Review: The Naked Fisherman by Jewel E Ann

September 30, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

THE NAKED FISHERMAN
Series: Fisherman #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Jewel E Ann
Release Date: September 30, 2021

It’s official.

I’m eighteen and a young woman with endless possibilities on my way to reunite with my mom in Colorado after five years apart—she had a little weed incident in Nebraska.

At the airport, she springs the news on me … she’s leaving for a month of job training.

And me?

 

I’m left on my own in the basement she’s renting from the fisherman, aka her landlord who lives upstairs.

 

He’s ten years older than me. Never wears a shirt.

 

And makes it hard to remember all the things I learned at Christian Academy.

 

Did I mention he’s also my new boss?

AMAZON

I thought you were a gentleman,” I mumbled, making the walk of shame to the stack of drawers and hunching down instead of bending over to retrieve a towel. “Why did you think that?”

So first of all, this cover is incredibly deceiving, I swear. I love it, don’t get me wrong. But this is so much more than a cute contemporary and I fell head over heels for Fisher and Reese. It’s not often I get a heroine who by any other author I would quite honestly hate to read about, but was totally in love with in this book.

Reese is an 18 year old girl who has both experienced a lot and nothing in life. Her mother went to prison 5 years ago. Her father passed 3 years ago. And she grew up with her deeply religious grandparents knowing not much about life outside of the preaching she got at home. Suffice it to say that this girl is the epitome of naive ingenue. And yet, where this normally would have annoyed me, I loved this in her. I loved the way that Jewel packed so many layers into her character. This is a young girl that’s hungry for life and also scared to experience and ask for what she wants. She has a chance to reunite with her mother now that she’s out of prison, yet she feels so removed from her because of what her father and grandparents made her believe about her.

Fisher Mann, yes, that’s really his name, is her mom’s friend and landlord. He’s handsome, charming, cocky, and known womanizer. They shouldn’t have anything in common. Yet when her mother leaves them alone to travel to California for work related trip, these two realize the one thing they have in common is undeniable chemistry.

I loved Fisher’s unapologetic personality. He’s not afraid to push every button Reese has. But this is also a man that clearly has many layers, and with each one that slowly gets peeled back, you fall more and more for him. This book definitely spent more on the development and growth of Reese. Though there’s clearly only so much growth she can have in this book. I’m super excited to see what book two brings. What I really loved is the chemistry between these two and how they both try to fight it in their way, Reese definitely more than Fisher.

There’s a bit of a forbidden element because Fisher is older, more experienced, and her mom’s friend. He’s 28 to her 18 but in life experience he’s definitely even older.

I devoured this book. I loved the build up these two had. I loved the growth that Reese had, though I have a feeling it would be much more satisfying in book two. Now to just gather up the patience in my rabid need for conclusion.

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Review: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

September 29, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Release Date: September 14, 2021

As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn’t believe in lasting romantic relationships–but her best friend does, and that’s what got her into this situation.

Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof.

So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.

That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor–and well-known ass.

Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford’s reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend.

But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive’s career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding…six-pack abs.

Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion.

And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope

AMAZON 

 

I wish you could see yourself the way I see you.”

Interestingly enough, I avoided reading this book due to the hype around it. It’s so rare that I see a highly hyped up book that I end up loving. But the cover was so dang cute and the blurb sounded so good, that I decided to cave and take the chance. Sadly, reality won out, and I ended up feeling like I read a different book from everyone else. Such is my life. *Deep sigh*

It started out so strong. I was immediately hooked by the quirky and awkward Olive and the super grumpy professor Adam Carlsen. I love me a good fake dating trope, so there was that going for it. And quite honestly, I was riveted to the pages for the first 20% of the story, with a goofy smile on my face thinking I’ve found the book. Sadly though, that giddy feeling didn’t last for me. And while I didn’t necessarily dislike it, I just didn’t love it either. For me, it felt like a book a novice romance reader who’s just dipping their toe in the genre might enjoy. Now take that with a grain of salt. This is coming from someone that generally just doesn’t gravitate towards cute contemporaries, so this could very well have been the case of just me. And going off of reviews and just how many absolutely adored this book, I definitely feel like the black sheep here. But alas, it is what it is.

