Review: Forgive Me For My Sins by Angel Anders

April 12, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

FORGIVE ME FOR MY SINS
Series: In The Carolinas #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Angel Anders
Release Date: April 12, 2024

A married socialite escaping her husband.
A tormented priest running from his past.
A forbidden love that will consume them both.

Avery’s husband has been unfaithful. While trying to come to terms with her new reality, a man hidden in the shadows of her church catches her attention.

It turns out the man is the new priest everyone’s been expecting, Father Lachlan O’Connell. Only he’s nothing like what she thought he’d be. He is sin personified, and her every fantasy come to life.

They both know there’s a palpable attraction between them that they can’t act on. He’s off-limits, and she’s trying to divorce her husband. Working on the upcoming church gala together is going to be the ultimate test.

What happens when they give into temptation?

AMAZON 

I don’t think having Avery be just my friend is an option anymore. I think I’d like to keep her for myself.

Look, if you know me, you know I love a good taboo/forbidden read. And when a bookish friend releases a book that has a priest falling for his parishioner? I’m all over it.

Now have I read my fair share of this trope, without a doubt. But I did love the unique spin that Angel put on this story with both Father Lachlan and Avery. Avery is an unfulfilled trophy wife who thought she was marrying the man of her dreams, only to realize that she ignored every red flag that showed his true colors. Now she finds herself in a loveless marriage to a narcissist and to add insult to cliche injury, she finds out he’s cheating on her with his assistant.

Lachlan is a man running from his past and has found salvation in priesthood. But when he spots Avery for the first time, it shakes the very foundation of him. She becomes temptation personified and when she doesn’t shy from admitting her connection to him, she becomes his damnation.

Now the story itself could have used a little bit more polish. But with this being a debut, I didn’t dwell on this much. My one quibble is the repetitive nature of the taboo element. When I’m reading a forbidden romance, I want to feel the forbidden elements. But here, the amount of times we get reminded of Lachlan’s priesthood did begin to wear on me after a while. I also wished there was more relationship development. While the characters are well developed and multilayered, I couldn’t help but feel that their connection was more driven by sex than anything else. The spice was great, but at points of the story it also began to be more of a distraction.

For a debut novel, this was fantastic and I can’t wait to see Angel grow into her own because she definitely has a a great start to a series with this book. If you’re looking to dip your toe into the forbidden genre but want it a bit lighter, this a great book. If you’re looking for a spicy romance with a dirty talking priest, this will definitely hit the spot.

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Review: The Heroes We Break by Natasha Knight

April 9, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

THE HEROES WE BREAK
Series: Heroes & Villains Duet #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Natasha Knight
Release Date: April 9, 2024

She doesn’t belong to me.

I am the illegitimate son, unwanted and despised.

Ophelia Hart is the girl next door. I’ve watched her grow up. And rescued her countless times from my half-brother.

I’ve been gone from her life for two years and when I run into her again, she’s no longer a girl.

Only problem is, she’s wearing his ring on her finger.

But there’s always been something between us. I’ve always been her protector. Especially when it comes to him. And that pull is stronger than ever.

She no longer thinks me the hero of her story, though.

But I know something she doesn’t. A secret from her past. And she’s in danger.

She’ll fight me.

I’ll fight for her.

If she hates me for what I have to do, so be it.

Because there is no way in hell I will let my half-brother have her.

AMAZON 

“I used to think you were some kind of hero growing up, you know that?” she says, voice sad, tears streaming. “But heroes break. And you’re broken, Silas. You’re so broken that you’ve become the villain of your own story.”

What is it about Natasha’s writing that is total book crack each and every single time? And this book was certainly no exception. I devoured it in a matter of hours and am now at a loss of what to do with myself until the conclusion.

At first I was a little worried after reading the blurb that this would be a love triangle. But it’s the furthest thing from it and I’m so invested.

Ophelia Hart is the sweet girl next door. When her family moves next door to the Fox’s, two boys come into her life; Ethan Fox, the toxic, selfish, rich boy and Silas Cruz, his illegitimate half brother that the family doesn’t claim. The tension between the two boys is evident, and it only grows worse through the years. The story is told in numerous flashbacks from present adult Ophelia, to the progression of her relationship with the two boys over the years from her teens.

