Contemporary Romance

Review: The Ruthless Groom by Monica Murphy

June 14, 2022 by Lana · Leave a Comment

THE RUTHLESS GROOM
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Monica Murphy
Release Date: June 14 2022

I didn’t plan to marry a reclusive heiress. Lucky for me, I find myself attracted to my beautiful new bride. Our arranged marriage connects two powerful companies. That we’re compatible between the sheets is a bonus, but I didn’t bargain on her ex showing up at the wedding reception uninvited.

That pushed me right over the edge.

I protect what’s mine, and Charlotte is now mine, whether she likes it or not. Our honeymoon is a disaster in paradise. I’m angry. She’s resentful. All those swirling emotions explode in the most physical ways.

But even as I’m drawn closer to my new wife, there’s still a threat looming out there. Seamus McTiernan is determined to destroy what we’ve created.

I won’t let anything tear us apart.

He has no idea who he’s dealing with. I will end him.

Watch me.

Welcome to the Midnight Dynasty… 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…

This woman is going to completely undo me before this little honeymoon is through. I know it.

After the slow burn that was The Reluctant Bride, this one came out swinging with the spice, and I was HERE FOR IT.

This installment of the trilogy brought us the marriage and honeymoon with a splash of drama. After the cliffhanger in book one, we knew where this one would head with the reintroduction of Seamus. And frankly, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it for a good chunk. It brought out the sulky, distrustful, man child in him and I spent a good part of the book wanting to jock punch the man. But at the same time, I understood his mistrust. He’s known his bride for all of a hot minute, and suddenly her past comes back swinging hard right on their wedding day.

Charlotte showed snippets of her backbone, which seemed to melt under Perry’s sexual charm. And frankly, I can’t judge her for it. Ha! The man is potent and I seriously don’t blame her for getting pleasure where she can find it in this arranged marriage of theirs. She’s finding herself falling for her new husband, and her husband can’t seem to trust a word she says. As much as this dynamic frustrated me, I couldn’t get enough of it either. I had a love hate relationship with the two of them and I couldn’t stop reading.

I seriously can’t wait to see how this concludes and hoping for some groveling and Perry eating a bit of crow. Bring it on!

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: http://monicamurphyauthor.com

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/MonicaMurphyGR

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1YUl0Vm

Facebook: http://bit.ly/MonicaMurphyFB

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/monicamurphyreadergroup/

Instagram: http://bit.ly/MonicaMurphyIG

Twitter: http://bit.ly/MonicaMurphyTW

Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2ZAthV1

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

Verve Romance: https://ververomance.com/app/monicamurphy

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@monicamurphyauthor

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 4 stars, monica murphy

Review: Black Skies Riviera by Catherine Wiltcher

June 8, 2022 by Lana · Leave a Comment

BLACK SKIES RIVIERA
Series: Cristo Sinners #1
Genre: Dark Mafia Romance
Author: Catherine Wiltcher
Release Date: April 19, 2020

An arranged marriage mafia romance where love is a debt no sinner can pay…

Issa Dubova is the queen of cloudy diamonds:
A Bratva princess.
My reluctant new wife.
A pretty bargain in exchange for the names of the men who killed my father.

I’m a black suit of spades:
Determined to bury both her and my demons.
I never asked to see the shape of her heart.
I never asked for her to fill the blank spaces of mine.

But the mafia wants her secrets.
I’m not the first she betrayed.
And Issa? Sweet, not-so-innocent Issa?
She’s now a debt no sinner can pay.

Black Skies Riviera is a heart-stopping, enemies to lovers romance with NO cliff-hanger and a guaranteed HEA. For mature readers only.

AMAZON

Mine.” He groans it into the kiss, and I swallow down every drop of his possession like it’s my favorite poison.

This book has been on my TBR since release. I’ve been itching to read it but also putting it off. I tend to stay away from books with Russian speaking characters because if I get one more dose of google translate, I may lose it. I’m nitpicky, ok? And it’s a rare occurrence when a foreign language is done correct and not half assed in an indie published book. Le sigh. Let’s just say I have PTSD when it comes to this. But I digress. After a week of struggling through indecisive readerdosis (that’s the medical diagnosis for can’t pick a fucking book to save my life”), I settled on this one. And was immediately hooked!

