellen wasn’t evil. He was kind, and beautiful, and special, and hurting. He was my friend. And with every summer I spent stolen away with him in those enchanted woods, he grew to become so much more.

But when I return to Glenshire as an adult, grieving and engaged to someone else, all those legends quickly morph into nightmares.

My grandfather had been right about everything, especially the boy.

If only I had listened.

WARNING: If you are a sensitive reader or find certain topics to be emotionally triggering, please exercise self-care and select a different book. Devil of Dublin is intended for mature audiences who enjoy dark subject matter, tortured anti-heroes, explicit adult content, graphic violence, heart-pounding suspense, fairy-tale worthy love, and gorgeous Irish scenery. If that sounds like you, then welcome to Glenshire!

AMAZON

I was no longer human or demon or even fucking breathing. I was simply hers—mind, body, and cursed black soul.

Now look, did I bother to read the blurb before adding this book to my TBR? Absolutely not. If the author wasn’t enough to convince me, this cover sealed the deal. So did I know what I was getting into when I started it outside that it’s a dark mafia romance? Absolutely not.

This story caught me completely unaware in all the best of ways. Funny enough, had I knew the direction it would take, I probably wouldn’t read it. I don’t typically love the sweet soulmates vibes. But did that one ray of sweet light help brighten the sheer darkness that was the rest of this story? Absolutely.

BB Easton wrote an incredible story with two tortured characters who are simply made for each other. You know what I love in dark romance? It’s when it makes me feel. I don’t want the shock value of graphic scenes, it’s the chills it gives you. And the mere alluding to the past these two characters had was enough to have chills going down my spine. Darby and Kellen met as children. Kellen was already in his own particular hell, while Darby was the sunny and sweet girl that befriended the town’s pariah. And when they meet again years later, Darby is not the girl he knew, but she also is.

Now I’m not generally a fan of the insta thing, and while I wouldn’t necessarily categorize this as insta love, it wasn’t not insta love either. It was full of depth, emotion, pain, and healing. It was unlike any other mafia romance I’ve read, and that’s saying quite a bit.

Wall Street Journal bestselling author BB Easton lives in the suburbs of Atlanta with her long-suffering husband, Ken, and two adorable children. A few years ago, she quit her job as a school psychologist to write books about her punk rock past and deviant sexual history full-time. Ken wasn’t super excited about that, but now that he’s appeared in three of her books and inspired a TV show character, he’s incredibly supportive.

BB’s debut memoir, 44 Chapters About 4 Men, went on to inspire the Netflix original series, Sex/Life, which was viewed by 67 million households worldwide within the first month making it the 3rd most-watched Netflix original series of all time. Because she had so much fun writing 44 Chapters, BB went on to publish four more wickedly funny, shockingly steamy, and heartwarmingly autobiographical books, one for each man in her memoir—Skin, Speed, Star, and Suit.

The Rain Trilogy—a dark, immersive, end-of-the-world romance—was BB’s first work of fiction. Or at least, that’s what she thought when she wrote it in 2019. Then, 2020 hit, and all of her dystopian plot points started coming true. Hoping to fix everything, BB returned with a fun, feel-good romantic comedy called Group Therapy, but alas, the world is still on fire … and so is BB’s desire to write intense, us-against-the-world romances. Her next release, Devil of Dublin, is a dark Irish mafia romance steeped in folklore and family secrets.  

You can find BB procrastinating in all of the following places:

Website: www.authorbbeaston.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/author.bb.easton

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bbeaston

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bbeaston

#TeamBB Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/BBEaston

Twitter: www.twitter.com/bb_easton

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/artbyeaston

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/bbeaston

Goodreads: https://goo.gl/4hiwiR

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/bb-easton

 

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Review: Pieces of a Life by Jewel E Ann

September 13, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

PIECES OF A LIFE
Series: Life Series Duet #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Jewel E Ann
Release Date: September 13, 2022

The summer before fourth grade, Colten Mosley moved into the house across the street from mine, and we became inseparable.

He played the piano and baseball.

I had a penchant for dead things while at the same time imagining what it would be like to kiss Colten.

We were filled with curiosity and overly active imaginations.

We were also forbidden to be more than friends.

But that didn’t stop us.

Weeks before graduation, he annihilated my heart, and it’s been seventeen years since the day I knew I’d hate him forever.