The adult Ophelia finds herself in a strange situation of being engaged to a man who doesn’t love and her beloved father behind bars for what she never imagined him doing. And Silas Cruz? He’s determined to save her despite the mysterious animosity he carries for Ophelia from years past. As the reader turns the page, you learn more about what took place between these two and you fall more and more for them even when the odds are stacked against them.

Adult Silas is no longer the boy who was willing to take abuse from his father to protect his beloved mother. He’s a man who found success and money on his own and is so desperate for revenge against those who wronged him, that he can practically taste it. And Ophelia? She’s the key to it all.

The chemistry is incendiary and the story is suspenseful with a splash of grit and I am wholly obsessed! I can’t wait for the conclusion because that cliffhanger was absolutely painful.

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Review: Wild Love by Elsie Silver

April 9, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

WILD LOVE
Series: Rose Hill #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Elsie Silver
Release Date: April 9, 2024

Rosie Belmont has been driving me wild for years. The good kind of wild. The bad kind of wild. But mostly the kind of wild that comes with wanting your best friend’s little sister and knowing you can’t have her.

After living in the city, she comes blasting back into Rose Hill like a storm. Beautiful, messy, and chaotic.

And one wide-eyed desperate plea for a job is all it takes for me to hire her.

Forbes may have labelled me the World’s Hottest Billionaire but all I care about is opening my new recording studio. Something that comes to a screeching halt when I end up face-to-face with a young girl who claims I’m her biological father.

Now I spend my days balancing business with parenting a sullen twelve-year-old all while trying desperately to keep my hands the hell off my best friend’s little sister.

I vow to keep Rosie at arm’s length. I try to stick to scowls and grumpy one-liners. But with her verbal sparring is merely foreplay—friction that turns to blistering heat.

I know damn well I shouldn’t cross that line.

But shouldn’t and can’t are two very different things.

And the only thing I truly can’t do is resist her.

AMAZON 

I’m unaccustomed to not getting what I want. And I want Rosie Belmont. It has become downright torturous pretending I don’t.

The way I have been waiting for this spinoff and I can hardly believe it’s in my grabby little hands. Did I love it? YES. Am I already dying for more in this series absolutely!

Now if you’ve read Elsie’s Chestnut Springs series, you’re going to be obsessed with this spin off. And the MMC is Willa’s brother from Heartless (my favorite in that series) so obviously I immediately loved him. This is a bit of a different and unique spin on the single dad trope but I’ll get to that in a second.

Ford is the quintessential nice guy. A boy who took his awkward teenager years and made himself a successful billionaire in adulthood without losing any of the wonderful qualities about himself. Rosie is his best friend’s little sister and his teenage crush. He hasn’t seen her in years but when she shows up in his town, it brings all those feelings right back for him. And oh my god the pining! The pining was so good.

Rosie moved to the city to make herself a success. But when she stands up for herself to her grabby boss, she finds herself jobless and licking her wounds in the small town she grew up in. I absolutely loved Rosie. I loved her tenacity, her perseverance, and her sass. She things that her and Ford hate each other and no one knows about her pining. But turns out the pining is quite mutual and their chemistry is incendiary. I loved their sassy fighting almost as much as I loved when they gave into the inevitable.

Stop playing that game with me. We’re not kids anymore.”
“What game?”
“The one where we pretend to hate each other.” S
he tips her chin up defiantly. “You do hate me. That’s our safe place. You have to hate me. It’s easier that way.”
I shake my head, molars grinding. “I definitely don’t hate you, Rosie. Not even close. But I can fuck you like I do if that’s what you need.”

When Ford offers Rosie a job at his label, this only brings them closer together and suddenly their sassy barbs turn into something so much more.

The single parent part of this book was rather unique and I really loved the way that Elsie wrote it. I adored Cora; she was such an endearing secondary character who brought everything together so flawlessly. She was the perfect addition to an already wonderful story and I loved it!