With his broad shoulders, solid muscularity, and black ink crawling out from underneath the cuff of one wrist, he looks like a fallen angel on a trajectory straight to hell.

The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my absolute favorite stories. So any book with a nod to it will immediately hold my attention.

Fourteen years of anger and revenge driven planning. An arranged marriage of power and deception. A seemingly innocent Bratva princess and the fixer for the mob who picks no side but the one that brings him money. Yes please and thank you.

This was a story that was full of twists and turns, and while the ending was a touch predictable, it still had me at the edge of my seat.

Aiden is a ruthless business man with ties to everyone and no one. He’s given fourteen years of his life to man who helped solidify him into the brilliant criminal his is today for the promise of revenge. Two names. Two names that have kept him going and are now just one grasp away…but come with a new caveat. A marriage he doesn’t want to a woman he doesn’t know.

Issa has grown up in glass cage and had it shared when she finds out the man her father really is; the brutal head of the Bratva and a cold blooded killer. But she’ll do anything to protect her sister and her secret, even if it means paying the price of her sister’s disappearance with a marriage to a man she never saw coming.

I was immediately sucked into the story, though I did feel in times the pacing was a touch off. It was ether too quick or too slow and descriptive. But the story telling itself was gripping and well written, so it didn’t bother me much. The romance was deliciously wicked and I loved seeing the layers peeled back on both Aiden and Issa. There’s some secondary characters mentioned who I will be immediately grabbing the books for The Santiago Trilogy and A London Villain.

Sadly for the little Russian there was here, it was incorrect, though in the grand scheme of things, it didn’t bother me much because at least it was close enough. I’m just being nitpicky and it won’t even faze most readers.

If you like deliciously layered dark mafia romance, you need to read this one. I for one will be immediately grabbing the majority of this author’s backlist.

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance, Dark · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 4 stars, Catherine Wiltcher, enemies-to-lovers, Mafia

Review: Delighted by Lexi Blake

June 7, 2022 by Lana · Leave a Comment

DELIGHTED
Series: Masters & Mercenaries #24
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Suspense
Author: Lexi Blake
Release Date: June 7, 2022

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake comes a new story in her Masters and Mercenaries series…

Brian “Boomer” Ward believes in sheltering strays. After all, the men and women of McKay-Taggart made him family when he had none. So when the kid next door needs help one night, he thinks nothing of protecting her until her mom gets home. But when he meets Daphne Carlton, the thoughts hit him hard. She’s stunning and hardworking and obviously in need of someone to put her first. It doesn’t hurt that she’s as sweet as the cupcakes she bakes.

Daphne Carlton’s life revolves around two things—her kid and her business. Daphne’s Delights is her dream—to take the recipes of her childhood and share them with the world. Her daughter, Lou, is the best kid she could have hoped for. Lula’s got a genius-level intelligence and a heart of gold. But she also has two grandparents who control her access to private school and the fortune her father left behind. They’re impossible to please, and Daphne worries that one wrong move on her part could cost her daughter the life she deserves.

As Daphne and Boomer find themselves getting closer, outside forces put pressure on the new couple. But if they make it through the storm, love will just be the icing on the cake because family is the real prize.

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

AMAZON

If you love a dominant cinnamon roll hero, you need Boomer in your life! I fell so hard for this man, and I didn’t think that was possible.

Truth be told, cinnamon rolls aren’t usually my thing. But I’ve absolutely adored Boomer as a secondary character, so I knew I’d need his book. And as a main character? This man was everything! I loved him so hard. This big, tough military man with a heart of gold who rescues animals was just impossible not to love.

Boomer has so many things going for him, yet he doesn’t think much of himself. And when it comes to his brainy, single mother neighbor? Well, she’s beautiful and everything he wants, but he knows he’s not smart enough for someone as intellectual as her. And the neighbor? Well, she would never think someone as devastatingly handsome as Boomer would be interested in her. They make quite the pair.

Daphne’s daughter was such a wonderful secondary character. Stuck in the middle between her domineering grandparents and her mother who revolves her world around you is no easy place for a young girl to be. And when there’s danger, her animal loving neighbor seems like the perfect one to go to for help. Daphne has been trying to make a life for herself and her daughter following her husband’s death. His pretentious and super controlling mother don’t exactly see eye to eye with her.