Now he’s back in my life—a single dad and a homicide detective looking over my shoulder while I perform autopsies as one of Chicago’s most gifted forensic pathologists. Then fate throws us a curveball.

Colten saves my life, but he can’t erase the images that now keep me awake at night. And I can’t explain them.

Am I still the girl he’s always loved? Or nothing more than pieces of that life?

*This story contains sensitive and graphic content.

AMAZON

I don’t remember falling in love with Josephine Watts. I just remember the day we met and the day I let her go for good. For me, she wasn’t really my girlfriend. She was my everything.

There are three things I love; second chance romance, suspense, and Jewel E Ann books. So when those three things combine into one addictive read, you know I’m here for it. And what a ride this one was!

Certain feelings, deep emotions—the haunting kind—can’t be outrun. Colten has been the unshakable shadow of my existence since the day I met him.

First, I love a sex positive heroine, who doesn’t spend the years away from the hero in a second chance romance pining in celibate sorrow. Josephine spend more years away from Colten than they ever did together, but she’s never managed to move past the heartbreak. They grew up together, and had a tumultuous on again off again teenage relationship, until he broke her heart. She’s now a successful forensic pathologist, who isn’t interested in any entanglement outside of the satisfaction of a warm body next to hers. She’s not interested in marriage or happily ever afters. She has her career and that’s enough. Until the man who so thoroughly broke her heart makes a sudden reappearance in her life as the detective on a case she’s also working on.

I lived wholly, eternally, unequivocally for Josephine Watts. Why didn’t I tell her when it mattered the most?

The story is told in a combination of past and present. I’m not a reader that loves too many flashbacks, and while the pacing was great, the flashbacks did still take me out a bit. Perhaps the way they transitioned? That aside, I loved getting more details on how these two fell together and then fell apart. I loved that Josephine was a bit of a hard ass and didn’t just forgive and forget. She made Colten work for it and boy did he work for it.

Colten was this wonderful combination of alpha and cinnamon roll. He worked so hard and lays himself bare for her. At times I almost found Josephine to be too much of a hard ass, but it just worked. But the show stopper was definitely that ending. Holy mother of plot twists, that ending. I think my heart may have stopped beating when I read that last sentence. If I don’t have the next book in my hands immediately, I’m going to riot!!!

Jewel is a Wall Street Journal & USA Today bestselling author with a quirky sense of humor. When she’s not saving the planet one tree at a time, you can find her role modeling questionable behavior to her three boys, binge-watching Netflix with her husband, and writing mind-bending romance. 

Connect with Jewel

Website: https://www.jeweleann.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7505427.Jewel_E_Ann
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jewel-E-Ann/e/B00IJYHDIG/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjeweleann
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/485996228236493
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorjeweleann/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JewelE_Ann
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jewel-e-ann
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Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeweleannauthor

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Review: No Time To Lie by Lexi Blake

September 13, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

NO TIME TO LIE
Series: Masters and Mercenaries: Reloaded Book 4
Genre: Romantic Suspense, BDSM
Author: Lexi Blake
Release Date: September 13, 2022

A grandmaster of lies and deception

Drake Radcliffe has spent half his life in the shadows. Recruited by the CIA when he was barely out of high school, Drake doesn’t know how to have a normal life. While most people his age were playing sports or video games, he was playing spy games with the world’s most dangerous adversaries. It has been a life filled with thrills and adrenaline, but it’s also been lonely. All that might change when a mistake from Drake’s past rears its ugly head and he’s forced to face the only woman he ever loved—the one he pushed away.

A beacon of love and compassion

Taylor Cline committed the cardinal sin for an analyst—she fell for the operative she was working for. Drake was everything she wanted in a man, until he broke her heart. She had one unforgettable night with him and then he never looked back. Her career threatened, she shut down and moved on, hoping to never see him again. Just as she is beginning to put it all behind her, a critical assignment puts her under his authority and right back in his arms.

A deadly mission that brings them together

From the wilds of Wyoming to the glittering cities of Europe, Drake and Taylor must race against time to uncover the truth and expose an evil organization. The stakes couldn’t be higher. If they fail, the world could crumble. If they succeed, they could finally have everything their hearts desire.

