Review: Royally Yours by Emma Chase

October 31, 2018 by · Leave a Comment

ROYALLY YOURS
Series: Royally #4
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Emma Chase
Release Date: October 30, 2018

New York Times bestselling author Emma Chase returns with a sweet and sexy standalone in the Royally Series.

Princess Lenora Celeste Beatrice Arabella Pembrook had an unusual childhood. She was raised to be a Queen—the first Queen of Wessco.

It’s a big deal.

When she’s crowned at just nineteen, the beautiful young monarch is prepared to rule. She’s charming, clever, confident and cunning.

What she isn’t… is married.

It’s her advising council’s first priority. It’s what Parliament is demanding, and what her people want.

Lenora has no desire to tie herself to a man—particularly one who only wants her for her crown. But compromises must be made and royals must do their duty.

Even Queens. Especially them.

**

Years ago, Edward Langdon Richard Dorian Rourke, walked away from his title and country. Now he’s an adventurer—climbing mountains, exploring jungles, going wherever he wants, when he wants—until family devotion brings him home.

And a sacred promise keeps him there.

To Edward, the haughty, guarded little Queen is intriguing, infuriating…and utterly captivating. Wanting her just might drive him mad—or become his greatest adventure.

**

Within the cold, stone walls of the royal palace—mistrust threatens, wills clash, and an undeniable, passionate love will change the future of the monarchy forever.

Every dynasty has a beginning. Every legend starts with a story.

This is theirs.

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Making a life with you will be my greatest adventure, Lenora.”


If you’re anything like me, then there’s been one character throughout this entire series that has absolutely captivated you. When I saw that Queen Lenora will be getting a book, I just about squealed in excited glee.

This book is a slight step away from the tone of the rest of the series. Yes, it’s a wonderfully swoony royal romance told in a way that only Emma Chase can write, but it’s also more. So much more. Royally Yours is Lenora’s story. It’s not just the story of how she fell in love. It’s the story of how she became queen. The life events that shaped her into the strong and independent woman that she is. It’s a story of her hidden vulnerabilities and devastating losses. It’s a story of how her duty became her greatest joy. And it’s a story of how life’s saddest moments also led her to her heart’s greatest joy. It’s also a story that begins in the 50’s.

While the book read super fast, I’ll admit it took a minute for me to get into. Unlike the others in this series, the romance doesn’t quite begin right away. But after sitting back and thinking on my rating, I don’t think it would have been right to write Lenora’s story any other way. The reader needed this background to connect with her. We needed to see the vivacious woman behind the icy exterior. Lenora’s story isn’t an easy one. It’s one that made me laugh and had me breaking down in tears. It was real. It wasn’t sugar coated. And it completely sucked me in.

The last thing the song queen wants, is to stand in the shadow of a man. But when her crown is at risk, she agrees to an arranged marriage.

Edward left his title behind to travel the world. An adventurer at heart, he never thought he’d find himself back in the place he couldn’t wait to leave behind. Lenora’s ice queen presence almost fools him at first, but then he gets a glimpse at the girl that she hides beneath the queen front, and he can’t help but fall.

The romance is easy, without any angst or added drama to take away from the heart of the book. While I wish there was slightly more development with the romance, as much as we had with Lenora’s backstory, it was still satisfying. You can’t help but feel 100% connected to this couple. There’s just something about them that simply draws you in without any added flare. I adore this series, and this book was the perfect icing on the cake. A must read for all Emma Chase fans.

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Emma Chase is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the hot and hilarious Tangled series and The Legal Briefs series. Emma lives in New Jersey with her husband, two children and two naughty (but really cute) dogs. She has a long-standing love/hate relationship with caffeine.

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#DGRFave & Review: Ballistic by @KeriLake

October 30, 2018 by · Leave a Comment

BALLISTIC
Series: Vigilantes #3
Genre: Dark, Contemporary Romance
Author: Keri Lake
Release Date: October 30, 2018add-to-goodreads-button-2

A life for a life.

On the streets of Detroit, it’s the code we live by. You take from me, I take from you. A balance of power, and a ceaseless war between rivals.

As a foster kid from the projects, I never had much, besides an unshakable addiction to women and drugs. Only took one glance into the amber eyes of a slave for me to realize my two worst vices could be one and the same.

And the woman behind those eyes quickly became my obsession.

Nicoleta is more than she seems. An enigma I’m determined to crack before time runs out and our enemies hunt her down. Except, she moves by her own trajectory, an unstoppable bullet on the warpath to track down the men who murdered a girl from her past.

Me? I’m the rogue whose path is less predictable. A junkie, fiending for the one thing I shouldn’t want: the only woman who gets me high. I want to keep her for myself, but when the unstoppable bullet finally hits her mark and secrets begin to unravel, another life must be paid.
A heart for a heart.

Buy LinksAMAZON 

Review5 stars

We were as tragically beautiful and fragile as a dead rose. Two souls, broken beyond redemption.

If you’ve read any book by Keri Lake, then you already know that the woman can write a dark, gritty and captivating story like no other. She has this amazing ability to suck the readers into the dark abyss that are her books and keep them at the edge of their seat from beginning to finish. She’ll throw twist after twist your way until you don’t know which side is up. But one thing you’ll know for sure is that you didn’t just read a book of hers, you experienced it.

I silenced his argument with a kiss, feeling his fingers curl into my flesh. His mouth tasted like whiskey and sorrow, wrapped in guilt. A familiar cocktail.

