Review: Contempt by A Zavarelli

April 25, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

CONTEMPT
Series: Sin City Salvation #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Dark
Author: A. Zavarelli
Release Date: April 25,  2023

From USA Today Bestselling Author A. Zavarelli comes an angsty forbidden romance about second chances, forgiveness, and a love that conquers all.

Before the world knew me as a rock god, I was just the angry boy who stole her heart.

She was a good girl.

The forbidden fruit I wasn’t meant to taste.

Our stars were crossed, and fate had doomed us from the start.

She was promised to someone else.

I had her secret smiles.

Moments stolen in dark corners.

But I couldn’t have her future.

Destiny tore us apart, and all that remained was the ghost of her memory.

When she died, I did too.

But when I catch a glimpse of her five years later, alive and well, that love turns to hate as the bitter truth emerges.

She left me.

She lied.

And now, I’m going to make her pay.

This book is a standalone dark romance about a military veteran turned rockstar hero and the girl who stole his heart and never let it go. 

AMAZON

Why the fuck did we have the misfortune of meeting if all we were going to do was drown each other?

I have spent years, YEARS, waiting for this book. I was enraptured in this world the second I read Confess. And then when I read Convict, I was totally obsessed. Kodiak is memorable enough as a secondary character, but in his own book? Mama. Stick a fork in me. I’m done.

She falls back against the counter, catching herself on her elbows and praying to a God that won’t grant her relief. In this house, I own her pleasure, and if she’s looking for a higher power, I’m the only one she’s going to worship.

This book had a considerably darker undercurrent to it in comparison to the previous two. And I devoured it in one sitting. It’s this addictive combination of second chance romance, amnesia, enemies to lovers, and a FMC thought dead. And yes, it’s as good as it sounds.

Years ago, Kodiak fell in love with the wrong girl. Theirs was a tumultuous and forbidden romance that ended in the worst sort of tragedy and cost Kodiak everything. All these years later, he is still a prime suspect in her alleged murder. Until one day, he sees a homeless woman busking on the street and he can’t believe his ears. Because even if the woman looks nothing like the girl he loved beyond reason, that voice is one he knows. So what’s a man to do? Why kidnap her until she confesses her evil scheme of course. But the woman he never stopped thinking about doesn’t remember him, or her life before 5 years ago.

The story is told in flashbacks from present to past. The author gives you morsel by morsel pieces to build a picture that when fully revealed, will rock you to the core. It’s full of angst, emotion, pain and heartbreak. The girl Kodiak knew as Bianca is now Lyric and he refuses to believe that she remembers nothing. But beneath the loathing and contempt, the chemistry between them is as strong as it was 5 years ago. No matter how much they both may fight it.

This doesn’t change anything,” she assures me when she sees the crazy look in my eyes. “I still don’t like you.”
“I’ve never hated you more,” I insist, plowing into her as I f*ck her so hard, she’ll feel me for days.

I thought I loved the first two books, but this one simply blew me away. The mystery of it, the slow building suspense, the heartache and angst. I couldn’t get enough of these two. Learning about what Bianca has gone through broke my heart. And I spent chapters waiting for the other shoe to drop and for Kodiak to get his blinders off. Let me tell you, when he finds out the truth, he’s ready to burn the word down. GOD but I loved this book. HARD. It was worth every single painful second, minute, and year of the wait that A Zavarelli put us through. I cannot recommend it enough.
A. Zavarelli is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of dark and contemporary romance.

She loves writing about tortured heroes and the strong heroines who love them. When she’s not putting her characters through hell, she can usually be found watching documentaries in the name of research.

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

Connect w/A. Zavarelli:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bookbub | Goodreads | Amazon | Newsletter Signup

 

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Review: Marrow by Trisha Wolfe & Brynne Weaver

March 24, 2023 by ·

MARROW
Author: Trisha Wolfe & Brynne Weaver
Genre: Dark Romance
Release Date: March 23, 2023

Two rival serial killers.
One common enemy.

Forensic anthropologist Dr. Jack Sorensen is the perfect serial killer. In the bright lights of his public persona he’s a respected scientist, a leader in the field of human decomposition. But in his shadowed secret life he’s a ruthless and elusive killer, unseen by the authorities who have failed to follow his faint trail of destruction. Beautifully cold, brilliant and cruel, Jack wants nothing more than to keep his life captured in his vise-like grip of control. And Jack Sorensen never makes mistakes…

…until he underestimates Dr. Kyrie Roth.