AMAZON

 

I won’t bottom for you. I’ll probably walk into this dungeon when it opens tonight because I need a session given the amount of stress I’m dealing with and maybe I’ll pick out some hot cowboy top to help with my stress relief, but it won’t be you.”
“And what do I win if it is?”
“You’ll win my dead body because that’s what it would take.”
“I like a challenge, Taylor.”
“I’m not a challenge, Drake.”

I feel like I’ve been forever for Drake’s book. He’s been a vivid secondary character for so many books and a complete and utter mystery. I’ve been eagerly anticipating every morsel of detail about this enigmatic CIA operative and I just knew that his story would be a juicy one. And you know what? I was not wrong.

I love a good second chance romance, especially when that second chance romance has a good grovel. And when said grovel lasts for almost the entirety of the book? GAH. Delicious.

Taylor Cline is no stranger to the life of a spy. After all, her father is one of the most notorious agents there were, and he taught her everything there is to know since she was a kid. Sliding into the role of being her father’s handler was not a difficult one and she’s d*mn good at her job.

When a mission gone wrong lands Drake at the safe house he thinks should be empty, he has a hard time understanding how Taylor is there. Taylor takes care of the injured Drake and then quickly bond over their life and it doesn’t take long for the chemistry between them to burn too hot to ignore. They share one night together before it all goes catastrophically wrong and Taylor realizes that Drake is not the man she thought he was.

Years later, a critical mission lands these two together and while Drake is thrilled for the second chance he’s been craving, Taylor wants nothing to do with him. And when Drake learns just how epically he screwed up with Taylor based on some wrong intel? Well, the juicy parts start.

I loved how Taylor makes him work for it, and boy does he. This is no meek woman. She may not have as much experience, but she’s so fierce in her own right. She’s set on revenge and she has no intention of letting Drake break her heart again. But the mission can’t be done without both of them, because the target they’re hunting has a shared link with them both.

My favorite parts of this series is all of the cameos from my favorite characters and every bit of Big Tag’s inappropriate humor. I love this man and will never get enough of him and his ball busting and matchmaking ways.

This was a high octane, thrilling page turner with a sizzling second chance romance full of heart and a delicious grovel. And this girl? Devoured every page.


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Review: Nicky The Driver by Cate C. Wells

September 7, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

NICKY THE DRIVER
Series: Underboss Resurection #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Mafia
Author: Cate C. Wells
Release Date: September 2, 2022

He can’t take his eyes off me.

I remember Nicky Biancolli from school. Back then, he was always staring. My cousin warned him off, and after that, he faded into the background.

Now, ten years later, he’s in my mother’s kitchen at two in the morning, and there’s a dead man in a pool of blood on the floor. Lucca Corso—the rat who killed my father—says that if I don’t marry Nicky to make peace between our families, the little brother I raised is next.

I don’t have a choice.

I have to go with the man who looks like he wants to eat me alive, and I have no idea whether this is about following orders or something much darker.

All I know is that Nicky isn’t stalking me anymore. He owns me now, and no one is going to stop him from taking what he wants.

Nicky the Driver is a dark mafia romance. It’s the second book in The Underboss Insurrection series, but it can be read as a standalone. Intended only for adult readers. HEA guaranteed.

NOTE: This story contains scenes that may be difficult for some readers. Please check the Look Inside for details.

AMAZON

Some men have Jesus. God and country. A dream. Ambition. I have Zita.

I became instantly obsessed with this world when I first read Run Posy Run. And when I saw that it will be a series? Sign me up immediately!!! And when I read the blurb to this book, I had to have it! I love me a good stalker, and beyond the cold blooded killer for hire persona, Nicky is a dang cinnamon roll. He’s completely and entirely obsessed with Zita beyond all reason, and when I tell you I was here for it, I mean I WAS HERE FOR IT. Oh and an arranged marriage? Yes please!

Is this when you rape me?” I squeeze my balled fists tighter, so hard my knuckles ache.
He rolls onto his back and stares at the ceiling, his mouth twisting in the corners. “Not tonight. I got a headache,” he says.

Zita is a mafia princess who grew up in the life and no stranger to the darkness of it. After the death of her cold and brutal mafia boss father, she’s still dealing with the fall out. Her only desire is to keep her family safe, especially her younger sibling. She’s happily engaged to her high school sweetheart, but the sins of her father still hang over her family. So when their life is on the line and she has the choice to keep them safe in exchange for marrying her stalker from school, she’s not thrilled, but she agrees.