If you’re an Elsie fan and enjoyed her Chestnut Springs series, you will certainly fall in love with Rose Hill. And if you haven’t had the pleasure of reading this author yet, this is a perfect book to start with. A sassy heroine, a sweet and caring man with a dirty mouth and a heart of gold, wonderful secondary characters, small town feel, and a swoony romanced with plenty of sizzle. What more could you want?

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Review: Slay by Abbi Glines

March 25, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

SLAY
Series: Georgia Smoke #1
Author: Abbi Gaines
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: March 25, 2024

Rumor

There are moments in life when you make a decision. Accept who you are. What you have become. This was one of those times…The fairytale I thought I’d found had become a nightmare so quickly after I said, “I do.” Which was the reason I ran when I had the chance. Not thinking about the consequences. Just knowing I had to get free before it was my life that was taken.

I never expected to end up finding a haven. A place where people were willing to help me hide. It was as if I had walked into my own perfect daydream.

King

“Don’t believe every pretty face you meet, sweets. You should know by now that’s a terrible f—-g idea.”

She was my job. I was to make her feel safe and do whatever I had to in order to make sure she didn’t run. Underneath the abused and broken exterior, there was a fighter. It was in her eyes. I lived for the moments when she let me see that spark.

I had been headed straight to Hell years before I met Rumor, but letting her fall in love with me was going to reserve me a room in the darkest pit available. One day soon, she was going to find out I was the monster she was running from and the family she had come to trust was the mafia that had killed her husband.

*Please be advised that this is book one in a duet and is a standalone in the Georgia Smoke Series.

AMAZON

Monsters could come in pretty packages. I knew that only too well.

Abbi Glines has been an auto buy author for me since 2012. There’s just something about her stories that are total book crack for me. The Georgia Smoke series is a spinoff of her Smoke series. Think mafia meet Yellowstone. And yes, it is as delicious as it sounds. This is the Georgia branch of The Family, and while you can easily start with this series, I highly recommend the Smoke series first, especially now that the series is all on KU. But I digress.

Abbi has a winning formula that just does for me each and every singe time, and it starts with her uber alphas and the sweet souther belles that they fall for. She writes some of the most deliciously borderline toxic alpha men and it just hits every time. Slay brings the story of King and Rumor.

Rumor has been stuck in a marriage to her abusive husband with no way out. With no family and no resources, she has has no choice but to survive one day at a time. But then an opportunity she never saw coming presents itself, and she doesn’t think twice before running, leaving her life in the rearview mirror. But with barely enough money to get her through the week, she doesn’t have a lot of choices at her disposal. So when a kind stranger offers to drive her to a bus station with a stop at his grandmother’s house along the way for meal, she takes it. Rumor is skittish but she’s a survivor through and through. She’s lived through so much in her young life but it doesn’t take away her sweet demeanor or generous nature. It was impossible not to fall for her.

And King? Sweet baby Jesus. This man. The hints towards his dominance and kinky penchants was enough to make me giddy with excitement. And the secret and ulterior motives that he hides from rumor made me eager to turn the next page. Rumor thinks she’s found a temporary safe haven, but King and his family are much more than they seem.

I devoured this in one sitting, just waiting for that other shoe to drop. Because I just knew that when it did, the story would take an exciting new turn. After years of abuse, it takes Rumor some time to warm up to King and even longer to accept the chemistry between them. The romance is a slow burn, but when it finally burns, it IGNITES. And I was so here for it.

The story was a delicious page turner with plenty of cameos from some of my favorites from Smoke. And that cliffhanger? Jaw droppingly painful. I need the next book immediately and luckily the wait isn’t long because I have zero chill for this conclusion.

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#DGRFave & Review: The Love You Fight For by Brit Benson

March 16, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

THE LOVE YOU FIGHT FOR
Series: Next Life #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Brit Benson
Release Date: March 15, 2024

The mask she wears for the world is flawless.

But I want the mess that she hides underneath.

Samantha Harper is untouchable.



She’s the closest thing we have to royalty in my small town.

Daughter of a senator.

Richer than sin.

Classy, elegant, and

Ice cold.

She’s my polar opposite.

And unfortunately,

She’s exactly my type.