So let’s go with a good ole’ feedback sandwich here. I loved the STEM representation and the way it was written. I was afraid that the academia and science aspect of the story would bore me to death, but the author wrote it in such a way that it added to the story and kept even non academia readers engaged. I loved that about this. I also loved the trope and the quirky heroine meet grumpy professor aspect.

What was missing for me was the chemistry. I just didn’t feel it between these two. This is very much a slow burn, but the more time these two spent together, the less I felt it. The way they were thrown together into awkward situations by Olive’s friend Ahn, the more it felt that way…awkward. I also struggled with the way it was written. It was third person POV in Olive’s perspective, but it read like it should have been first person, if that makes sense. I still struggle to have a visual in my head on what Olive or any of the secondary characters looked like, there was almost no physical descriptions of them. As it was, all of the secondary characters just came across flat, rudimentary, and two dimensional. And it didn’t take long before the main characters came across that way too.

I did enjoy the ending and seeing Olive finally, FINALLY, stand up for herself and truly show growth as a character. I also loved seeing Adam’s fuzzy and soft side. There was some steam at the end that added, though not much for me, to the chemistry. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t need steam to enjoy a book. But when the chemistry is already lagging for me, it just felt super lacking here.

So did I dislike it? No. Did I love it? Also no. Would I recommend it? Sure! It’s a cute, slow burn romance that I think plenty would love. I just wish I was one of them. So while it was an enjoyable read, it also won’t be anything I remember or come back to after finishing.

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Review: The Lawyer by Marni Mann

September 28, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

THE LAWYER
Series: The Dalton Brothers #1
Genre: Erotic Romance
Author: Marni Mann
Release Date: September 28, 2021

A sexy, new stand-alone in the Dalton Brothers Series from USA Today best-selling author Marni Mann …

 

I’m not the type of girl who picks up a man on a rooftop bar.

Not the kind of girl who lets a man’s hands roam my body, discovering I have no panties on.

Never the girl who has hours’ worth of o’s from a smoking-hot one-night stand.

 

But Dominick makes it so easy to say yes.

His body, his moves, and his oh-so-wicked tongue have me saying it over and over again.

Yes, please.

Yes, more.

Yes, right there.

 

He worships every inch of my body, and I’m still sore the next morning when I meet him again.

 

This time, he’s Mr. Dalton, my sister’s cutthroat entertainment lawyer.

And he has a proposition for me.

 

He wants to make me famous.

 

Of course, that means sharing a screen with my wildly jealous sister.

It means giving up my career.

It means the whole world will suddenly know everything about me.

 

Which presents one catastrophic problem—Dominick doesn’t date famous people.

 

So, do I take a chance at becoming a Hollywood star, or do I pass up the opportunity to be with the man who gave me a taste of forever?

AMAZON | iBOOKS | NOOK | KOBO

Get over here.” My eyes narrowed as I took her in, deciding that if she didn’t move closer in the next few seconds, I was going to lift her myself.

Well, wasn’t this just the spicy little number. Ovary approved!

The Lawyer is an erotic romance in the brand new Dalton Brothers series, and after this book, I am so here for it!

She was soon going to be a client, and that was something I wouldn’t mess with. “Not going to happen, man.” I shook my head to emphasize the point. “Trust me.” He tapped his fist on the wood. “What do you want to put on it?” “Your plane.” He laughed again. “It’s a bet I’m not going to lose, so why don’t you tell me what I’ll get if I win?” “Name your prize—one of my cars, a trip to fucking Fiji, a hundred grand, whatever you want.” He stretched his hand in my direction. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

Now generally, I don’t love when a book starts with an immediate bang, if you catch my drift. I like the burn. I want the anticipation of it. I want the feels. But damn it all if I minded for even a second that we get right to the good stuff here. The very second that Dominick appears on the pages with his dominant, alpha male energy that’s just oozing sexual appeal, I couldn’t care less what happens. And when the man lays his eyes on a beautiful stranger at a bar, he’s not shy going after her. But what both anticipate to be a one night stand turns out to be much more.