She’s beautiful. Her smile fucks my heartbeat up. Her body haunts my dreams. I know she doesn’t see it that way, though.

I loved the build up of this book. I loved how obsessed Nicky is with Zita yet he handles her with kid gloves. He will literally do anything for her and my heart swooned. Zita in turn took a bit to warm up to. She’s a complex character and watching her deal with her ED was very painful, particularly when you see how aware she is of the toll it takes on her and yet unable to stop. At times I wanted to scream at her for the way she pushed Nicky even though you can see the man would sell his soul for her. But given that she was happily engaged and forced into the marriage, I understood it too.

Up until the end this was a solid 4 star read for me. But then the lackluster rushed ending brought it down. It felt like there should have been half a book left when I finished. It didn’t feel satisfying nor complete. We literally go from 0 to 60 to come a screeching halt to 0. There was so much that was left unresolved, but the main part was the relationship. I just didn’t buy it. They spend the entirety of the book with Zita pushing Nicky away. We don’t get the satisfaction of seeing her fall for him. We didn’t get the satisfaction of the love. It just felt very surface level. I also felt like for the big chunk of the book that Zita’s ED made up, it was also left not dealt with. I did see that Cate will have a bonus epilogue in her newsletter, but I can’t help but feel this book needed more. It could have easily been twice longer and not suffered for it. I would have loved more of these two and felt so much was left unresolved by the time we hit the end, that I couldn’t felt a pang of disappointment.

Did I enjoy the story? Absolutely! Was it my favorite, not quite, but you can’t love them all. Ultimately this was one of those middle of the road reads that I enjoyed but just didn’t love.

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Review: Force of Nature by Skye Warren & Amelia Wilde

September 6, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

FORCE OF NATURE
Series: Deserted Island #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance, MMF
Author: Skye Warren & Amelia Wilde
Release Date: September 6, 2022

Carter Morelli survived a dark childhood and dangerous missions. But when he emergency lands a small aircraft on the ocean, he faces something worse: having someone depend on him. He has to keep innocent June Porter safe on the deserted island.

Except they aren’t alone here…

A man hides among the broad leaves. He’s almost feral.

There are secrets in his cabin. Desire, too.

Carter doesn’t want to care about beautiful June. He doesn’t want to care about the mysterious and sensual man who’s almost part of the wilderness.

Scorching chemistry draws all three of them deeper.

They already survived the plane crash, but will they survive the fall?

Welcome to the Midnight Dynasty world… The warring Morelli and Constantine families have enough bad blood to fill an ocean, and their brand new stories will be told by your favorite dangerous romance authors.

WARNING: This book is intended for readers eighteen years old and over. It contains material that some readers could find disturbing. Enter at your own risk…

AMAZON

Envy is a sin, and I’m sick with it. I’m jealous of his hands on her skin when I could be touching her. And I’m jealous of his hands on her when he could be touching me.

Welp, it’s officially official, I AM HOOKED. This is like espionage meets Tarzan and I am here for it because holy hotness, batman!

I’ll kiss her, if that’s what it takes to stop her panic. I’ll drag her into the jungle and hold her naked in my arms, if that’s what it takes to keep her warm. I’ll suffer through being painfully hard every time I look at her until I’m dead, if that’s what it takes to survive.

First of all, friends, Carter mother effing Morelli. This man. Dare I say I may have met my favorite Morelli brother of the series. I know, I know, big statement. Especially considering he’s related to Leo Morelli. But professor Carter is now a proud owner of my ovaries and I don’t want them back. He’s such a fascinating enigma. There’s the professor part of him that kicks in one particular scene and let me just tell you. HOLY SIZZLE. When Professor Carter’s class of sexual education is in, it’s IN. But I digress.

If you’ve read the prequel novella than you’ve already been introduced. And if you haven’t, then don’t worry, because the book starts with that story. Carter is a professor by day but beneath that veil, he’s also a secret government agent. When a routine flight that should be nothing more than a stopover on his way to his true mission gets tempered with, he and the photographer he’s flying crash land on a deserted island. Only it’s not as deserted as they think.

After reading the novella, I was dying to meet the man who inhabits the island. But nothing prepared me for Theo and the instant fiery chemistry that sparks to life between these three.

We get enough of a taste to get the reader completely hooked only to be slapped with a cliffhanger so painful, I’m not sure I’d survive the wait for the next book. GAH.

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