I’ve been waiting for Dax’s story for what feels like forever. Ever since he watched helplessly as a young girl was driven away by one of the criminals he’d been after. He’s been searching for her ever since, only to hit one dead end after another. Until finally he finds her. But Nicoleta is not at all what she seems. And Dax definitely never saw a storm like her coming.

…my Nicoleta. The embodiment of fortitude and resilience. A brand of beauty that couldn’t be replicated because one would have to walk through absolute hell to acquire it.

While this is set in the Vigilantes series, you can easily read it as a standalone. Though I highly recommend the other two books as some of the story arcs do carry over. Ballistic was a whole different beast in this series with Nicoleta being the one seeking revenge. I loved the way that Keri Lake balanced the scales with the two characters. Nicoleta really took the driver’s seat in a lot of the story, but Dax never blended into the background. He was no less alpha and no less intense in his need to be the tool she uses to mete out her punishment. I LOVED this delicious turn of roles.

Nicoleta was a mystery wrapped in nightmares; nightmares of a hell that she’s lived through and a past she barely remembers. This is a woman that’s absolutely shattered, but she’s not weak. She’s vengeance and hell, pain and retribution. She’s a fiery ball of hatred and passion, and she was the perfect balance to Dax’s intensity.

This was a dark and twisty page turner of a story filled with blood, vengeance, and a love amongst the ashes. It sucked me in right into the dark underbelly of the worst sort of underground crime imaginable and those that rose out of the ashes of the pain it brought. It was deliciously twisty. It had me a ball of anxiety with my heart in my throat the entire time. It made me cringe. It made me cry. It made shiver in anticipation. In a word? It was UNPUTDOWNABLE!

DON’T MISS THE REST OF THE SERIES

RICOCHET (Vigilantes #1)
READ MY 5 STAR REVIEW HERE

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The only sure way to destroy a man is to take what he cannot live without.

Three years ago, I had everything.

A beautiful wife.
A son.
A reason for living.

Until a ruthless task force, assembled under Mayor Michael Culling, with a brutal strategy to make the streets of Detroit ‘safe’, ripped away everything I loved in a deadly hunt called The Culling.

They tried to kill me, too. I wish they had. Now I’m cursed by the memories of that night, and the words I whispered to my dying wife.

A promise—to avenge the wrong and set it right.

I’m no longer Nick Ryder. I’m a masked vigilante. Faceless. Loveless. Fearless. A man with nothing left to lose—one who’s seen the dark and violent truth behind the city’s flawless veneer.

Michael Culling doesn’t know who I am. Or what I want. All he knows is that I’ve kidnapped his beautiful wife.

An eye for an eye—isn’t that how the saying goes? And Aubree Culling is the perfect pawn to destroy him.

If she doesn’t destroy me first.

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BACKFIRE (Vigilantes #2)
READ MY 5 STAR REVIEW HERE

Backfire+FOR+WEB

This book is a standalone set in the same world as Ricochet.

No matter how unbreakable he may seem, every man has a weakness.

A year ago, my home became a bloodstained crime scene. That night marked the beginning of my hell—the same night I was tortured by my enemies and tossed into an underground prison to die.

They failed. I survived.

Now that I’m free, only one motive burns in my soul: revenge.

Lucky for me, they think Jase Hawkins is dead. Maybe I am. I’ve got nothing but a cold, merciless rage, and Black Betty, the sharp steel blade that never leaves my side.

Then she drifts into my life.

Lucia wants answers—so much so, she’s willing to fall into the darkness where my enemies lie in wait, to kill her for what she knows.

Or to take her for the depraved fantasies her body alone can rouse in a man’s mind.

Me? I want her for the fire in her touch that feeds my addiction, forces me to feel what has become numb, but my appetite for bloodshed runs deeper than flesh.

For my own sanity, I’ve vowed to stay away from her. Because she’s my only weakness, an obsession that leaves me craving more—one that could make even the most steadfast plan backfire.

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#DGRFave Review & Excerpt: Fall by @Kris10Callihan

October 26, 2018 by ·

FALL
Series: VIP #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Kristen Callihan
Release Date: October 23, 2018

The first time I met Jax Blackwood things went a little sideways.

In my defense, I didn’t know he was Jax Blackwood—who expects a legendary rock star to be shopping for groceries? More importantly, a blizzard was coming and he was about to grab the last carton of mint-chocolate chip.

Still, I might have walked away, but then he smugly dared me to try and take the coveted ice cream. So I kissed him. And distracted that mint-chip right out of his hands.

Okay, it was a dirty move, but desperate times and all that. Besides, I never expected he’d be my new neighbor.

An annoying neighbor who takes great pleasure in reminding me that I owe him ice cream but would happily accept more kisses as payment. An irresistible neighbor who keeps me up while playing guitar naked–spectacularly naked–in his living room.

Clearly, avoidance is key. Except nothing about Jax is easy to ignore—not the way he makes me laugh, or that his particular brand of darkness matches mine, or how one look from him melts me faster than butter under a hot sun.

Neither of us believes in love or forever. Yet we’re quickly becoming each other’s addiction. But we could be more. We could be everything.

All we have to do is trust enough to fall.

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Stella Button, the moment you ripped that ice cream out of my hand, you knocked me off-balance. All I could do was fall.”