This was a super cute and steamy novella with plenty of action and spice to make for a read in one sitting sort of read. It hit the spot nicely to tide me over until the next Masters installment and highly recommend for anyone looking for something short but super satisfying.

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 4 stars, Lexi Blake

Review: My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey

June 6, 2022 by Lana · Leave a Comment

MY KILLER VACATION
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Tessa Bailey
Release Date: June 6, 2022

An all-new, spicy murder mystery from Tessa Bailey, New York Times bestselling author of It Happened One Summer…

It was supposed to be a relaxing vacation in sweet, sunny Cape Cod—just me and my beloved brother—but discovering a corpse in our rental house really throws a wrench into our tanning schedule. Now a rude, crude bounty hunter has arrived on the back of his motorcycle to catch the killer and refuses to believe I can be helpful, despite countless hours of true crime podcast listening. Not to mention a fulfilling teaching career of wrangling second graders.

A brash bounty hunter and an energetic elementary schoolteacher: the murder-solving team no one asked for, but thanks to these pesky attempts on my life, we’re stuck together, come hell or high tide.

I’m just here to do a job, not babysit an amateur sleuth. Although…it is becoming less and less of a hardship to have her around. Sure, she’s stubborn, distracting and can’t stay out of harm’s way. She’s also brave and beautiful and reminds me of the home I left behind three years ago. In other words, the painful hunger and protectiveness she is waking up in me is a threat to my peace of mind. Before I sink any deeper into this dangerous attraction, I need to solve this murder and get back on the road. But will fate take her from me before I realize the road has been leading to her all along?

AMAZON | KOBO | IBOOKS | B&N

And I’m done. I’m fucking done. I might be dominating her, but she’s owning me.

Tessa Bailey books are like a combination of your favorite ice cream mixed with your favorite alcoholic drink. They’re a comfort but with a kick. A nice little zing that’s just the perfect amount of heat for your palate. And this girl? I live for her books.

What I love most about Tessa is while she has her signature dirty talking alpha thing, her books never feel formulaic. And as a reader who has read every single one of her books, that’s saying something. But I digress.

First there was some kissing….
Then we broke up even though we were never dating in the first place. We’ve been ending our non-existent relationship since we met, actually. It’s kind of our thing.”

My Killer Vacation was the perfect campy romance read with a mix of humor, sizzling romance, and murder mystery. It has a dirty talking tatted bounty hunter who likes it rough and dirty and has a heart of gold and a sweet elementary school teacher who looks innocent but secretly wants it rough. God but I lived for this combo.

Go to your meeting. I’ll meet you afterward.” She grins at me. “We can get ice cream.”
I snort. “Do I look like the kind of guy who goes on ice cream dates, half pint?”
“No…I guess you don’t.”
We walk in silence for a few seconds. “What flavor are you getting?”

The last thing anyone wants to discover on the vacation that they’ve been saving for forever and are finally on…a dead body. Suffice it to say Taylor and her brother didn’t see that coming on their anticipated vacation in Cape Cod.

I haven’t met a Tessa heroine who I didn’t adore, and Taylor was no exception. I loved her quirky personality and curious nature, and I especially loved the relationship she has with her brother.

When the gruff and tatted bounty hunter comes roaring in on his bike to assist with the investigation of the murder, he doesn’t expect the tiny little school teacher to insert herself in the middle of it. But while he may act all grumpy and annoyed, he can’t stay away from her.

When I tell you that I adored this book, I mean I adored this book. The humor, the banter, the steam. Everything. Even Taylor’s penchant of getting into ridiculous trouble because she wants to solve the murder didn’t bother me. And I’d normally dub her as TSTL. Yet she was nothing short of perfectly endearing.

And the ending and that epilogue? All of the swoons! And if Tessa doesn’t immediately give us a story for the brother and his best friend? I’m starting a riot!

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance, Dirty Talkers · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 4.5 stars, Tessa Bailey

Review: One For The Money by Skye Warren

June 2, 2022 by Lana · Leave a Comment

ONE FOR THE MONEY
Series: Book #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Skye Warren
Release Date: May 31, 2022

Finn Hughes knows about secrets. His family is as wealthy as the Rockefellers. And as powerful as the Kennedys. No one knows that the men in his line have a debilitating, early-onset illness. He’s managed the business from a young age while his father served as the figurehead. All the while knowing there’s a ticking clock on his ability to lead.