Wildlife biologist Kyrie is the enemy Jack never noticed, another murderer in his midst. A killer with equal cunning and stealth as the great Jack Sorensen, she knows all his darkest secrets, even the pieces of a past he might have forgotten. Kyrie has created the perfect habitat for her favorite research subject, but she’s finally had enough of being bitten by the beast that lives at Jack’s core. Pushed past her breaking point, Kyrie has decided to do whatever it takes to make Jack suffer. But when Kyrie’s traumatic past descends on her broken oasis, the only person who can help Kyrie banish her painful shadows might just be her greatest enemy.

History can’t always be left to decay in a cold grave. Time has a way of thawing secrets, leaving them to shine as bright as bleached bones in the sun. Can Jack and Kyrie set aside their battle and survive a world built to hunt them? Or will they kill each other first?

AMAZON

This twisted love nurtured in the dark belongs only to us.

What.
Did.
I.
Just.
Read?

But the most important questions is why did I like it as much as I did? Ok so rhetorical question really. I do tend to read some pretty dark and f*cked up books, and this one certainly fit the bill nicely. I’m not even a little surprised that I loved it as much as I did. But on a darkness scale of 1 to f*cked up, this one was on a FUBAR level. And I’m obsessed.

Is this your weak attempt at seduction, Jack?”
He leans a fraction closer, his arm mere millimeters from my shoulder. “If I wanted to seduce you, I’d have you on your knees right now in the cold room with that treacherous little mouth of yours wrapped around my cock, begging me for more,” he whispers.

How do I even describe this book to you? Imagine if Dexter and Mindf*ck had a love child, then it would be this book. I’ve read my fair share of dark serial killer romance, but it’s not often you get not one but two in the mix. And Kyrie was the other half to Jack.

You’re not a girl,” I say, my tone bordering on lethal. “You’re an irritating inconvenience that is begging to have her ass reddened.”
Her pupils dilate. “And don’t you just hate how much that excites you.”

Kyrie is a brilliant wildlife biologist who is sick of trying to prove her worth to the renowned forensic anthropologist who seems to find her no more than a nuisance. But Kyrie knows something about Jack that no one else does; his darkest secret. Their paths so interwoven, they walk the same path. But where Jack’s was one he was born into, Kyrie was made into hers.

When I tell you I devoured this book, I’m not even kidding. I cringed, I sweated, I lusted, I was entirely obsessed. And don’t even get me started on Jack’s piercings, because GOD DAMN. But I digress. This combined two things I love most, dark romance and a psychological thriller. It was brilliantly interwoven into a fast paced, dark and twisty tale that I couldn’t seem to get enough of. These two authors are absolutely brilliant together and I need, no I demand, more from this duo. Because I am so hooked. And if you’re a fan of super dark romance, then you seriously cannot miss this one.

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Review: Devious Obsession by S. Massery

March 23, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

DEVIOUS OBESESSION
Author: S. Massery
Genre: Dark, Bully Romance
Release Date: March 23, 2023

“If you want to stay, you have to play the game…”

Steele O’Brien is everything I hate in hockey players.
He’s cocky, brooding, antagonistic.

I played his game, learned his secrets.
But that was before I found out he’s my new stepbrother.

Now we’re at college together, and I can’t escape him.
Or his demons.

It seems that, for him, the game isn’t over.
He says I’m his to play with. His to torment.
And he’s determined to not only get under my skin, but carve his name into it.

AMAZON

I’m going to give you a two-minute head start,” I say softly, still pinching her hair in my fingers. “And then I’m going to hunt you down. You’ll know I’m coming. When I catch you, you fight me. Do your worst…
…What are you waiting for?” I bark, my voice suddenly loud and cruel. “Run.”

What sort of magical crack does S Massery sprinkle into her books that make me so obsessed with them? Because I swear, it’s like she dug straight into my head and took out every single trope I love and put it into this book.

CNC? Check
Alphahole? Check
Bully/Enemies to Lovers? Check
Primal Play? Check
Completely addictive NA romance with a deliciously deviant college hockey star? Check and CHECK.

It’s an awkward position to be in, caught between wanting to knee him in the balls and suck on them.

Same, girl. SAME.