This book.
THIS. BOOK.
*flails happily*

This is, hands down, my favorite Kristen Callihan book to date. A poignantly written, slow burn, friends to lovers romance that was brimming with emotion; Fall owned my heart from beginning to finish. It sucked me in from the beginning and kept me glued to the pages with two incredibly multi-layered, raw, and endearing characters. Jax and Stella were everything. Simply everything!

Oh how I loved this book. Let me count the ways!!!

1. One broken yet devastatingly swoony rockstar.

I want her under me, over me, beside me. I want to dedicate hours memorizing the pattern of her freckles, each curve and dip of her body. I want her body against mine until her scent is in my skin. I want to taste her, to fuck her, to laugh with her. I want everything.

Jax is a man that has been to the dark bottom of emotion, and almost didn’t make his way up.
I really have to applaud the author in just how well she handled such a sensitive matter as depression and suicide. There was just something so real and raw about Jax that you couldn’t help but love. He captivates the reader from the very first page, and you only fall harder and harder under his magnetism and charisma the more you read. As one of the front man of a famous band, Jax is no stranger to all the women that his fame brings. But one quirky redhead that’s set to kiss him out of his ice cream at a grocery store manages to tilt his world on his axis.

2. Stella
She was just so perfectly imperfect. She was completely extraordinary in her ordinariness. Without giving much away, this is a heroine that just wins you over with her quirky, selfless, and loving personality. And then she makes you fall in love with her strength, perseverance, heart, and hints of vulnerability.

Stella works some of the oddest jobs, yet they make her happy. And when her job as a pet sitter land her one rockstar neighbor that she stole ice cream from with a kiss and never expected to see again? Well, let’s just say, things get interesting. Which brings me to the next thing…

3. The banter. OMG! THE BANTER!!

Oh my cock—god. My cock—godcockgod…” She flails her hands. “God. I meant God. God-cock. Argh!”
Her flustered blather ends in a gurgle and a new tide of rapid hand flapping. Even though her sudden appearance scared the shit out of me—until I realized it was Stella and not some stalker who’d gotten in—a laugh escapes me.
“My cock is godlike, so I can see the confusion.”
Her face flames bright red. “Dick.”
“It goes by that name too.” I wink at her.

4. The delicious, and I mean DELICIOUS slow burn romance. It hurt SO GOOD.

I meet her blue eyes and call out—God knows what. Sound tears from my throat, but I don’t hear it past my pounding ears. I look at Stella and fall into the abyss. I. Am. Wrecked.

5. The secondary characters. I love the brotherly camaraderie the band shares. I love the friendship between Jax and Killian. I NEED a book for Whip and Rye.

This book was sheer perfection. It captivated and ruined me. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me swoon. I absolutely loved it. I loved everything about it. Everyone needs to read this book. I just can’t recommend it enough.

The air between us shifts. I’m filled with a strange giddiness, wanting to laugh for the fun of it, but I’m also too warm, my limbs oddly heavy as if simple movements might be too much for me.His tone turns soft and cajoling, teasing the truth out of me. “Are you going to tell me what you do?” When I say nothing, the corners of his eyes crinkle. “I see. You’re going to torture me a bit.”The warm, fuzzy feeling grows as I shrug. “Torture feels apropos in this scenario.”

He hums again, taking another step toward me. “What makes you think I won’t like being tortured by you?”

The heat of his body and the scent of his skin makes my head light and my pulse pound. How did it get to this point where the highlight of my day is flirting with Jax Blackwood? Despite the thrill, I know I’m in over my head. I haven’t gone out on a date in months because I form attachments, I get emotional, and then I hurt when they inevitably leave. And this man will leave. He is as bright and fleeting as a camera flash. I’ll be left with the image of him seared into my memory and nothing more.

I tell myself all of this, the voice in my head as stern as possible. But it doesn’t make me back away. It doesn’t stop my body from somehow straining toward his without even moving. Because it might be stupid of me, but I want to feel something that isn’t planned. Something, for however briefly, that’s real.

He’s too attuned to me not to notice. John’s lids lower as his attention slides down my body before easing back up to my face. Slowly, he rests his forearm on the wall beside my head. “Tell me, Stella,” he murmurs.

“No,” I whisper back, flirting, even though I shouldn’t.

His biceps bunch as he leans in, a smile dancing on his lips. “Tell.”

My breasts graze his chest, and I feel it in my toes.

“You’re crowding me.” I hate how breathy I sound.

“Can’t help it.” His voice is a rumble, the heat of his breath playing over my skin. He ducks his head, drawing close until our lips nearly brush, and when he speaks again, his tone is almost conversational, except for the husky quality that touches deep within my core. “You smell like strawberries. Fucking delicious.”

My lids flutter, and I swallow hard. “Ordinarily, I’d call you out on that cliché but since I’ve been eating strawberries, you aren’t exactly wrong.”

His chuckle is slow and easy, as he eases back and his gaze slowly travels over my face. “Were they sweet, Stella Button?”

He’s looking at my mouth like he might try to find out. My lips tremble in response, and John tracks the movement, his breathing getting deeper, faster. “You have two freckles on your lips. One on the top lip and one on the bottom corner.”

Those damn freckles. They were the bane of my adolescence. I hid them with lipstick and silently cursed whenever someone mentioned them.

Freckles don’t have any feelings, but I swear it’s as if he’s touching them.

“You’re just noticing this?” I try to make it sound like a joke, but it comes out weak and thready.