Eva Morelli is the oldest daughter. The responsible one. The caring one. The one who doesn’t have time for her own interests.

Especially not her interest in the charismatic, mysterious Finn Hughes.

A fake relationship is the answer to both their problems.

It will keep the swarming society mothers from throwing their daughters at him.

And it will keep Eva’s mother from bothering her about marriage.

Then the fake relationship starts to feel real.

But there’s no chance for them. No hope for a woman who’s had her heart broken. And no future for a man whose fate was decided long ago.

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In the faint moonlight, Eva gazes up at me. She looks exhilarated, fully alive, and breathtakingly beautiful. It makes me want to corrupt her in every way I can imagine.

If you’ve read books in the Midnight Dynasty world, then you’re already familiar with Eva Morelli. And if you haven’t been introduced to this world yet, you must, it’s absolutely addictive. I suggest start with her best friend and brother Leo in Beast of Bishop’s Landing for the best insight to Eva. Because let me tell you, ever since that book, I’ve been dying to get my hands on her story. This is a woman with some dark secrets and I couldn’t wait to peel back the layers.

Eva is the oldest Morelli sister, the backbone of the Morelli household, the stable one. She’s also not looking to be married off, but as the oldest sister at 33, she’s basically almost past her prime by the society standards. She doesn’t see herself as the beautiful or interesting sister, so when the enigmatic Finn Hughes suddenly sets his eyes on her, she can’t imagine why.

The Hughes are an infamous family by their own right in the society. The family is connected to the Constantines via Finn’s mother, whose sister Caroline married Lane. They’re also friends with the Morellis. So when Finn pays attention to Eva, her mother couldn’t be more thrilled.

But Finn, while wildly attracted to Eva, also has his own reason for pursuing her.

You’re a thirty-three-year-old woman. Of course you’ve had sex. Lots of sex. I’m not one of those uptight assholes who can’t stand to be compared to other men.”
“Lots is a little much.”
“But don’t worry. I’m not afraid of competition. When you scream my name it won’t be because I was first. It will be because I was best.”

He’s not looking for marriage either, and his scars run almost as deep as his dark secrets. The arrangement is simple; they’ll pretend to date to get their families off their backs. But you know what they say about intentions.

This is a super emotional romance full of family secrets and drama, and I couldn’t get enough of it. Finn is a broken man, but given what he hides, I understand it. He pursues Eva with a single minded intent but Eva is no easy conquest. I loved their dynamic and the way they heal each other but still hold themselves back.

I do want to make it clear that this is not a standalone. I’m not sure if it’ll be a duet or a trilogy either? I wish it was made clearer on Goodreads, but it is what it is. What I do know is duet or trilogy, I can’t wait to get my hands on the next installment.

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 4 stars, fake dating, Skye Warren

Review: Her Rebellion by Natasha Knight & A Zavarelli

May 24, 2022 by Lana · Leave a Comment

HER REBELLION
Series: THE RITE TRILOGY #2
Genre: Dark Mafia Romance/Secret Society/Captive Romance
Author: Natasha Knight & A Zavarelli
Release Date: May 24, 2022

I am a Sovereign Son. A king within The Society.

With a look I send men to their knees.

Yet she stands tall against me, taunting me with her rebellion.

But we all have rules we must live by.

Even me.

And I have broken the most sacred.
I took her to my bed.

I claimed that which did not belong to me.

And now that the beast within has had a taste, it wants more.

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

Start the trilogy with HIS RULE #1!!!

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How does this feel?” He cups the back of my head and kisses me, melting some of my resolve. “How does it feel every time you steal a piece of my soul like the little thief you are?”

What is it about this IVI world that’s just completely enraptured me? It’s archaic, brutal, and completely addictive. And this book? I loved it even more than the first book.

I took you because I couldn’t help myself.” The confession spills free on a ragged breath. “Because you are so goddamn addictive, you’ve fucking cursed me the way you curse all men, little monster.”

It’s interesting considering how much I hated the seemingly spoiled and vapid Mercedes in the The Society Trilogy how much I love her in this one. This is a woman with many layers, and the more that are peeled back, the more captivated you are by her. This is also a woman who’s been through hell and back, and lost none of her strength for it.