I thought I loved Brutal Obsession but that was simply because I hadn’t met Steele O’Brien yet. Because this man is the epitome of still waters run deep. You know what they say about the quiet ones, right? Because wowza! Steele is a man of some interesting tastes. As in no holds barred, anything goes sort of vibes. And I was so here for it!

Steele and Aspen first meet at a party and share an unbelievably hot encounter. Steele is not prepared to meet a stranger who seems to be as into what he likes as the beautiful girl whose name he doesn’t even bother to get. So imagine his surprise when he sees her again 6 months later at his school, only to discover she’s his new stepsister. Well, suffice it to say he doesn’t take it very well.

Every day you stay at CPU, your life will get worse.” I run my finger down her jaw, and a spark of pleasure goes through me when she jerks her head away. “If you leave, it all stops. But if you stay… I’m going to have so much fun tormenting you, sweetheart. Fucking count on that.”

But Steele isn’t the only one with dark wounds from his past. Aspen hides some of her own demons that haunt her waking hours. And when these two get together, sparks definitely fly.

They hate lust between them was deliciously incendiary. I couldn’t get enough of their hot and cold. Now if you don’t like your fictional men borderline unforgivable, you may not like Steele. But I happen to love depraved ones that haven’t met a boundary that they bend to. Boundaries? Who even is she? Steele doesn’t know her. He gets off on making Aspen’s life at school hell, and there is nothing too dark and depraved that he’s above not doing. I mean, the man does some pretty unforgivable things. Though he does make up for it at the end.

Aspen certainly gives as good as she gets and doesn’t just take his sh*t lying down. And while I do wish she fought him more at times, I simply couldn’t find myself caring. I devoured and I mean DEVOURED this book. I cannot wait for the next one. I’m a total S Massery addict now and I have zero regrets.

S. Massery is a dark romance author who loves injecting a good dose of suspense into her stories. She lives in Western Massachusetts with her dog, Alice.

Before adventuring into the world of writing, she went to college in Boston and held a wide variety of jobs–including working on a dude ranch in Wyoming (a personal highlight). She has a love affair with coffee and chocolate. When S. Massery isn’t writing, she can be found devouring books, playing outside with her dog, or trying to make people smile.

Connect with S. Massery
Website | http://smassery.com
Goodreads | https://bit.ly/smassery-gr
Amazon | https://amzn.to/3T64F2s
Facebook | https://bit.ly/3fRud4N
Facebook Group | https://bit.ly/3T3kl6C
Instagram | https://bit.ly/3edBQCp
TikTok | https://bit.ly/3RKdoWW
Bookbub | https://bit.ly/3edBVWJ
Pinterest | https://bit.ly/3edBYBT
Newsletter | https://bit.ly/3RM1Rqb



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Review: Brutal Obsession by S. Massery

December 27, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

BRUTAL OBESESSION
Author: S. Massery
Genre: Dark, Bully Romance
Release Date: November 30, 2022

He shattered my leg, and now he wants to ruin the rest of me.

Greyson Devereux is a menace–but only to me.
To everyone else, he’s charismatic.
He’s the son of a senator and the star of the university’s hockey team.

When all I want is to be invisible, he drags me into the spotlight.
He wants my blood, my fear, my attention.

Resisting him only worsens his obsession.
Fighting solidifies it.

He’s brutal, and he draws out a sick darkness in me that enjoys it.
But I’ll be damned if I let him become my downfall.

AMAZON

She’s breathing hard, although I’m not sure if she realizes it. Her chest rises and falls rapidly. It’s an elixir I didn’t know I needed, so I open my mouth and give the only order she’ll listen to. “Run.”

If you know me even a little then you already know that I love my fictional men mean. Like MEAN. Ya know? I want to hate them for the majority of the book and then I need them to change my mind irrevocably at the end. And Greyson Devereux is a menace to my ovaries if I ever found one. I am OBSESSED. Completely obsessed. And if you’re a fan of the bully romance trope, this book is not to be missed.

So let’s see. Greyson is a cocky, rich and privileged with some extreme daddy issues. Coming home one night he gets into an accident that causes a severe injury to the other car’s occupant. So what’s a guy to do? Put his date in the driver’s seat, check to make sure the other occupant is alive, call his dad, and then escape the scene of the crime. Suffice it to say he’s not a good guy.