His own lips quirk. “Oh, I noticed. It’s distracting as hell. They’re like two little dots of butter toffee. Makes me want to lick them, get a taste.”

Oh, God. Lick them, please. I can almost feel it. I want to feel it.

No. Bad Stella. Behave.

John’s lips part a fraction like he just might take that taste.

“Back off,” I whisper. And yet somehow my traitorous hands find their way to his sides, running over the waistband of his jeans, holding him there.

John makes a sound deep in his throat and tilts his hips, pressing them against mine. A distinctly thick bulge nudges my belly. Both of us lose a breath, and then he’s closer, his cheek touching my temple. “You’ll have to let me go first.”

My thumbs slide under the edge of his shirt and find smooth, taut skin. A tremor goes through his body. I try to think, search for what the hell we’ve been talking about.

His lips brush the crest of my cheek as he murmurs against my skin. “Tell me what you do, Stella. You know you want to.”

My smile feels illicit. Somehow the action is directly tied to all my happy parts, making them draw hot and tight. “I don’t think I do.”

Another hum. “Liar. You’re dying to.”

 

Kristen Callihan is an author because there is nothing else she’d rather be. She is a three-time RITA nominee and winner of two RT Reviewer’s Choice awards. Her novels have garnered starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and the Library Journal, as well as being awarded top picks by many reviewers. Her debut book FIRELIGHT received RT Magazine’s Seal of Excellence, was named a best book of the year by Library Journal, best book of Spring 2012 by Publisher’s Weekly, and was named the best romance book of 2012 by ALA RUSA. When she is not writing, she is reading.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

· Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance, Rockstars · Tagged With: , , ,

Review: Reveling In Sin by Meghan March

October 25, 2018 by · Leave a Comment


REVELING IN SIN
Series:  Sin Trilogy #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Meghan March
Release Date: October 23, 2018

Whitney Gable is the kind of woman you fight to the death to protect.

To keep.

To cherish.

I’ve finally learned my lesson, and it’s time to prove I’m the man who’s worthy of her.

I don’t care what it takes, because failure is not an option.

No matter who or what stands in our way—this time, she’ll be mine forever

AMAZON | iBOOKS | B&N | KOBO

I will never deserve you…
But I’ll never stop trying.”

Talk about an ending with a bang! Meghan March seriously released the kraken with this book.

Lies.
Death.
Deceit.
Blackmail.
Family secrets.

Whitney and Lincoln have weathered the storm and have finally come out of it stronger. Lincoln is determined to finally right the wrongs of their past and be the man that Whitney deserves. But the odds are stacked against them. Family secrets are beginning to unravel and if you think you know what’s coming, you couldn’t be more wrong.

With Cricket’s and Hunter’s wedding around the corner, there’s even more family drama that gets thrown in. I felt like I was experiencing an episode of Dynasty at times. There’s so many twists and turns that happen in this book, that admittedly almost felt like too much for me at times. The book could have been just as good without some of these things. However, March is a master story crafter, and somehow all of these things flowed together into one explosive ending.

Everything seriously comes to a head with this final installment in the Sin trilogy, and it was a nail biter of a read. There are some surprise appearances, that fans of Meghan’s other books will definitely appreciate. As well as a few new characters that I’m hoping will get books of their own (*cough* Asa *cough*). Yet another deliciously twisty trilogy from one of my favorite authors that ended the same way it began; with one hell of a bang.

RICHER THAN SIN

From New York Times bestselling author Meghan March comes a brand new saga of forbidden love and second chances.

A Riscoff and a Gable can never live happily ever after. Our family feud is the stuff of legends.

Ten years ago, Whitney Gable caught me off guard with her long legs and grab-you-by-the-balls blue eyes.

I didn’t know or care what her name was.

Like any Riscoff worth the family name, I went after what I wanted. We burned like a flash fire until she married another man.

She hates me, and she should.

I objected on her wedding day.

Now she’s home, with those same long legs and man-eater stare, but there’s no ring on her finger.

They say a Riscoff and a Gable can never live happily ever after . . . but I’m not done with Whitney Gable.

I’ll never be done with her.

AMAZON | iBOOKS | KOBO | B&N | AUDIBLE

Guilty as Sin

Guilty until proven innocent.

That’s the way the world works, right?

I’m tired of being convicted without evidence, all because my last name is Gable.

The Riscoffs might own this town, but I’m done following their rules.

If only I could forget just how easily Lincoln Riscoff can drag me under his spell.

AMAZON | iBOOKS | B&N | KOBO

Reveling in Sin 

Whitney Gable is the kind of woman you fight to the death to protect.

To keep.

To cherish.

I’ve finally learned my lesson, and it’s time to prove I’m the man who’s worthy of her.

I don’t care what it takes, because failure is not an option.

No matter who or what stands in our way—this time, she’ll be mine forever

AMAZON | iBOOKS | B&N | KOBO

A New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty novels, Meghan March has been known to wear camo face paint and tromp around in woods wearing mud-covered boots, all while sporting a perfect manicure. She’s also impulsive, easily entertained, and absolutely unapologetic about the fact that she loves to read and write smut. Her past lives include slinging auto parts, selling lingerie, making custom jewelry, and practicing corporate law. Writing books about dirty talking alpha males and the strong, sassy women who bring them to their knees is by far the most fabulous job she’s ever had.