Too bad royalty doesn’t fraternize with peasants.

Until one night,

Samantha Harper finds herself at my mercy,

and the temptation to dirty up her flawless facade is too great.

When her perfect mask slips,

It’s not an ice princess I find beneath,

But a warrior in war-torn armor.

A snake in queen’s clothing.

All it takes is one night, and I’m determined.

She will never have to fight another battle alone.

***

The Love You Fight For is the third book in the Next Life world. 
It has a guaranteed HEA.
While The Love You Fight For can be read as a standalone, it is recommended that you first read the Next Life duet to fully appreciate the story.

AMAZON 

I know you want to fight your own battles. Fine. Then let me be your peace. Let me be your place to rest.”

I never thought another book can top the Next Life duet for me. Macon and Lennon’s story still lives rent free in my head to this day. But this book? This poignant, beautiful, emotional and unforgettable book? This was easily my top book of the year. The love I have for Sam and Chris’s story is beyond words.

I want a resilient, fearless, timeless kind of love. The kind people write books about. The kind people fight battles over. The kind of love that guides and grows and never wavers. I want a true north kind of love.

Now if you’ve read the duet, then you will definitely remember both Chris and especially Sam. Sam, Macon’s ex situationship and now Lennon’s best friend. One of the things that made me fall in love with Sam in This Life and All the Rest was her fierce and unwavering support and love for Lennon. I just knew that still waters definitely run deep with her. She is so much more than she portrayed herself to be; first a party girl and then revealed as the daughter of a powerful senator.

Chris is Macon’s best friend and was this unassuming secondary character in the first two books. He snuck up on me with a vengeance and completely stole the limelight in his own book. This man is absolute perfection. After a breakup that should for all intents and purposes leave him bitter and jaded, he’s still the same Chris. He doesn’t fight his growing feelings for Sam. And oh my god, the way he fought for Sam was EPIC. EPIC.

Why?” she shouts, eyes welling with tears. “Why, Chris? I don’t need you. I don’t need you worrying about me. Stop. Just stop.”
“I can’t,” I shout back. “I can’t. I care too much to just stop. I care about you, Sam. You’re going to have to fucking accept it because I’m not going anywhere, and I know you care about me, too.”

The man was the most perfect cinnamon roll with a heart of gold. And the icing on the cake? His filthy F-ing mouth. OMG this man!!

Are you making omelets?” she asks after a moment, and I flash her a grin. “I like my eggs the way I like my women…” I trail off, and she raises an eyebrow. I can’t help but laugh a little when I finish. “Folded, with their insides scrambled.” “Oh my god.”

Need more convincing. Let me give you exhibit b.

See, princess, you wouldn’t like it how I like it because I like my missionary filthy. I like fucking sloppy sex. Sweaty and sticky and gasping for breath. Hoarse voice and teary eyes. Bite me. Scratch up my back. Leave me bleeding. I like to fuck so hard that your muscles ache for days when I’m done with you. That you’ve been stretched in so many directions that your limbs feel like jelly afterward. I like my missionary fucking messy. And you? Well, I don’t think you like messy very much.”

I rest my case. Or as Lennon would say…

Chris Casper.” She, shakes her head in disbelief. “A filthy fuck with a pierced cock. I never would have guessed it.”

This, much like the duet, deals with some dark topics and I absolutely loved the way the author handled them. She spares the gory details but none of the feeling. You don’t need to see vivid detail to feel the pain of Sam’s past. The range of emotion this invoked in me was nothing short of incredible. I laughed, I cried, I swooned, and I loved every page of it.

The love I could have with Sam is the kind you fight for. It’s the kind you don’t give up on. I know it. I just need her to realize it, too.

This was one of the most incredible love stories I have ever read and Sam and Chris will stay with me forever. If you love sweet heroes with dirty mouths and fierce heroines who aren’t afraid to slay their own dragons, this is an absolute must read.

And with Claire’s book next? I’m practically giddy with anticipation.