Now look, if this already sounds like it isn’t your cup of tea, then I suggest skipping this one. This girl? Needed a good redemption arc and happy to report I got one.

Violet Reece is back at school following an accident that took the dream of dancing from her. So imagine her surprise when the guy behind the wheel of the other car that night of the accident is at her school, and looking at her like she did something wrong.

Thu begins their back and forth dance of hate lust, pure hate, blackmail, bullying, and unwanted attraction. I saw the author mention that this is the darkest book she’s ever written, and while I didn’t find it to be particularly dark, I can see it won’t be for everyone. There’s dubcon, blackmail, and bullying. And while I love my MFC with a backbone and thought Violet gave in too easily in some parts, I did love the way she fought back in others. One scene of blackmail in a locker room particularly comes to mind. But I digress.

Was this book a sweet romance? Not even a little. Did I find it dark? No, but it certainly had dark undercurrents. Was it addictive? Very much so. Do I need to read everything else by this author immediately? Absolutely.

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Review: The Bad Guy by Celia Aaron

December 26, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

THE BAD GUY
Author: Celia Aaron
Genre: Dark Romance
Release Date: May 21, 2017

My name is Sebastian Lindstrom, and I’m the villain of this story.

Camille was a damsel, one who already had her white knight.

She was caught in a world of lies that glittered like truth, secrets painted to seem harmless.

I could’ve left her there. I didn’t.

I never abandon the things I want, never lose sight of their shine, and Camille outshined all others.

She was my breath of spring, an apple ripe for poisoning.

After all, every fairy tale has a villain, someone waiting in the wings to rip it all down.

A scoundrel who will set the world on fire if that means he gets what he wants. That’s me.

I’m the bad guy.

AMAZON

I’d do anything for you. Except let you go.”

I’m too lazy to write a full review for this one but I’ll try a quick sum up.

I love a good stalker romance with a sexy psychopath. This one promised to deliver on both with the alluring psychopath and successful CEO, Sebastian. Camille is dating a man who works for Sebastian’s company, and when he lays eyes on her he becomes instantly obsessed. So much so that he stalks her incessantly, plots to run into her several times, and ultimately kidnaps her and forces her to stay with him until she falls for him. Sounds delicious, right? It somewhat was.

I think for someone who is just dipping their toe into this trope would probably enjoy it. But for a dark romance reader, this book just felt too mild for what it was if that makes sense. I found Camille to be dry. Having her boyfriend’s POV in the book really drove her naivety home for me. Sebastian was delicious. I loved him and his calculating obsessive ways. Perhaps this was letting my expectations get the best of me, but I just felt very underwhelmed with the story. It dragged in parts and was too tame in others. The ending felt cliche and anticlimactic with a splash of cheese.

Did I like it? Yes. Is it something I’d come back to or super memorable. Not really.

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Review: Broken Queen by Natasha Knight

November 15, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

BROKEN QUEEN
Series: Ruined Kingdom Duet #2
Author: Natasha Knight
Genre: Dark Mafia/MFM Romance
Release Date: November 15, 2022

Betrayal. Destruction. Truth.

He says you can only rise up once you hit rock bottom.
Only be made whole once you’re fully broken.

I don’t know that there’s anything left to break.

Time is running out for me. Enemies are closing in at every turn.

But this time I won’t be alone.

One brother has vowed his protection. The other reaffirmed his hatred of me.

Yet they both want me.

But something dark is unraveling inside me.
An event too terrible clawing its way into my consciousness.

And even as things begin to change between us, it’s those memories that may undo us all.

AMAZON | NOOK | KOBO | iBOOKS | GOOGLE PLAY

START WITH BOOK ONE
 
RUINED KINGDOM

AMAZON | iBOOKS | NOOK | KOBO | GOOGLE PLAY

And as they wipe the tears that fall while they make love to me and I too them, I know that we belong to each other. The three of us, we have always belonged to each other.

There’s a reason Natasha Knight books are pure crack for me. It doesn’t matter how many times I read a different variation of a similar trope, I will never grow tired of it. The woman just delivers each and every single time and this book was no exception.

After that shocking cliffhanger in Ruined Kingdom, I was dying for the conclusion. I just knew that this would be the book that would defrost the icy heart that Bastian has and I was not wrong. These two brothers go from ruthless, revenge driven beasts to ruthless, revenge driven beasts who would burn the world down to protect their woman.