Kendall moved from home to work for her reality star sister, or as I like to call her, the wicked witch of blah. Because my GOD did I hate that woman. But I digress. Kendall never wanted the stardom like her sister does, but her beauty and charisma is exactly what Dominick is looking for in a new reality star. He can shut off their chemistry for a second and look at it as business only. HA!

This was one of those books that I didn’t really care about the plot but more about the romance, if that makes sense. The Hollywood thing in books isn’t my cuppa, but I didn’t mind it here. I did wish I got to see a bit more of Kendall’s backbone when it came to her selfish sister, but it didn’t fully come until the very end. I also loved seeing the ultimate playboy and self professed womanizer fall for the girl and become her biggest defender.

All in all it was a fun, fluffy but steamy romance that I thoroughly enjoyed.


USA Today best-selling author Marni Mann knew she was going to be a writer since middle school. While other girls her age were daydreaming about teenage pop stars, Marni was fantasizing about penning her first novel. She crafts unique stories that weave together her love of darkness, mystery, passion, and human emotions. A New Englander at heart, she now lives in Sarasota, Florida, with her husband and their yellow Lab. When she’s not nose deep in her laptop, working on her next novel, she’s scouring for chocolate, sipping wine, traveling, or devouring fabulous books.

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Review: Vik by Belle Aurora

September 27, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

VIK
Series: Shot Callers #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Belle Aurora
Release Date: September 17, 2021

Nastasia Leokov has loved her brother’s best friend since the very moment she met him.

Understanding that she’ll never be anything more to Viktor Nikulin than a treasure to guard, Nas sensibly hides her feelings.

But when she makes a brash decision to kiss him, everything changes.

That kiss. T
hat hot, explosive, all-consuming kiss.

It haunts Vik.
And suddenly, Nastasia Leokov isn’t just a teenage mob princess.

No.

She is his. Undeniably. Indisputably.

An unbreakable connection. A hidden relationship. A lifetime of firsts.

And yet, something is missing.

Nas desperately craves the one thing Vik has never offered her.

His heart.

AMAZON 

 

I have been sitting on my rating for this book for over a week now going through a gamut of emotions and back and forth. Did I love it? No. Did I hate it? Not…exactly? Did I like it? Not quite. So there we have it and I’ll just go with the middle and a 2.5 star rating it is.

Look, to cut right to the chase, this story was disappointing to me to say the least. It felt forced. It was boring. I honestly found myself skimming most of it because most of it was filled with mundane detail that never added anything to the actual story. And everything that I actually wanted to read about? Well that happens off the pages.

There’s so much that simply doesn’t get fleshed out. Nas has had a crush for her brother’s friend since she was a teenager. They get together then, but we don’t get the development of their relationship. Instead we get to flash forward 13 years later and Nas has broken up with Vik even though she clearly has feelings for him. She does so on the assumption that Vik cannot commit. We learn that in that time she was engaged to another man, but that never really gets more than a mention, so I found myself scratching my head as to why it was even relevant to include at all. It added absolutely nothing to the story arc. And I’m not a reader that minds MCs being with other people while they’re separated. But the thing is, these two never felt separated. They’re as codependent as they come. So it was just…strange.

Ultimately what bothered me the most was the DRAAAAAWN out miscommunication on the reason of their separation that spans the entire. freaking. book. And when you finally get it? You want to throw both Vik and Nas in front of a bus for their stupidity and immaturity. Like COME ON.

Truth be told, their romance was just lackluster. It got lost between the mundane details, the drawn out miscommunication over the stupidest thing, and the set up for Annika’s book. I really felt at times like this was essentially one long set up for Annika and Sasha’s book actually.

So there we have it, friends. It just wasn’t for me and I’m super bummed because my eagerness for this book was HUGE.

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Review: Just Like Heaven by Trilina Pucci

September 21, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

JUST LIKE HEAVEN
Series: The St. Simeon Prep Series #1
Genre: New Adult Romance
Author: Trilina Pucci
Release Date: September 20, 2021

??’? ? ????????—?? ???????????.
??’?? ????? ?? ????? ???.
If only I could’ve convinced my heart.