Brit Benson writes real, relatable romance. She likes outspoken, independent heroines, dirty talking, love- struck heroes, and plots that get you right in the feels. Brit would almost always rather be reading or writing. When she’s not dreaming up her next swoony book boyfriend and fierce book bestie, she’s getting lost in someone else’s fictional world. When she’s not doing that, she’s probably marathoning a Netflix series or wandering aimlessly up and down the aisles in Homegoods, sniffing candles and touching things she’ll never buy.

Connect with Brit Benson: https://britbensonbooks.myflodesk.com/stayintheknow

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Review: Brutal Arrangement by Laurelin Paige

March 13, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

BRUTAL ARRANGEMENT
Series: Brutal Billionaires #3
Author: Laurelin Paige
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: March 13, 2024

He can have any woman he wants.
He wants his brother’s.

Alex Sebastian is the billionaire who knows exactly how to re-launch the pop career I walked away from to raise my little sister.

He knows everything, apparently, about what’s good for me. For my image. Even for my lingerie. Everywhere I turn, he’s there, smirking. I cannot stand him.

So why can’t we stop sneaking around?

Maybe it’s his filthy, bossy mouth that does things more wicked than his insults.

Maybe it’s that he does know what’s good for me when he uses it—backstage before my show, during a black tie event, in another man’s living room.

Because maybe deep down, I’ve never been the good girl the world sees, and the dirty, shameful things he makes me do are exactly what I crave.

The problem? Alex isn’t the Sebastian billionaire I’m dating––I’m dating his brother.

Brutal Arrangement is a complete standalone enemies to lovers, forbidden, age-gap, brother’s girl, set in an intriguing world of billionaires, power, and scandal. While it is recommended to read Brutal Billionaire and Brutal Secret first for best reading experience, it isn’t necessary to thoroughly enjoy the story.

AMAZON

 

Alex Sebastian wasn’t just being mean for the kink of it—the guy is legitimately a fucking asshole.

Look, if you know me, then you know I love the mean MMCs. Like super mean. Like I want to hate them for a solid part of the book, mean. What? I have kinks too, mkay? Fictional ones anyhow *smirks*

If you’ve read any book by Laurelin, then you know she’s a master of the mean ones. She has written some of favorite alphaholes to date. But Alex Sebastian? May have just taken my number one spot of her heroes to date. Well, at least until she gives us the redemption arc of the biggest a-hole Sebastian, Alex’s brother Hunter. But I digress.

Alex grabs both sides of my head and holds me in place. “Breathe,” he says softly. “Breathe. Through your nose.” Then he calls out. “She needs five minutes.”
“She has three.” The sound of heels clicking down the hallway follows, and I practically melt in relief.
“We better hurry then because the only way you’re singing that song the way it needs to be sung is with my cum coating your throat.”

Got your attention now, don’t I. Now the premise of this book is deliciously forbidden because Mariah is dating Alex’s older brother. But that relationship is not all as it seems so if you’re thinking it’s a cheating trope, it’s not really. I don’t want to ruin it for you, but trust me when I say you won’t be rooting for Hunter in this book.

Mariah is a rising pop star who is trying to find her image that isn’t cookie cutter and decided on by her team. Desperate to break through, she’s willing to take risks she’s never taken before, including a vixen image that she most definitely connects with. Alex is her boyfriend’s brother and a man that gets under her skin like no other. And when he’s put in charge of her re-launch, it’s not long before the chemistry they’re both trying to suppress bubbles over. And OMG the sexual chemistry between these two is out of this world.

Alex is deliciously mean for the majority of the book. I loved to hate him and boy did I hate him in parts. But then you get a peak into the layers that he hides, and you can’t help but fall for him as hard as Mariah does.

This had so much heat! Alex is bossy, there’s a degradation kink, and all sorts of sexiness. Trust me when I tell you, you probably don’t want to read this book in public. It was a sizzler of a read that I binge read in one sitting and still find myself thinking about. Highly recommend!

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

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

She is represented by Rebecca Friedman.

Connect w/Laurelin:

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Newsletter: http://bit.ly/LaurelinNews




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Review: Rival Hearts by Maggie Rawdon

February 29, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

RIVAL HEARTS
Author: Maggie Rawdon
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 29, 2024

Pro football might see me as their favorite underdog, but Madison Westfield would rather see me six feet under.