I think that Vittoria Russo is one of my favorite heroines from Natasha to date. There’s just something so fierce about her. This woman is the definition of fighter and when you peel back the layers on her past, you see how much of one she is. She doesn’t stop fighting no matter how much the odds are stacked against her. And seeing her inevitably fall for her two captors melted my cold black heart.

I devoured this book in one greedy sitting. Emotional, gritty, and full of dark passion, I couldn’t get enough.

 

Natasha Knight is the USA Today Bestselling author of Romantic Suspense and Dark Romance Novels. She has sold over a million books and is translated into six languages. She currently lives in The Netherlands with her husband and two daughters and when she’s not writing, she’s walking in the woods listening to a book, sitting in a corner reading or off exploring the world as often as she can get away.
 
 
AUTHOR LINKS
 
Website: http://natasha-knight.com
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/natasha-knight
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Natasha-Knight/e/B009MIHIFG
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/natashaknightauthor
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1752075498339742
Newsletter: http://natasha-knight.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natashaknight13

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Review: Velvet Cruelty by Eve Dangerfield

October 11, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

VELVET CRUELTY
Series: Snow White trilogy #1
Genre: Dark Romance
Author: Eve Dangerfield
Release Date: October 11, 2022

 

Once upon a time I was promised to a powerful man.I was raised to be dutiful and innocent. But on my wedding day, I’m stolen by four men. Men who loathe my fiancé. They’re going to use me to fulfill their vendetta.

One of them only wants my body.
One of them wants me as his wife.
Another one offers freedom… at a price.
And the last wants me dead.

I was raised to be a good society wife. Now I’m facing a battle of wits and breathless desire. My only hope is to set aside my innocence. Or learn to use it as a weapon.

Author’s Note: VELVET CRUELTY is a scorching romance between a woman and four beautifully dangerous men in which she never has to choose. Read at your own discretion.

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

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

AMAZON | iBOOKS | NOOK | KOBO | GOOGLE PLAY

Even twitching on the carpet, she looks too pure to exist. Like she’s been kissed by angels. It makes a man want to violate her. Or at least it makes me want that.

Brace yourself and prepare to clutch some pearls, because this book was everything my toxic morally gray men dreams are made out of!!

Now look, this book is not for everyone. But if you love your men toxic, and I really do mean TOXIC. Unapologetically mean, crude, and darker than sin, prepare for a ride of your life because WOW. As for triggers, umm…all of them. Yes, all of them. This has dub con, degradation, captive, why chose, antiheroes and all of it together was simply delicious. Oh…and some breath play.

I like choking. Knowing I’m holding a woman’s life in my hands as I make the blood rush to her head.”

This is why I love Eve’s writing, the woman is simply not afraid to go there. And this book definitely went there. Deep there. As deep as it goes there. But I digress.

This is a Snow White reimagining…well, if instead of the prince she had 4 morally gray and dangerous captors. There’s Domenico ‘Doc’ Valente, the deranged horny one. Roberto ‘Basher’ Bassilotta, the sweet one who’s already halfway in love with her but hides a dark undercurrent. Adriano Rossi, the borderline serial killer. And Eliott Morelli, the king on the throne. And between all that is the sweet and virginal 18 year old child bride who they steel on her wedding day.

Admittedly naive virginal heroines are not my cuppa in the least. And January Whitehall is as naive as they come…sort of. Let me explain. The girl has been sheltered and hidden for most of her life. All of her steps supervised and controlled. She’s been promised to a man she only knows as Mr. Parker since she was just a little girl and now that’s she’s 18, all she’s known is the arrangement and she’s going willingly. But beneath the innocence is a woman who’s smarter than she even knows she is and while she may be naive, she’s got some willfulness which made it easy to connect with her.

Now if you’re expecting a fairy tale, pick a different book. This one is rude, crude, and is definitely a whole mood. But sweet it is not. It’s dark and these boys are mean. What they put January through is evil and they’re evil personified. If you like your fictional men on the mostly psychotic side, these guys bring that in spades. But there’s also just enough of a hint to something more with each of them which left me fully obsessed and completely enraptured.