This second installment begins right where book one ended, and the long road to recovery that Mercedes has after her coming face to face with Judge’s past. Judge, who is seemingly calculated and reserved, has his composure crumple. Where in book one he was determined to stay away from Mercedes and drive a wedge between them, in this one he can’t stay away from her. But he knows it’ can only be temporary and eventually Mercedes will have to marry the appropriate society husband. But he doesn’t understand yet why the mere thought of it sends him spiraling.

There’s so many twists and turns which kept me at the edge of my seat. Some predictable, and some I never saw coming. And that ending? I can’t even. I need answers and the conclusion like YESTERDAY!

About A. Zavarelli:

A. Zavarelli is a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author of dark and contemporary romance.

When she’s not putting her characters through hell, she can usually be found watching bizarre and twisted documentaries in the name of research.

She currently lives in the Northwest with her lumberjack and an entire brood of fur babies.

Connect w/A. Zavarelli:

About Natasha Knight:

Natasha Knight is the USA Today Bestselling author of Romantic Suspense and Dark Romance Novels. She has sold over half a million books and is translated into six languages. She currently lives in The Netherlands with her husband and two daughters and when she’s not writing, she’s walking in the woods listening to a book, sitting in a corner reading or off exploring the world as often as she can get away.

Connect w/Natasha:

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance, Dark · Tagged With: A Zavarelli, Book Reviews: 5 stars, Mafia, Natasha Knight

Review: June First by Jennifer Hartmann

May 17, 2022 by Lana ·

JUNE FIRST
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Forbidden/Taboo
Author: Jennifer Hartmann
Release Date: May 17, 2022

Want to know what happens to a man who barely claws his way out of a tragedy, only to fall right into the arms of the one girl in the world he can never have?

Another tragedy, that’s what.

When I was six years old, my father made a choice that altered the course of my entire life.
Because of what he did, the only girl I ever loved became the only girl I couldn’t have.

In a lot of ways, I did have her…
I had her first steps, her first words, her first smile. I had her milestones, her heartbreaks, her dreams. I had her heart so woven in with mine, I didn’t know where she ended, and I began.
Only, as the years pressed on, lines became blurred—and the blurrier the line, the easier it is to cross.

They say tragedy comes in threes.
For me, that was true.
The first one changed me, the second one broke me, and the third one healed me.

But at the center of all that tragedy… there is a love story.
And at the center of that love story,
There is June.

** Forbidden/taboo relationship, please read with caution **

AMAZON

June. My sweetest blessing and greatest sin.

June First was a riveting, poignant, and unforgettable blend of emotion and and a one in a lifetime love. It was one of the most unique stories I’ve read in a long while, and one that is likely to stay with me for quite some time.

She claimed me like the sunrise claims the morning sky with lightness and blush, promise and wonder. She claimed me like a cyclone, funneling through a quiet town, taking no prisoners.

My biggest recommendation for you is to go into this book absolutely blind. The blurb sounds vague and give you a little and nothing, but trust me, you don’t want more detail.

This is a taboo/forbidden romance, but not in the predictable way. It was unique in all of the best ways. A relationship like this would be almost impossible to pull off without making it almost cringey or have an ick factor. Yet Jennifer Hartmann did it flawlessly.

The story itself is a bit lengthy in parts, with many details and pivotal moments that span years in the life of June and Brant. It spanned their highest highs and lowest lows. At times the details felt slow paced, but I can’t think of one page that could have been removed, so there’s that.

I laughed, I sobbed, I swooned. I fell so hard for this beautiful romance. And it was beautiful. It was imperfect and painful, and gut wrenching in parts. And it was completely unforgettable. The secondary characters who stole and broke my heart. The love that bloomed in tragedy. The story that I’ll never forget.

· Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 4 stars, Forbidden, Jennifer Hartmann, taboo

#DGRFave & Review: Brutal Vows by J.T. Geissinger

May 2, 2022 by Lana · Leave a Comment

BRUTAL VOWS
Series: Queens & Monsters #4
Genre: Mafia Romance
Author: J.T. Geissinger
Release Date: April 28, 2022

An Irish mobster with a brutal grudge.
An Italian mafia princess with a dark secret.
Two enemy empires joined in sacred marriage vows.
Let the hating games begin.