My ex-best friend’s little sister has every reason to hate me. I took her boyfriend’s spot on this team, her brother might lose his too, and our short-lived engagement years ago is part of the reason our families are locked in a grudge match that has the whole league on edge.

Ruining me would fix most of her problems, but she’s stuck trying to work a PR miracle with my career instead.

Making my way through her build-a-better-image checklist is the kind of torture I’ll gladly sign up for, especially if I get to help her prove everyone wrong.

But it means we’re spending a lot of time alone together, and when it comes to Madison, I’ll take any chance she gives me. Even if it means there’s hell to pay—on and off the field.

AMAZON

I’ll jump through all the hoops you want me to.” He closes the distance between us, so close his lips are at my ear, and his body ghosts over mine. “But you should know I have ulterior motives. There’s only one thing I want.”

I’m a sucker for a second chance romance, sucker I tells you. What I’m usually not a sucker for, though, is a cinnamon roll hero. It’s no secret I love the mean ones. What? We all have our kinks, ok? But I digress. When I tell you it took me all of two pages to fall in love with Quentin, I mean I am entirely obsessed with this man. Why? Let me paint you a picture, shall I?

Then let me watch.”
“Excuse me?”
“I want to watch you come while you think about another man, Madison. Let me see it. It can cure me of this sick fucking obsession I have over you for good. Remind me why I can’t ever have you because you want fucking Ivy League cock instead of me. You won’t forgive me. Fine. Punish me then, and let’s get this fucking over with.”

I mean, C’mon. This man. THIS MAN is just perfection. The pining. The obsession. Ten years apart did nothing to dilute his absolute obsession with Madison. Now if you haven’t read the prequel, I highly recommend you read Before the Chaos first. It’s the story that takes place 10 years before this one and gives you all the delicious details of how they first got together and ultimately fell apart. Can you read this book without the prequel, sure. But you’ll enjoy it that much more if you do. But back to my love of Quentin.

Do you love her?” He gives me a pointed look.
“Always have. Always will.”
“You won’t deserve her, you know. Ever—no matter what you do. Guys like us never do.”
“I know. But I’d rather spend the rest of my life trying and failing than not have her in my life.”

C’MON! Is everything that comes out of this man’s mouth perfection. ABSOLUTELY. Not only does he pine hard, but he has a dirty mouth to boot. And he enjoys being a good boy. And what a good boy he is. Don’t get me wrong, the man is pure alpha. But he also doesn’t mind giving his woman control and I loved him for it. But what I loved most about this man is his heart. His sweet, romantic heart that had me swooning at every turn.

My fingers make their way down his chest as the water falls over both of us, and I pause at a set of tally marks that sit directly over his heart.
“What are these?”
“A reminder.”
“Of?”
“You.” My heart skips in my chest, and I look up at him. His eyes meet mine and they go soft as he studies my face.
“One for each year we were apart. All because I fucked up. I was giving myself until ten to do something about it. The last one would have been added when the season started this fall.”
“The last one?”
“I figured if I had ten years to fix my shit, find you, and make up for it and couldn’t do it, that I deserved to live without you.”

Madison is the perfect boss girl and she definitely knows how to boss. I loved seeing her growth from the shy insecure girl in the prequel to the boss babe she is in this book.

If you love an incredibly romantic second chance romance with plenty of heat, swoon, and all the feels then you need this in your life. Trust me. You need a Quentin in your life.

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Review: Moonlit Thorns by P. Rayne

February 29, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

MOONLIT THORNS
Series: Midnight Manor #1
Author: P. Rayne
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 29, 2024

No one knows what happens up at Midnight Manor.

The home of the Voss brothers sits like a sentinel looking down on our small town, remaining a mystery. The four brooding billionaires rarely leave the confines of the iron gates, fueling rumors that have existed for decades.

When my father dies, all the security I’ve known is ripped away, forcing me to come face to face with the eldest brother, Asher Voss. His outward beauty is just as I’d heard—it belies a predatory nature, irresistibly drawing me in.