If you liked Royals of Forsyth type of dark anti heroes, this one will hit every spot you didn’t even know you had. And that cliffhanger? Should be illegal in every state. There needs to be a warrant for Eve Dangerfield’s arrest because it was nothing short of cruel and unusual punishment. And the wait for book 2? CRUEL. Just cruel. I’m about to throw hands and riot. We ride at dawn!!

Eve Dangerfield has loved romance novels ever since she first swiped her grandmother’s paperbacks. Now she writes her own stories about complicated women and gorgeous-but-slightly-tortured men. Her work has been described as ‘genre-defying,’ ‘insanely hot’ and ‘the defibrillator contemporary romance needs right now’…and not just by herself or those who might need bone marrow…OTHER PEOPLE! She lives in Melbourne with her boy and a bunch of semi-dead plants. She can generally be found making a mess.

 

Connect with Eve

Website: www.evedangerfield.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14427168.Eve_Dangerfield

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Eve-Dangerfield/e/B094XMD32K

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/evedangerfieldbooks/

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/621731822071777

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evedangerfield

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

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/eve-dangerfield

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Review: What Lies Between Us by H.D. Carlton

September 13, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

WHAT LIES BETWEEN US
Series: Heartless Heroes Anthology
Genre: MM Romance, Dark Romance
Author: H.D. Carlton
Release Date: September 13, 2022

Some heroes want to save the world. Some will burn it down for the one they love.
Call them villains, anti-heroes, criminals, and monsters.
But these dark men love deeply and fiercely, and are ready to go to the ends of the earth to save their soulmate.

They will tempt you.
Captivate you.
Drag you into darkness, and leave you breathless.
They’ll show you how good love can be in the dark.

There’s a spark between these pages, and these Heartless Heroes will set your world on fire.

Morally grey is the favorite color of these twenty new and bestselling authors. Grab your copy now to read all the dark shades of love painted by these Heartless Heroes.

Authors in this set include:
J.L. Beck & C. Hallman, Sahara Roberts & Dori Pulitano, Sonya Jesus, H. D. Carlton & CE Ricci, Lola West, D.S. Wrights, Elizabeth Miller, Lily Wildhart, Morgan James, A.R. Breck, Brynn Ford, Indie Black & Sienna Cousins, Isabella Phoenix & Victoria Pauley, Suki Williams, Ashley Gee, D.W. Marshall, M.L. Philpitt, and Ember Evans

AMAZON

Review for What Lies Between Us by H.D. Carlton

“Which makes you angrier, golden boy? The fact that you want to fuck your sister’s ex-boyfriend or that you want to fuck her murderer?”

The second that I saw H.D. Carlton is writing a dark MM romance, I was immediately salivating. But I was not at all prepared for the savage chokehold this story would have on me.

This is a novella and a bit of preview to what will be a full length novel for Link and Echo. But what I loved is how H.D. is able to give us a deliciously addictive hook and have it be equally satisfying while still making you salivate for more. She gave readers just enough to get them hooked on this story, but didn’t drop your typical shock value cliffhanger and I could kiss her for it.

The set up for this story? OHMYGAWD! If I was more hooked I’d be hunting her ass down at her house and standing over her shoulder glaring menacingly until she finished the story and immediately gave it to her. What? The woman created Zade, I think she wouldn’t mind this. But I digress.

Echo is whispered about through the halls of the Godric University. But it isn’t for his sinful good looks or manwhore ways. He’s the guy who brutally killed his ex girlfriend and got away with it. Or so everyone thinks, even though he was found innocent. He’s used to the whispers, but they’re no less hard. Especially when he’s forced to deal with the violent hate from his ex’s twin bother and ex best friend. Who he kinda, sorta also has the hots for. Talk about complicated.

But I’m making too light of what this story was. Because it was full of signature dark and creepy undercurrent that only HD can write so well. There’s a dark mystery that runs parallel to the chemistry between Link and Echo of who truly killed Link’s twin and getting Link to see the truth of what Echo is saying.

The novella was enough to immediately hook you and I do mean immediately. I loved a dark academia romance and this one ticked all the boxes. I’m seriously salivating for the full dose of this story because the whodunnit mystery just may kill me in the wait.

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Review: Nicky The Driver by Cate C. Wells

September 7, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

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

He can’t take his eyes off me.

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

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

I don’t have a choice.