Sign up for Meghan’s newsletter and receive exclusive content that she saves for her subscribers: http://meghanmarch.com/subscribe

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FACEBOOK | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE | TWITTER | PINTEREST

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#DGRFave & Review: Fight Or Flight by Samantha Young

October 10, 2018 by · Leave a Comment

FIGHT OR FLIGHT
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Samantha Young
Release Date: October 9, 2018

A series of chance encounters leads to a sizzling new romance from the New York Times bestselling author of the On Dublin Street series.

The universe is conspiring against Ava Breevort. As if flying back to Phoenix to bury a childhood friend wasn’t hell enough, a cloud of volcanic ash traveling from overseas delayed her flight back home to Boston. Her last ditch attempt to salvage the trip was thwarted by an arrogant Scotsman, Caleb Scott, who steals a first class seat out from under her. Then over the course of their journey home, their antagonism somehow lands them in bed for the steamiest layover Ava’s ever had. And that’s all it was–until Caleb shows up on her doorstep.

When pure chance pulls Ava back into Caleb’s orbit, he proposes they enjoy their physical connection while he’s stranded in Boston. Ava agrees, knowing her heart’s in no danger since a) she barely likes Caleb and b) his existence in her life is temporary. Not long thereafter Ava realizes she’s made a terrible error because as it turns out Caleb Scott isn’t quite so unlikeable after all. When his stay in Boston becomes permanent, Ava must decide whether to fight her feelings for him or give into them. But even if she does decide to risk her heart on Caleb, there is no guarantee her stubborn Scot will want to risk his heart on her….

AMAZON | iBOOKS

Oh God, yes.”
“You keep calling me God, lass, and my ego might get out of control,” he murmured.

OH MY GOD.
THIS BOOK.
*flails happily*
I.
LOVED.
THIS.
BOOK.

So much. SO. MUCH.

This book is what enemies to lovers romance dreams are made out of. It was perfect. Absolutely perfect. I fell head over ovaries for The Bastard Scott. Everything about this book was perfection: the banter, the chemistry, the hate lust, the romance, and OMG the hate lust. These two were absolutely incendiary together and I couldn’t get enough of them.

Sparks fly when Ava and Caleb cross paths for the first time on a flight to Boston, and not of the sexual variety. The man steamrolls past her in line and gets her coveted first class seat. Then they end up sitting next to each other on the same flight, and the rude and crude Scott does nothing to hide his disdain for Ava. But underneath the side eyes and the insults is chemistry so potent, you can cut it with a knife. And this reader? I devoured it!!

Caleb is a bearded and tatted CFO of a successful company. He’s also insufferably blunt, downright rude, and infuriatingly sexy. Ava is already flying on frayed nerves after a visit back to her hometown brings back all the painful memories she left behind. So when Caleb first manages to piss her off, it’s no holds barred between them. But when the insult dust settles, the chemistry between them is undeniable. And when they realize that they’re both up for a no strings attached mutually satisfying relationship for Caleb’s short stay in Boston? Well, let’s just say that things get interesting. REALLY interesting.

Samantha Young keeps the tension going with Ava and Caleb for almost 80% of the book, and I absolutely loved that. It’s not a lets hate each other until we jump into bed together and then all is well sort of story. Both of these characters have hidden depth and even deeper hidden pain. And while Ava’s surfaces for the reader gradually, its a long and painful stretch before you get to Caleb’s. I loved the way that Ava was able to handle his gruff demeanor and give as good as she gets. I also loved watching Caleb fall for her through Ava’s eyes. The entire story is told in Ava’s POV, and while a part of me wished to be inside Caleb’s head if even for a second, I can’t deny that it made the story and tension that much better. You get to experience the mystery of this man through Ava’s eyes and experience their highs and lows right along with her.

This was easily my favorite book by this author to date. I adored this enemies to lovers romance. It kept me reading well into the night, completely incapable to set it down for even a minute. It owned me from beginning to finish and I cannot recommend it enough.

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Review: Love Sincerely Yours by Sara Ney & Meghan Quinn

October 9, 2018 by · Leave a Comment

LOVE SINCERELY YOURS
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy
Author: Sara Ney & Meghan Quinn
Release Date: October 9, 2018

Dear Mister…**strike out** no, too formal.
Hey there sweet cheeks *strike out* no, too forward.

To whom it may concern,
Full disclosure; before we move forward with this email, I would like it to be known that I have consumed an adequate amount of alcoholic beverages to intoxicate myself tonight. Three margaritas, two shots, and one beer—because it was free.
I think it’s important to be open and honest with your co-workers, don’t you?
So here I am, being honest. Drunk but honest. Or just drunk with lust? You decide.
I like you so much it’s clouding my judgment and making me do things I never would sober. Like write this letter.
I have a hopeless, foolish, schoolgirl crush on you when you are the last person on earth I should be falling for. Did you know people around the office call you a sadist? An egomaniac. An insensitive, arrogant prick. Your bark is worse then your bite, and you don’t scare me. The fact is, I’d love that bite of yours to nip at my bare skin while we’re both wearing nothing but sheets.
For once I want you to look at me as more than one of your employees.
And as long as we’re being honest, that navy blue suit you wear? With the crisp white shirt? It really makes me want to loosen your tie and show you who’s boss.
Love,
Sincerely,
Yours.

AMAZON

Rome Blackburn is woods and rivers and adventure.
He is excitement.
He is an asshole.
Rome Blackburn is a freaking prick.