A bargain is made, and I have no choice but to live in the shadowy confines of his gothic manor to save my family. As time passes, it becomes harder and harder to deny our attraction.

Asher Voss might be too old for me, and he’s definitely cursed by his own demons, but an inferno of passion between us threatens to either consume or destroy us both.

MOONLIT THORNS is a dark contemporary romance Beauty and the Beast retelling.

AMAZON

…she’s a motherfucking flame, and I’m the moth who doesn’t care if my wings get burned.

A modern day Beauty and the Beast retelling with a broody hero, some D/s, gothic vibes, and an exclusive sex club? Sign me up immediately!

Am I fully obsessed with the Voss brothers after finishing this book? You bet, I am. But before I gush about the broody brothers who live in the dark manor with a dark history shrouded in secrets and murder, let me talk about this book. Moonlit Thorns is the story of Asher Voss and Annabelle; an age gap romance with some D/s, good girl meets tortured bad boy vibe. In true Beauty and the Beast fashion, Asher is a dark and broody man who doesn’t let anyone close besides his brothers. After the sudden death of her father, Annabelle is still picking up the pieces of her life and trying to keep her family in one piece. So when a notice shows up on her door that her family is about to lose their home, she’s desperate. So desperate, that she agrees to a deal with the devil. The devil being Asher Voss, the man who her father owes a debt to that he never repaid before his death. And the deal? Work for him for a year. Whatever he says, whenever he says it.

I loved that the story mirrored many elements of the fairy tale, including characters, scenarios, and vibes. I loved Annabelle’s mix of innocence and resilience. She’s 22 to Asher’s 36 but she’s no naive girl. She is drawn to Asher’s broodiness like a flame. But I don’t blame her. I love the mean ones myself and Asher was so hot and cold, I didn’t know if I wanted to kill him or hump him. Mostly both at the same time.

And while I loved Asher, I’m already dying to get my hands on Kol’s book. And after that set up at the end of this book, I’m absolutely ravenous for it. 

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Review: Where We Belong by Ashley Munoz

February 23, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

WHERE WE BELONG
Series: Stone Riders MC #2
Author: Ashley Munoz
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 23, 2024

An Enemies to Lovers Romance

They call him the Wolf.

His club, his brothers, and even my best friend Callie.

I didn’t really care what they called him, not when the only name I had ever called him was, coward.

Because three months ago he snuck under my resilient heart, like the thief he is, and stole it.

Then he broke it.

Going home wasn’t an option, not when I promised Callie I’d stay. She swore I’d eventually feel like I belonged in this small town.

The club ensured I had a job, and a place to live which reluctantly earned my loyalty.

Until I discovered their little caveat.

The apartment technically belonged to the new president.

I was welcome to stay…as long as I understood it meant sharing.

And my new roommate?

The very man who turned avoidance into an Olympic sport.

AMAZON

What do you want from me, Killian?” His glare softened the smallest bit before hardening again. “I want you to stop being a complication. You’re a flicker in my peripheral vision, a glare, a goddamn floater that corrective lenses would fix. I want to erase you.”
Killian stepped closer. “But… I also want to wrap your soul around mine, feel the beat of your heart in my neck as I breathe, and carry you with me everywhere I go, all at the same fucking time.”

It’s been a hot minute since I read a book by Ashley and I have no idea why. But I know that I’ll be binging on her backlist immediately. Especially since I did myself a bit of a disservice by reading this book first. There is a lot of overflow from the first book in this series. And while it’s still an easy standalone read, you can clearly tell it would be an even better one if you read in order. So don’t be like me and read Where We Started first.

Now if you know me, then you know that I like my heroes mean…and I mean MEAN. Like I need him to hurt all the feelings before he makes everything right, ok? And Killian. This man was the perfect combination of mean and a heart of gold. You don’t know if you want to hug him or punch him but I absolutely fell in love with him.

You don’t care.” He stepped closer, so close my back was pinned to the truck. “I care about every eye that lands on you. Every breath that’s inhaled your scent. Every smile given to you, every hand that’s ever touched you. I care, Daisy. Too fucking much if we’re being honest.”