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

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

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

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

AMAZON

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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#DGRFave & Review: The Mindf*ck Series by S.T. Abby

August 30, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

THE MINDF*CK SERIES
Series: The Minds*ck Series (entire collection)
Genre: Dark, Romantic Suspense
Author: S.T. Abby
Release Date: November 29, 2016

They took too much.
Left too little.
I had nothing to lose…until him.
*****************
~Lana~
I didn’t expect him.
I didn’t want to fall in love.
But I can’t let him go.
Logan Bennett makes the world a safer place.
He’s brilliant.
He’s a hero.
He locks away the sick and depraved.
But while he’s saving lives, I’m taking them. Collecting the debts that are owed to me.
Ten years ago, they took from me. They left me for dead.
They should have made sure I stayed dead.
Now I’m taking from them.
One name at a time.
I’ve trained for too long.
I’ve been patient.
I can’t stop now.
Revenge is best served cold…
They never see me coming, until I paint their walls red.
Logan doesn’t know how they hurt me. He doesn’t know about the screams they ignored. He doesn’t know how twisted that town really is.
He just knows people are dying.
He doesn’t know he’s in love with their killer.
No one suspects a dead girl.
And Logan doesn’t suspect the girl in his bed.
They’re looking for a monster.
Not a girl who loves red.
Not a girl in love.
I’m a faceless nightmare.
At least until I tell them the story they’ve pretended never happened.
But in the end, will Logan choose them? Or will we watch them burn together?
**Graphic
**Adult language
**Some triggers could be too much for the easily disturbed reader
**Sexual content
**Fucked up moral compass; read at your own risk.

AMAZON

It’s all cloak and dagger right now. That’s what happens when you’re a serial killer dating a FBI profiler who hunts serial killers.

Have you ever had someone recommend a book to you and think, there’s no way this is as good as they say it is? No? Just me, then? Because I wear the cone of shame for letting the covers to these books sway me for entirely too long. Considering how much hype this story gets, you’d think that may sway me? But nope. I’m leery of surer popular books because I’m so tired of them not living up to their promise for me. But after losing the entirety of my day to binge reading this entire series in a day, I will tell you that I’m not seriously kicking my own ass for not believing what everyone was trying to beat me over the head with. This book doesn’t just live up to the hype, it blows it out of the water.

There’s a certain high you get from fooling the world into thinking you’re the lamb instead of the rabid wolf.

First of all, if you look at my shelf, you’ll see I’ve read a lot of romance, and dark is where it’s at for me. So please take that into consideration when I tell you that Lana Myers is easily my favorite FMC I have read. Ever. Period. No competition.

I’m a 5’4 package of vengeance that no one sees coming.

I was completely sucked into this story from the very first chapter. And after I finished the first book?

Oh.
My
GOD
Are you kidding me?

A female serial killer with a vendetta she’s plotted for years falls for an FBI profiler who hunts serial killers and is actively investigating her victims? Yes, please, and thank you. This is like the sexy love child of Criminal Minds and Dexter and I was so here for it, it physically hurt to put the book down for anything. Like I will now refer to things as life before Minfuck and Life After Mindfuck, because this story changed me. I don’t think I’ll stop thinking about it for years to come.

It’s one thing for the burn the world down if you hurt her trope, but when it’s reversed and she’ll burn the world down for him? GAH. And don’t get me wrong, Logan is no beta. This is a man who crackles with intense energy himself. But what made this book for me is not even the romance, which was absolutely epic. No. It was the actual plot. The mystery of Lana’s past that slowly gets unraveled with each book. The flashbacks of a night ten years ago that unequivocally changed the entire course of her life. And with every new kill she makes, more of those details become unraveled to paint a grizzly tale that’s full of corruption, evil, and revenge.

This is not your typical morally gray character. Lana is not an anti-heroine in my opinion. This is a woman who takes justice into her own hands knowing that the legal system won’t. And she’s who I want to be when I grow up. *dreamy sigh*

But I digress. I can talk about the brilliance of the plotting, the story telling, the clues hidden in plain sight, and the clues that get unveiled in time. I can talk about the incredible romance. I can talk about the friendship between Lana and Jake and all the amazing secondary characters like Hadley and Leonard, but I won’t. You need to discover it for yourself.

So if you’re an idiot who like me left this book skate right under your radar, get your life together immediately and read it. You can thank me after.

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: Dark, Romantic Suspense · Tagged With: , , ,
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