We were gorgeously young and desperate for one another.

His lips whispered promises of all the stars in the sky. While I dreamt of a love that would last forever.

But we’re star-crossed.
Fate had decided our course.
Leaving us to cling to each other as we crumbled to ash.

His need became possession.
My innocence turned jaded.
Our families declared war.
All that remained was hate.

But Calder was raised by wolves. The rules didn’t apply. I was his until he said otherwise—for better or for worse.

Our love story’s bathed in crimson and drenched in bullets.
Because sometimes, Romeo comes with tattoos, guns, and a taste for blood.

AMAZON

Why are you here?”
His hand comes up, fingers brushing my hair from my eyes before he answers, making the world come back into focus. “I’m here because you are.”

A modern day Romeo and Juliet retelling that will tug at every heartstring you have and leave you reeling in your feels.

Calder isn’t an empty threat—he’s a promise.

Now look, I’m not generally a reader that enjoys insta anything; particularly of the insta love variety. But somehow, Trilina Pucci has made a liar out of me in this book. Maybe it was because there was enough tension to build everything up that the somewhat insta love really flowed into the story? Maybe it was the Romeo and Juliet vibes of star crossed lovers who are doomed from their first glance. Whatever the case, it just worked for me here.

Sutton and Calder couldn’t be more different. Sutton is the good girl, daughter of a senator. Calder is the bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks, and son of a ruthless criminal. Their love is doomed from the start, but they’re drawn to each other like moths to a fire.

Seconds that feel like minutes tick by as Calder says nothing, eyes locked on mine, stealing all my rational thought. Because he has that same storm behind his eyes. And as strange as it sounds, it makes him beautiful, like an exquisitely broken soul at war with himself and everyone else around him.

A fated love. A chance meeting. A stolen glance. It all gets set in motion the second Sutton lays eyes on the new bad boy in town. Their fathers are mortal enemies. Sutton’s father being a ruthless and driven senator determined to eliminate crime in their town. And Calder’s father being a ruthless criminal with mafia ties who’s bringing the crime to it. Calder was born into a life of crime and knows he’ll die knowing nothing different.

The only reason I’m rating this a four is as much as it worked for me here, I still like a bit of tension between the MCs and Sutton’s fall for Calder was instant. Not that I blame her. The man oozes sexual chemistry the second he appears on the page. And I appreciate that while their connection is instant, them getting together wasn’t. There was tension, the odds stacked against them, and I lived for their stolen moments together.

The spice in this book was EVERYTHING. That confessional and holy water scene? Holy hell.

And then there was the cliff. I was prepared for a cliff, don’t get me wrong, it’s a duet after all. But I was NOT prepared for this one. It ripped my heart from my chest and left me with bated breath until the next installment.


Trilina is a former professional dancer (you may have even seen her on the MTV Music Awards) and a USA Today Bestselling author who loves cupcakes and bourbon.

When she isn’t writing steamy love stories, she can be found devouring Netflix with her husband, Anthony, and their three kiddos. Pucci’s journey into writing started impulsively. She wanted to check off a box on her bucket list, but what began as wish-fulfillment has become incredibly fulfilling. Now she can’t see her life without her characters, her readers, and this community.

She’s known for being a trope defier, writing outside of the box and creating fictional worlds her readers never want to leave.

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Review: Net Worth by Amelia Wilde

September 14, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

NET WORTH
Series: Trilogy
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Amelia Wilde
Release Date: September 14  2021

Mason Hill wants one thing: revenge.

 

When Charlotte Van Kempt walks into his office, all innocence and desperation, he knows the perfect way to get it.

 

He makes a dark bargain.

 

She’ll give him her body to save her family.

 

Little does she know he plans to ruin both.

AMAZON 

She’ll be my revenge. She’ll be the person I’ll carry it out on. Her family’s sacrifice. There’s no disappointment, really. It will be even sweeter this way.

*faints in fangirl*

Y’all. If you know me even a little, then you know that I have a thing for the mean ones. I’m talking about the uber alphaholes. I’m talking about men so toxic, you love to hate. Look, I like them mean and jaded, okay? Like if I don’t spend at least half the book wanting to c*ck punch them, I don’t want it. And Mason Hill? Oh my ovaries. It just doesn’t get more toxic than a man you spend the entire book wanting to punch in the throat. And I love him so much!!