With witty banter, laugh out loud moments, and a slow burn romance that was perfectly paced for maximum anticipation, this book kept a smile on my face from beginning to finish. I was immediately hooked from the very first page and the introduction of the stuffy, mercurial, and demanding boss, Rome and the full of life and sassy marketing professional, Peyton.

Rome is the epitome of an a-hole boss. He’s demanding, rude, take no excuses and spare no feeling sort of man. People at his office either hate him, are terrified of him, or a combination of both.

It’s no secret that I’m an unrelenting asshole; I don’t like cheerful people. Or being cheerful. Or people.

But Peyton? Can’t help but be ridiculously, inconveniently attracted to the man.

So when a few drinks enter the equation on her birthday? She sends an anonymous email to the boss that starts a chain of events that kept me absolutely riveted to the pages.

The chemistry in just the emails alone was sizzling. Their banter was amazing! I loved how anonymous email Peyton told her boss how much she wanted him and how she saw beyond the man he was at the office. I also loved how the Peyton that Rome knew was sassy, gutsy, and not afraid to give him some much needed hell.

By next week you’ll be four days out from your end date.”
“Yeah.” I flip my hair. “Not much time, is there?”
I can almost hear his ass cheeks clenching from irritation.

I loved watching Rome’s gradual thawing from a stuck up suit to a feeling man. I particularly loved the banter between him and his couldn’t-be-more-opposite best friend, Hunter.

Blink once if she’s the one who wants to bang you.” Silence. “Are you blinking once or having a seizure? What is that shit you’re doing with your face?”

I would have loved a more prolonged grovel at the end, but it was extremely satisfying nonetheless. If you’re looking for an office romance full of sizzling romance and witty banter, this one will check all of your boxes. I can’t wait for more in this series, especially with the set up for Hunter’s book. NEED!

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Review: Booted by Pam Godwin

September 26, 2018 by · 1 Comment

BOOTED
Series: Trails of Sin #3
Genre: Dark Cowboy Romance
Author: Pam Godwin
Release Date: September 18, 2018

The night I’m released from prison, she’s in my bed.
It’s been eight years since I touched a woman, and the Native American beauty is half-dressed, beaten, bruised, and devastatingly exquisite.

We’re toxic together, but we want the same things. Blood. Vengeance.
Violent relief in a warm body.

Beneath her touch, I’m alive.
Against her skin, I’m redeemed.
Buried inside her, I forget the past.
Until the past takes her from me.

Prison made me cold, but losing Raina makes me cruel. Ruthless. Unforgiving.
I killed before. For her, I’ll kill again.
I’ll end this once and for all or die in my boots.

TRAILS OF SIN series (HEAs with no cliffhangers – must be read in order):
Knotted #1 – Jake and Conor
Buckled #2 – Jarret and Maybe
Booted #3 – Lorne and Raina

AMAZON  

Beautiful doesn’t begin to describe him. He’s arresting in the way a viper is deadly. Entrancing. Calculating. Patient. If he strikes, I won’t survive the bite.

After two deliciously twisty installments, it all comes to a head in this heart pounding conclusion to the Trails of Sin trilogy.

After eight years behind bars, Lorne is back home but he’s no longer the boy that he was when he went in. He’s hardened. Cold. Detached. That’s what happens when you spend years behind bars for killing a man that had involvement in your sister’s brutal rape that you were forced to helplessly watch happen. Now Lorne only wants one thing; revenge on the one man that’s been pulling the strings.

Raina has survived plenty in her young life. A survivor at her very core, she’s used to taking care of herself. But then she finds herself chained and beaten within an inch of her life and finally asks for help. And while it looked as though she was willingly at John’s beck and call and bent to his demented sexual will, looks are deceiving. Now seeking revenge of her own against the man that’s responsible for her greatest pain, she won’t stop until John is dead at her hand.

She’s an addictive drink of legs and attitude, with a kick of heat and vinegar.

Lorne and Raina are incredibly broken characters though each for different reasons. Each of them has seen the very bowels of human depravity and paid dearly for it. Raina’s past was heartbreaking to read. I loved that through everything that she’s been through, she doesn’t lose her backbone or sass. This is a woman that gives as good as she gets and she’s gotten plenty.

The sparks with her and Lorne are immediate and downright incendiary.

Let me tell you something about me. If you were my girl, I’d make you feel like my world. Only then would I deserve to make you feel like my slut.”

There’s plenty more secrets that get unraveled and so many twists and turns it will leave your head spinning. A perfect page turner of a conclusion to an addicting trilogy. And while book two is still my favorite, Booted didn’t disappoint. It was dark and sexy, and with Pam Godwin’s signature gritty lyrical writing style.