Reyna

If this arrogant Irish mobster my brother sold my niece to thinks I’m going to play nice over this arranged marriage BS, he should think again.
I don’t care if this match with the Mob will make my brother capo of the Five Families.
I don’t care how much money, territory, or power it will gain us.
I especially don’t care that the Irishman is the sexiest man I’ve ever seen.
I won’t allow my innocent niece to suffer the same way I did.
Even if I have to kill him.

Spider

I’m supposed to marry sweet, beautiful Lili. So why can’t I stop thinking about her swamp witch of an aunt?
Reyna who hates me. Reyna who challenges me. Reyna with the guts of a Viking, the body of a fertility goddess, and the attitude of a feral cat.
Nothing good can come of what I’m feeling for a woman who’s not the one in the wedding contract I signed.
A woman I want so much, I’ll have to burn the whole world down to get.
If she doesn’t kill me first.

AMAZON

He’s a riptide and I’m swimming far out in dangerous waters, getting pulled under fast no matter how hard I fight to stay afloat.

This book was hands down. MY. TOP. FAVORITE. IN. THIS. SERIES. And quite frankly one of my top reads of the year. OMG. This banter. It was finger licking good! UTTERLY DELICIOUS!

She glares at me. “Your charm could sweep a girl right off her feet, you know that?”
“Wait till you see my cock. Then you’ll really be swooning.”

Did I mention the banter?

Careful. You’re dangerously close to breaking your promise about your temper already.”
“That’s because you could turn Father Christmas into the Grinch, woman.”
“What did I tell you about using the word ‘woman’ as a pejorative?”
“Something I couldn’t hear over how loud your resting bitch face was screaming.”

Because oh my GAWD the banter!

His voice low, he says, “I’ve been thinking.” “Really? Did you borrow someone else’s brain?” “Very funny, viper.”

Who would have thought that a man who was mostly unassuming until Savage Hearts would come in to steel the show like this? And here I thought no one could top Declan for me!

But you know what I love the most about this series? The sassy, spitfire heroines. And Reyna? How could one possibly top the sassy that was Sloane? With the black freaking widow! MY GOD. This woman was everything. A cosa nostra widow, who holds down the family while making her brother think she does. The woman who lived through hell and rose out of the ashes a fierce warrior who has no desire to rely on a man, god forbid ever marry one. So when her beloved niece gets arranged to wed a Irishman, she has some opinions about it. And the immediate chemistry between her and the man her niece is betrothed to? Highly inconvenient.

You bring out the bastard in me. Now let’s see if I can get you to do something with that mouth other than slice me to ribbons.”

I had no idea how the author would bring these two together, but it was the most satisfying thing I’ve ever read. Their chemistry, their banter, their BANTER. MY GOD THEIR BANTER. I lived for it.

THIS is the kind of heroine I love to read about. A woman with a set of brass ones that gives men a run for their money. And a hero who would burn down the world for her. I. AM. OBSESSED.

If you haven’t read this series, you haven’t lived. And if you haven’t read this book, I don’t even want to talk to you. I question your life choices.

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance, Erotic Rom · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 5 stars, DGR Fave, enemies-to-lovers, JT Geissinger, Mafia

Review: Always You by Samantha Young

April 26, 2022 by Lana · Leave a Comment

ALWAYS YOU
Series: The Adair Family #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Samantha Young
Release Date: April 26, 2022

Arrochar Adair has loved her brother’s ex-bodyguard and best friend, Mac Galbraith, for years. Once upon a time, she was too young for him, but now that she’s a mature woman in her thirties, Arro can see no issue with their difference in age. Yet something deeper, a problem much more difficult to surmount, is keeping them apart.

Mac Galbraith remembers clearly the night Arro became everything to him, no longer just his best friend and boss’s younger sister. However, having made many mistakes over the years, there is one mistake Mac is determined not to make: to believe that he is worthy of Arrochar Adair. Allowing them to grow closer during his daughter, Robyn’s, return has proven his undoing. And when Arro forces the subject of their relationship, his response pushes her away. He just never meant for it to destroy them completely.