I want to destroy Charlotte Van Kempt. I want to break her in every way there is under the sun. I want to put her back together afterward and break her again.

Clearly I have been sleeping on Amelia Wilde, because the woman knows how to bring the mean. This was so delicious, I don’t even have the words. You have the cold and ruthless billionaire set on revenge at all costs. You have the sweet and innocent woman who’s caught in the crosshairs of some dark family history who becomes the willing sacrifice.

I put a hand on her hip and pull her forward at the last minute so she falls between my knees and has to push herself back up. No hiding the quiver in her chin now. No hiding the dimpling skin there. I’ll get tears soon. It’ll be fucking delicious.

Mason is a character who’s full of depth, even though we only get quick glimpses of his vulnerable side. The majority of this book shows his dark, ruthless, and calculating side. A man with a sharp tongue and an appetite for pain.

I expected her to break. I went looking for the limit of her humiliation, and I found it. Now we can have some real fun.

Prepare for a binge read of a story, friends, because this is not a book you’ll be able to set down once you start it. It was addictive and dirty. It was so. freaking. good. When I tell you I read it in one sitting, I mean I couldn’t put it down for even a minute. I was desperate to see just a glimpse of Mason’s soft side and instead I was hit with a cliffhanger to painful, I think I saw stars from the force of that two by four.

I am desperate for my next fix and will now be binging on Amelia’s entire backlist. BECAUSE OH MY GOD!!! The ultimate revenge plot. The ultimate alpha hole. And the most delicious story bringing it all together.

Amelia Wilde is a USA TODAY bestselling author of dangerous contemporary romance and loves it a little too much. She lives in Michigan with her husband and daughters. She spends most of her time typing furiously on an iPad and appreciating the natural splendor of her home state from where she likes it best: inside.

Connect with Amelia

Website: https://awilderomance.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14671616.Amelia_Wilde

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Amelia-Wilde/e/B01C38CNJ2

Facebook: facebook.com/awilderomance

Instagram: https://instagram.com/awilderomance

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Review: Saint by Sierra Simone

September 9, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

SAINT
Series: Priest #3
Genre: Contemporary, Forbidden Romance
Author: Sierra Simone
Release Date: September 7,  2021

 

I can’t have Elijah Iverson.

I can’t have him because he’s my older brother’s best friend. I can’t have him because I broke his heart five years ago; because he’s now engaged to someone else—someone kind and dependable who deserves his whiskey eyes, his soft mouth, his fierce intellect.

I can’t have Elijah because I’ve chosen God instead.

The Bell brothers, though . . . well, we don’t exactly have the greatest track record with vows. But I’m determined to do this monk thing right—to pledge myself to a cloistered life and spend the rest of my years in chastity and prayer. But now Elijah’s here. He’s here and he’s coming with me on my European monastery road trip, and between the whispered confessions and the stolen kisses and the moments bent over an ancient altar, my vows are feeling flimsier by the day.

And vows or not, I know in my heart that it would take more than a good and holy monk to resist Elijah Iverson right now. It would take a saint.

And we all know that I’m no saint.

(This is the third full-length standalone in the Priest Collection, featuring Father Bell’s brother, Aiden Bell. You do not have to read Priest or Sinner to read Saint.)

AMAZON

I can’t stop the tender shoots and slender, seeking roots of him, and I am his garden, his soil, his place, and it would be wonderful if I wasn’t supposed to be the garden of my god instead.

I live for the Bell siblings. We’ve met Tyler Bell, the priest. We’ve met manwhore extraordinaire, Sean Bell who fell for a nun and his best friend’s younger sister. And now it’s Aiden’s turn. If you’ve read the previous two books, then you remember Aiden is the wild younger sibling. And if you’ve read Sinner, then you’d also remember the shocker of learning that he’s been having a secret affair with his brother’s best friend. That was definitely a delicious plot twist when I read it.