Killian always knew he can have only one love and focus, his club. Laura is a distraction he doesn’t need and he doesn’t shy away from reminding her of the fact. But Laura also doesn’t shy away from giving as good as she gets. The chemistry between these two was everything. I couldn’t get enough of them.

I craved his destruction, the devastation I knew he promised. I had some sick and twisted desire to hurt.

I loved their antagonism and back and forth almost as much as I loved when they gave into the inevitable. I spent my time equally wanting to throttle Killian and wanting to hump his leg. The man is sex personified but there are so many layers to him that makes him own all your attention. Every time you peel back a layer, he gets further and further under your skin and I loved having him there.

Laura was a great heroine and the perfect balance to Killian’s intensity. There was just enough grit to this MC romance that made it for one delicious page turner without getting too dark and I enjoyed every page of it. I’m hooked on this series and already salivating for the next book.

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Review: Bombshell by Abby Glines

February 14, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

BOMBSHELL
Series: Judgement #1
Author: Abbi Gaines
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 14, 2024

Momma always told me that my sins would find me. I just didn’t think it would happen in a biker bar with my first crush bursting through the doors with his gun pointed at me. Well, not technically at me, but at my boyfriend- also known as my current sin. He was the thing I hoped the good Lord didn’t tell momma about in one of her dreams. Guess it didn’t matter anyway. I was caught and in a bigger mess than I could have imagined.

Micah Abe hadn’t laid eyes on Dolly Dixon, his younger sister’s best friend, in years, but her eyes were the kind you didn’t forget. Even if she’d grown into a woman with a body made for sin, he had recognized that unique shade of amber the moment she had locked her gaze on him. Damn shame he wouldn’t get a taste of her. His sister would cut off his favorite body part if he even considered it. Besides, he was over clingy women, and the way Dolly was holding on to his enemy like she wanted to wrap her legs around him meant she was the needy type.

Problem was he had to save her from herself. Clearly, Dolly was still clueless about life. That much hadn’t changed about her. He’d come here to get back what had been taken from him five years ago, but it looked like he’d be saving Snow White in the process.

AMAZON

“I will maim, kill, torture, whatever I need to do to whoever caused this if you will just tell me why, who. Point me in the right direction. Something. Just give me something here, Tink.”

When I tell you I binge read this in one sitting, I mean I absolutely DEVOURED it. It was finger licking delicious and total book crack. It was a perfect example of why I love Abby Gaines books. The woman has a formula that just works. She is the queen of bad boy/good girl vibes. It doesn’t matter how many times I read this, it will always hit. ALWAYS.

This is a spin off of her Smoke series. If you haven’t read that series yet, I have two words for you: souther mafia. Cowboys and mafia? Perfect combo. But I digress. While this is a spinoff and there are plenty of character cameos from that series, you can also easily enjoy this as a standalone. Though I highly recommend the Smoke series because it’s delicious. But I digress.

What’s the perfect spinoff of southern mafia? MC obviously! Enter Judgement and their batboy extraordinaire, Micah. Micah is your quintessential manwhore. The man doesn’t give any woman attention past a night. MC life is everything for him and he’s not looking to settle down any time soon if ever.

Dolly is the quintessential good girl. A good girl with southern matters and Micah’s sister’s best friend. So when Dolly finds herself in the middle of rivaling MC members, she is definitely not thrilled. The man she’s been dating is not at all who she thought he was, and suddenly a blast from her past keeps roaring in on his motorcycle to “protect her”. Dolly harbored a crush on Micah for as long as she remembers. But she isn’t the naive young girl who crushed on him in her teens. And she has no allusions that the man would even look at her as anything other than his sister’s friend. But oh how wrong she is.

Micah is a grade a a-hole and there were parts of the story where I wanted to shake him, c*ck punch him, and throw him in front of a bus. You know, simply to get him to see reason, obviously. Dolly, though a good girl is not a push over. Though she does forgive Micah all too easily when he turns the charm on. But I didn’t even mind because I forgave him just as easily. There was just something about their chemistry and dynamic that I couldn’t get enough of. The spice was spicing and the suspense was supsensing. And this girl was enjoying every delicious page of it. I can’t wait for more in this series!

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