Devastated by Mac’s final rejection, Arro is determined to move on without him in her life, though he seems intent on staying put. And when the Adair family face a new threat, one that may have ties to Mac’s past, Arro can’t seem to be rid of the man. In fact, Mac will do anything to protect her.

But with so much hurt between them, will Arro let Mac close enough to guard her from their enemy… before it’s too late?

AMAZON | IBOOKS | NOOK | KOBO

And even though it made me a selfish arsehole, I exulted at the idea of being loved by Arrochar Adair.

I’m always a little scared to read a book I’ve been really anticipating, afraid that I’ve built too high of expectations. Lucky for me, this story not only met them, it exceeded them. I absolutely loved Arro and Mac.

The second Mac appeared on the pages of Here With Me, I was instantly hooked. This beautiful man with his haunted eyes and a life of regrets immediately stole my heart. Arro has been in love with Mac since she was old enough to notice him in that way when she was 18. And there is nothing more I love in a book than the emotions of an unrequited love. And oh man, the pining in this book.

Arro has loved Mac for years. And for years, Mac has pushed her away. She’s 13 years his junior, she’s his best friend and now son in law’s younger sister. Mac has a dark past and he doesn’t want to taint her light with his history. There’s years of pining, until Mac does something that completely pushes Arro away and he knows immediately he screwed up. Unfortunately, while Arro has loved him for years, she also respects herself enough not to keep letting him repeat their pattern and she’s done.

There’s two things I loved about this book. One is the growth that we get to see on the pages for Mac. Here’s a man that get his sh*t together and goes to therapy for all the right reasons. I loved seeing his sessions on the pages as he discovers himself. The second is the fierce Arro. This is not a wilting wallflower. This is a fierce lioness that fights for herself and her family and I absolutely loved her for it. She’s not a damsel that needs saving.

There’s a mystery element with some threatening notes being left for Arro and Mac becoming her bodyguard. Admittedly I felt it was a little much to have so much happening in the end, but it also somehow fit and brought it a full circle.

The slow burn romance was deliciously satisfying. Their road to HEA full of pain and emotion, but also with so much tenderness and love. I couldn’t get enough of it. I swear, I fall in love with this series more and more with each book!

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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Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 4.5 stars, samantha young, unrequited love

Review: The Reluctant Bride by Monica Murphy

April 19, 2022 by Lana · Leave a Comment

THE RELUCTANT BRIDE
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Monica Murphy
Release Date: April 19, 2022

Everyone’s for sale, including me.

One moment I’m the forgotten daughter of one of the most wealthy families in the country, and the next I’m the blushing bride in an arranged marriage.

My fate is sealed in my wedded union with a complete stranger.

In public, Perry Constantine is the life of the party.

Easygoing.

Adored.

In private, he’s brooding.

Dark.

Angry.

But so am I.

It’s a contest of wills to see who will break in the bedroom first, and while I try to remain strong, I find myself craving the very man I swore to hate.

My husband.

I could fall in love with this man. And that’s the last thing I should do.

I love a good crossover, and I’ve been eagerly anticipating this installment in the Midnight Dynasty universe.

If you’ve read Monica’s Things I Wanted To Say and A Million Kisses in Your Lifetime then you’re already familiar with the Lancasters. Charlotte is Crew’s sister from A Million Kisses in Your Lifetime. If you’ve read that book and remember the quick mention of her arranged marriage to a man she barely knows, this is the story.

Perry Constantine is the fun loving Constantine who will do anything to please his mother. And while a marriage to a woman he doesn’t know may be stretching it, he’d do that too. If you’ve read Stroke of Midnight then you’ve already met his older brother. But where Winston was intense and overwhelming, Perry is the more light hearted brother, though no less intense.

When you’re not even 25, marriage is the last thing on your mind. Especially when that marriage is essentially a business deal put in motion by your mother and your bride wants nothing to do with you. But as with all things Midnight Dynasty, nothing is at it seems.

This is a slow burn romance that really lays the foundation to the story. There’s a lot of development that happens here, along with the budding relationship. And behind the traded insults and barbs, there’s plenty of chemistry. I loved Perry’s intensity almost as much as I love Charlotte’s sassyness. She may look like the sheltered virgin, but she has plenty of secrets. I loved that she gave as hard as she got and really gave Perry a run for his money.

I can’t wait to see what the next installment brings!