TRAILS OF SIN Series

KNOTTED Book #1
Available Now
Amazon | Other Retailers

BUCKLED Book #2
Available Now
Amazon | Other Retailers

BOOTED Book #3
Available Now
Amazon | Other Retailers

Pam Godwin Books GrayScale

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Pam Godwin, lives in the Midwest with her husband, their two children, and a foulmouthed parrot. When she ran away, she traveled fourteen countries across five continents, attended three universities, and married the vocalist of her favorite rock band.
.
Java, tobacco, and dark romance novels are her favorite indulgences, and might be considered more unhealthy than her aversion to sleeping, eating meat, and dolls with blinking eyes.
Join my Facebook Reader Group: here

Other Books by Pam Godwin

Tangled Lies Series
ONE IS A PROMISE (#1) – FREE
TWO IS A LIE (#2)
THREE IS A WAR (#3)

Deliver Series
DELIVER (#1) – FREE
VANQUISH (#2)
DISCLAIM (#3)
DEVASTATE (#4)

Trilogy of Eve
HEART OF EVE – FREE
DEAD OF EVE (#1)
BLOOD OF EVE (#2)
DAWN OF EVE (#3)

Stand-alones

DARK NOTES

DIRTY TIES

BENEATH THE BURN

INCENTIVE

 

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New Release & Review: Confess by A. Zavarelli

September 25, 2018 by · Leave a Comment

CONFESS
Series: Sin City Salvation #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: A. Zavarelli
Release Date: September 25, 2018

Lucian
A life free from sin.
For seventeen years, I have lived and breathed those words. But there is no balm to the war inside my soul.
Until her.
The mysterious beauty too lethal to taste. She’s a thief, a con, the essence of everything I loathe. Still, she lures me in with her lying eyes.
In the dark of night, she came to confess her sins, and in the light of morning, I plotted to steal her away.
She will be my ruination. My damnation. My biggest regret.
So help me, God.

**
Gypsy
A word of advice? Don’t show me your vulnerabilities because I will find a way to exploit them. I learned the hard way to take what I want from life with no regrets.
Until him.
He’s one of the most hated men in America. A soulless criminal attorney. A recluse. And as of five minutes ago, my new husband.
He wants to keep my secrets and collect my tears, but he should know that a wild animal can’t be domesticated.
I don’t know how to love men. I only know how to leave them.
With everything I want.

AMAZON

I didn’t know how to love men. I only knew how to leave them, with everything I wanted.

Admittedly I didn’t even bother to read the blurb to this book in my rush to add it to my TBR. A. Zavarelli is always guaranteed literary crack for me, no blurb needed to confirm.

Confess is the first book in her brand new Sin City Salvation series, and this reader is hooked. Line and sinker.

A late night confessional. A girl that grew up hard and learned to turn the tables by running cons. An enigmatic man shrouded in mystery and hearsay. A bargain for a marriage and a whole lot of twists and turns made this story one addicting page-turner!
Gypsy has never really known true innocence in her childhood. She’s only known fierce love and protection of her younger sister. Now that she’s older, she’s no longer the helpless child that she once was. She’s a beautiful con artist that charms and blackmails men out of their money and she has no qualms about it. She’d do anything to provide for her and her sister.

But then a man tilts her world on its axis. Lucian is mysterious and so enigmatic that his presence practically crackles with electricity. He owned me from the very first mention. He’s an infamous criminal defense attorney that’s known for his genius and ruthlessness in court almost as much as he’s known for win his clients’ cases. He’s also the man that holds the cards to ruin everything Gypsy has built for herself and her sister over the years. All he wants in exchange for his silence is her. She agrees to marry him for two years, do what he wants when he says, all simply because he says it.

What begins as a delicious game of cat and mouse soon turns much more seductive.

Don’t fall in love with me, Gypsy.”
“Then don’t make me,” I whispered.

As the author begins to peel back the layers, you’re left riveted, glued tot he pages, at the edge of your seat, just waiting to see what happens next.

I was also immediately hooked on Birdie and Ace. These secondary characters were a live wire all on their own. I can’t wait for their book. Hopefully it’ll be a them, anyway. But I digress. Confess wasn’t quite the dark and gritty read that I’ve come to expect from Zavarelli, but it’s no less thrilling. It definitely has an edge while it skirts somewhere in that gray and gritty genre. It was deliciously sinful and a page turner from beginning to end. I can’t wait for more in this series!

A. Zavarelli is a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author.

She likes all things chocolate, books that come with warnings, and putting her characters through hell. Her tales have been known to flirt with darkness and sometimes court it unabashedly altogether. Revenge themes and tortured souls are her favorites to write and this gives her an excuse to watch bizarre and twisted documentaries in her spare time.

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

Website | Newsletter | Twitter | Facebook | Facebook Group 

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#DGRFave & Review: Runaway Girl by @mstessabailey

September 24, 2018 by · 1 Comment

RUNAWAY GIRL
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Tessa Bailey
Release Date: September 24, 2018

It’s Naomi Clemons’s big day. Her dream wedding. And she’s outta here.

One moment. A chance meeting of gazes through the church window pane with someone familiar who radiates intrigue. Independence. It’s the final push Naomi needs to realize…she’s boring. A blonde, cookie cutter, well mannered trophy wife-to-be. How can she expect to lead a fulfilling married life when she’s never lived?

Special Forces diver Jason Bristow needs a beauty pageant coach. Not for himself—although the tattooed bruiser could definitely use some charm. For his little sister who he has returned to St. Augustine, Florida to raise. When a beautiful southern debutante lands on his doorstep, she awakens a hunger that won’t be ignored. If only she wasn’t planning on winning back the ex-fiancé she left at the altar…

Despite the potential for ruin, heat continues to build between Naomi and Jason beneath the sultry Florida sunshine, consuming them both. But they’re on borrowed time…and it’s about to run out.

AMAZON

This is it. This is the kiss I’ll think about for decades to come, maybe longer. I can feel it ruining me with every mash of his lips against mine…

A quirky & witty souther belle that’s as proper as she is endearing?

A grumpy, sexy and possessive Pouty Man Bear?