And now we meet Aiden Bell five years later, as a monk but also a man that never got over the love of his life.

Aiden,” he says softly, and I relish hearing my secular name from him, because it was the name that belonged to him, to his lips and thoughts and even his fingers when he was scolding or flirting over text or email.

If you’ve read anything by Sierra Simone than you know this author’s incredible ability to pack a heck of an emotional story that’s interwoven into scorching romance. This book was no different. The sexual charge between Aiden and Elijah is woven into every page, especially because it’s forbidden. Elijah may have loved Aiden once and had his heart broken by him, but he’s now an engaged man. And Aiden has given himself to god.

It was clear the amount of research that Sierra put into this book with her detailed story telling. However, I also felt like parts of the book did drag a bit for me and had a little more detail than needed. I found myself skimming a bit about midway through the book.

The romance, in typical Sierra Simone fashion, was EVERYTHING. It was packed with emotion, it was erotic, it was sensual, it was beautiful, and it was so satisfying. I found myself hurting with them. I found myself grieving their relationship with them. And I found myself loving with them.

This was easily my favorite book in the series so far. But nothing, and I mean NOTHING, prepared me for the twist and reveal at the end. And now I’m desperately hoping that we get a certain someone’s book next because OMG!!

Sierra Simone is a USA Today Bestselling former librarian (who spent too much time reading romance novels at the information desk.) She lives with her husband and family in Kansas City

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Review: Hard To Love by K. Bromberg

September 7, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

HARD TO LOVE
Series: Play Hard #5
Genre: Contemporary, Sports Romance
Author: K. Bromberg
Release Date: September 7, 2021

New York Times bestselling author, K. Bromberg, is back with a heartfelt, enemies to lovers romance and a hero who redeems himself to steal your heart . . .

He was the one-night stand that didn’t exactly go as planned. Now he’s standing before me as if he’s never seen me naked, telling my manager he’ll take the job. Reluctantly.

Finn Sanderson.

Sports agent extraordinaire. Handsome as hell. The man who just signed on to control my every move.

Sure, I’m to blame for my recent bad press, but when your whole life has been so regimented, isn’t it normal to want to live it up a little?

But when the partying stops and the grief I’m running from has nowhere else to hide, reality sets in. Turns out, Finn’s the only person I have left to help pick up the pieces. The only person to call.

Staying with him is a temporary thing. But when our fighting turns into laughter and our friendship turns into something more, will I fight for a man who swears he’s hard to love? Or is it wiser to walk away? To follow the plan?

* * *
Offering to help with a client is a way to repay a long overdue IOU to my mentor. Little did I know she was the woman who left my hotel room at four in the morning.

Stevie Lancaster.

Top-seeded US tennis player. Good girl gone bad. The woman currently about to throw her career away. And now my problem.

The compensation to “babysit” her is great, but she isn’t worth my trouble.

But when her world falls apart and she has no one else to turn to, I try to be a good guy by gathering her up and hiding her from the media’s eye.

Now she’s in my house, in my space, and even though I’m enjoying the side benefits of this unexpected arrangement, surely she’s better to leave when the time comes and follow her destiny. Because I’m not the man she needs. Not the man she could love. Right?

Are you ready to fall for the Kincade sisters and then men who love them in K. Bromberg’s sexy, contemporary, sports romance series? These books can all be read as standalones, but you’ll enjoy reading them as a series!

Hard to Handle (Hunter & Dekker’s story – hockey romance)
Hard to Hold (Rush & Lennox”s story – soccer romance)
Hard to Score (Drew & Brexton’s story – football romance)
Hard to Lose (Gunner & Chase’s story – baseball romance)
Hard to Love (Finn & Stevie’s story)

 

AMAZON

You’re a bully.”
I hate you. I want you. Why does it have to be you?
“And you’re a rebel.”
“Well, aren’t we quite the pair…”

I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for this book!! Finn has been a secondary character that I had loved to hate in books 1-3, and when we finally saw his human side in Hard to Lose, he became a character I couldn’t wait to get a book for. Finn is a too handsome for his own good and cocky successful sport agent who has been going head to head with the Kincade sisters for years. And his romantic history with one of them painted him for the one and done player that he is. This is a man that doesn’t believe in love and I couldn’t wait to see him brought to his knees by the right woman.

I don’t care because it feels like we’ve been doing a slow dance of seduction for weeks and goddamn, I’m ready to get pulled under.

I loved being inside Finn’s head and seeing what made him into the man and playboy he is today. I also loved finally seeing a female athlete in this series.

Stevie Lancaster is a tennis superstar who’s still reeling from the loss of her beloved father. A spitfire and a wildchild in one, she’s been spiraling dealing with her grief. A drunken game with her friends lands her in the hotel room of a handsome stranger. And the shock of a lifetime is when that stranger turns out to be the last resort of her agent to bring in the big guns. Finn is there to reel in the wild child and help get her back on track with her sports career.

Man, the banter between these two was…on…point. I was so here for their arguments that were loaded with sexual tension so good I felt I might burst. Stevie is sass personified. She’s not afraid to give as good as she gets and boy does she make Finn work for it. The sexual tension and chemistry was *chefs kiss* so good. Like you can practically taste it every single time these two fought. But what I loved most is seeing Finn’s soft side come out. I loved seeing how he was there for Stevie in a way no one else could have been. And I loved watching his heart thaw for her.

This was the perfect book to end this series with. Highly recommend for any sports romance fans!


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.

Connect with K. Bromberg:

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Review: Give Me A Reason by A.L. Jackson

August 30, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

GIVE ME A REASON
Series: Redemption Hills #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: A.L. Jackson
Release Date: August 30, 2021

From NYT and USA Today bestselling author A.L. Jackson comes a single-dad, enemies-to-lovers stand-alone romance about a jaded club owner and his son’s teacher…

Eden Murphy came into my club looking to make some extra cash.

A girl like her didn’t belong in a place like this.

She’d get ripped to shreds.

Most likely by me.

There’s nothing but sweetness dripping from her sexy little body, and I’m the monster who’s salivating to get a taste.

Trent Lawson is the last man I should want.

Dark.

Dangerous.

So wickedly gorgeous he makes my knees weak.

He’s also an arrogant jerk who happens to be my new boss.

When I discover his adorable son is also in my kindergarten class, I know I have to keep my distance.

But neither of us can ignore the attraction that flames.

One glance, and our hearts race.

One touch, and we’re aching for what we can’t have.

One night, and we’re falling fast.

Dragging her into my sordid world is wrong.

It doesn’t matter.

Eden Murphy is mine.

AMAZON

You are everything I didn’t know I needed.” Her words were panted into the thick air. That connection a glimmer in the room. Throbbing. Consuming. Binding us whole. I burrowed my face under her chin. My confession was pressed to her skin. “And you are everything I will never deserve.”

If you’ve read this author before, then you already know her lyrical writing style. I’m not a reader that enjoys prose, yet somehow when A.L. Jackson writes it, I can’t seem to get enough of it.

I’ve been salivating for this book ever since she announced it. The premise for the series sounded amazing, and now that I’ve been introduced to the Lawson brothers, I’m completely hooked. I’m so here for this gritty and emotional series.

Now as for this book, well it had me at enemies to lovers. And then sealed the deal with single daddy and son’s teacher. Trent is a MC that’s impossible not to fall for. Trent first meets Eden when she comes to his club for an interview. But he can smell her innocence a mile away and refuses to give her the chance, even when there’s an underlying attraction that simmers beneath the surface. Eden may look sweet as sunshine, but this is also a woman with a backbone. She’s not afraid to stand up for herself, even if it’s with the tatted and jaded club owner who refuses to give her the time of day. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and she needs the money to help her father.

I loved the dynamic between these two. Eden is sweet and wholesome, but she’s also a woman with a past. I loved the relationship she develops with Trent’s sweet son. And his son! Oh man. He may have been my favorite secondary character with his burst of sunshine, chatty demeanor, and sweet nature and open heart.

Trent is the definition of tortured. This is a man who is still running from his past and feels that it continues to taint him. He’s the son of a ruthless MC president and a man with blood on his hands who had to do what he needed to ensure his brothers’ safety and his own. Right now, all he cares about his protecting his son, and he can’t let any woman distract him. He doesn’t have anything left to give. Especially to a woman like Eden.