Enough sexual tension to makes your loins tighten?

A sweet and sizzling romance that will put a smile on your face and keep it there?

This book. Oh man. You guys, this book! It was everything I’ve come to expect from the amazing Tessa Bailey and so much more. I thought I loved Getaway Girl, but this book was even better. It was full of swoony feels, sizzling sexy times, incredibly endearing characters, and Bailey’s patented dirty talk that will make any ovary within a 50 mi radius quiver at the mere mention of Jason.

Actual footage of me reading this book:
And don’t you judge me either!

I’m ready to take what I want. What I need. And he’s right behind me, watching, needing me back. Ready for his own seismic shift.

If you read Getaway Girl, you may remember Naomi as Elija’s runaway bride. And while you know that appearances aren’t quite what they seem with her and she’s not the rich and prim southern belle that she first comes across at, you really get to know her here. And let me tell you, she’s an impossible heroine not to love. I’m not typically a fan of the prim and proper heroines, but there’s just something so endearing about Naomi. She’s this adorable combination of vulnerability and strength. I loved watching her grow from a woman that lives to please everyone else and keep up appearances to someone that takes what she wants.

I need her. I want to fucking drown in her.

Jason.
raaaaaaarrrrr
This man. YUM. He was absolutely delicious. Every grumpy and scowly inch of him. And let’s pretend that scowly is a word for the purposes of this review, mkay? Moving on. He’s a Special Forces diver that comes back to take care of his younger sister after a tragedy strikes his family. His sister enters a beauty pageant she has no hope of winning. Naomi is a pageant queen that’s in dire need of a job and no real skill set. Opportunity meet fate.

Sparks fly between Naomi and Jason immediately. And if you like a slow burn that will make you want to rip your arm hairs out one by one and have a smoke afterwards, you will LOVE this book. And I love me some slow burn. The sexual tension here is so thick, you can cut it with a knife and rub it all over your body. OK, I think I’m going too far here. But you know what I mean.

Wrap your thighs around me and hold on.
I don’t come like a gentleman.”

Did I mention the dirty talk? Because OMG the dirty talk!!

I loved everything about this book. I really loved Birdie and Jason’s relationship with his sister and seeing how much he’s willing to do for her. I loved the budding kinship form between Naomi and Birdie. And the romance? GAH! Perfection in a way that only Tessa Bailey can write. An absolute must read that’s full of humor, feels, and hot as sin sexy times!

1 Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance, DGR Favorites, Dirty Talkers · Tagged With: , ,

Geri’s Review: Intercepted by Alexa Martin

September 21, 2018 by · Leave a Comment

INTERCEPTED
Series:  Playbook #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Alexa Martin
Release Date: September 11, 2018

Marlee thought she scored the man of her dreams only to be scorched by a bad breakup. But there’s a new player on the horizon, and he’s in a league of his own…

Marlee Harper is the perfect girlfriend. She’s definitely had enough practice by dating her NFL-star boyfriend for the last ten years. But when she discovers he has been tackling other women on the sly, she vows to never date an athlete again. There’s just one problem: Gavin Pope, the new hotshot quarterback and a fling from the past, has Marlee in his sights.

Gavin fights to show Marlee he’s nothing like her ex. Unfortunately, not everyone is ready to let her escape her past. The team’s wives, who never led the welcome wagon, are not happy with Marlee’s return. They have only one thing on their minds: taking her down. But when the gossip makes Marlee public enemy number one, she worries about more than just her reputation.

Between their own fumbles and the wicked wives, it will take a Hail Mary for Marlee and Gavin’s relationship to survive the season.

 

AMAZON | iBOOKS | KOBO | B&N

 

Intercepted was an enjoyable sexy romp from start to finish! One of the most enjoyable aspect about this book was the author’s voice. This is Alexa Martin’s first book, and I can’t wait to read more from her because I absolutely enjoyed her voice in this book. It’s snarky but it also has a lot of heart.

When we first met Marlee in the book, her identity is pretty much tied to her status as the girlfriend to an NFL player. She has some dreams of her own, but she had to put them to the side in order to accommodate her boyfriend’s whims and desires. It wasn’t until she broke up with Chris after finding out he’s been cheating on her, that we finally get to see Marlee live her life according to her own rules. Her breakup with Chris also opened up the possibility of a romance with the new team quarterback, Gavin Pope.

Gavin Pope was a revelation! I was pleasantly surprised by how amazing and perfect this character is for Marlee. Sports romances tend to have playboy heroes until the heroine with his lifestyle being part of the conflict. But Gavin was not like that at all, which was refreshing. He is not without flaws but it was fantastic to read about a hero that’s actually a good and solid guy.

But the star in this book was Marlee. I think readers will love being in Marlee’s head. Her snarky commentary about her life was refreshing. Alexa Martin’s stylistic choice of having Marlee mentally hashtagging significant moments in the book worked really well. It’s fun and it’s so Marlee. However, I feel like this choice would date the book. And as much as it feel fresh and new now, I don’t think it will age well. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

This book feels like an inside track into the lives of the women behind the scenes. I’m not a huge fan of reality television that follows the same broad ideas as this book, but it worked for me here. Maybe because the scope is smaller, and Marlee is such a sympathetic character that you immediately root for her. My only complaint about this one was the antagonists. They weren’t very developed or interesting for that matter.

Despite those issues, this was such a joy to read, one that I would highly recommend for readers who love sports romance.

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