The enemies element of this book didn’t last long, though I wish it was a bit longer. It went from one to the other fairly quick, though I didn’t mind too much. I loved their chemistry and connection. I suppose I just wanted a bit more burn. Having said that, their relationship development was so organic and felt so right. I loved the way that Trent couldn’t stay away from her and the way that Eden sees past his dark and broody exterior to the tortured soul beneath.

There’s also a suspense element that I lived for and a twist at the end that I never saw coming. I’m completely hooked and desperate for more. I cannot wait till the next book!!

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Review: The Bastard’s Betrayal by Katee Robert

August 27, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

THE BASTARD’S BETRAYAL
Series: Scandalous Scions Book 1
Genre: Mafia Romance
Author: Katee Robert
Release Date: August 25, 2021

She thought it was love.

Rose Romanov is a mafia princess, and everything that entails. Violently over-protective parents. A giant extended family, all ready to kill anyone who looks at her wrong. Learning to run a business that isn’t exactly on the right side of the law. So, naturally, when she meets a nice guy who isn’t in the life, she falls hard… Right up until the she discovers her new boyfriend isn’t a civilian at all.

But he betrayed her.

When Dante Verducci was sent on an undercover mission to evaluate the Romanov family for weakness, he never expected to have an instant connection with their unlikely heir. There’s something fierce and feral about Rose that calls to him. They’re alike, even if they’re both lying to each other during the months they date. Before he could figure out a new plan, Rose finds out who he really is, dumps him, and immediately enters an engagement with the heir of a rival family. Yeah, no, that’s not going to work for Dante.

Now he’ll do anything to reclaim her. Even go to war.

AMAZON

His gaze flicked to the gun in her hands. “You really think you’re going to shoot me? You were coming around my cock twenty-four hours ago.”
Fury nearly made her black out. Maybe she wouldn’t regret this after all. He was so fucking sure of her, of this situation, as if the gun in her hand didn’t mean a single damn thing. She’d prove him wrong. Rose steadied her stance, reaching for the one thing she could that would hurt him a fraction of as much as he’d hurt her.
“I faked it.” She pulled the trigger.

When a book starts with that quote, you know you’re in for a good time. I love me some Katee Roberts, and when I saw she’s releasing a spin off from The O’Malleys series, I was all over it. I love a good mafia romance, and throw in a bit of betrayal and hate lust into the mix and I’m done. STICK A FORK IN ME. I love it.

I loved the first half of this story. Rose Romanov is a heroine that you instantly love. The woman is a badass. She’s a mafia princess and the daughter of Dmitri and Keira from The Bastard’s Bargain. If you haven’t read that book, don’t worry, you can easily pick things up with this one as it is the launch of a new series.

Rose can’t seem to do right by her family. She knows that having a relationship with a sexy bartender who she recently met isn’t meant to be because of her family responsibility. But when she finds out that the bartender isn’t who he says he was and he happens to have ties to a rival mafia? Suffice it to say she’s pissed.

Boy meets girl. Boy betrays girl. Girl get pissed and shoots boy. Boy is determined and kidnaps girl on her wedding day (of her arranged marriage) and will stop at nothing, including plying her with orgasms to make her his.
Having said that, I loved the first half of this book. The kidnapping, the push and pull, the hate lust, the second chance romance vibes. All of it just did it for me. But then the story lost a bit of steam for me. I wanted more mafia action, but most of it was a bit on the meh side. Outside of a few brief glimpses and instances, not much else happens. I began to grow bored and to skim. I also found myself wishing we got some glimpse of how these two got together. That all takes place off the pages, and I would have loved a bit more fleshing out of their original connection. Don’t get me wrong, I still loved their chemistry, I just also wished for at least a flashback or two.

And then there’s the set up for the next book? GIMME! It sounds utterly delicious.

If you’re looking for a super spicy mafia romance, definitely read this. It’s not the usual grittiness that I prefer in my mafia romance, but the spice made up for it and I still enjoyed it quite a bit.

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