Review: The Architect by Nikki Sloane

THE ARCHITECT
Genre: Erotic Romance
Series: Nashville Neighborhood #3
Author: Nikki Sloane
Release Date: February 23, 2021

He’s drafting plans to seduce you.

The Architect by Nikki Sloane is now live!

On the surface, my new boyfriend is a stiff, buttoned-up architect. He plans every detail of his life while carefully maintaining the walls he’s built around his heart. But when the biggest project of his career pulls him away, Clay’s solution is both temporary and unconventional. It even comes with a name–Travis.

This handsome stranger is sweet and thoughtful. He’s only meant to be a stand-in, to fulfill my sexual needs under Clay’s watchful direction, yet these two men couldn’t be more different. The one thing they share? Well, I guess that would be me.

One gets off on my pain, the other on my pleasure, and it awakens a desire none of us knew existed. But it can’t last.

Eventually I’ll have to choose.

And it’s going to destroy us all.

 AMAZON | iBOOKS | NOOK | KOBO | GOOGLE PLAY

You want to be punished, don’t you?”
When I nodded, he grinned.
“I hope you’re not fragile.”

Is it hot in here or am I getting menopause early? I’m having hot flashes. My ovaries tingle. They tingle, I tell you!

Nikki Sloane is the queen of smut. The woman writes some of the hottest erotica, but she manages to infuse it with just the right amount of feels and story to make it that much more satisfying. Now if you’re looking for some fade to black, this is not the book for you, my pearl clutching friend. But if you’re looking for some hot and I mean HOT and kinky f*ckery, well better get some ice for those ovaries. Because hot damn! I say HOT DAMN.

You know what I love in my romance novels? A woman that can own her sexuality. Enough with the blushing virgins and ingenues. I’m over it. But a woman that knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it and has no shame in her game? Bring it on.

Lilith is not a girl that settles. And when she sees her sinfully sexy neighbor, she knows she wants him. He may be buttoned down, but she sees the dark sexuality that brews so close to the surface. But don’t let the glasses and orderly life fool you, because still waters definitely run deep with Clay. He’s got kinks that run a mile long, and the man is really fitting for his job. He’s an architect by day, and an architect of pain and pleasure by night. When he brings the mysterious Mr. E into their dynamic, things really take a turn for the dark and spicy and I was so here for it.

I love a good poly dynamic, and this one was delicious. There’s just enough angst and push and pull to make it incredibly intriguing. The spice? Scorching! The romance? SO satisfying. The story? Incendiary. READ IT!

USA Today bestselling author Nikki Sloane landed in graphic design after her careers as a waitress, a screenwriter, and a ballroom dance instructor fell through. For eight years she worked for a design firm in that extremely tall, black, and tiered building in Chicago that went through an unfortunate name change during her time there.

 

Now she lives in Kentucky, is married and has two sons. She is a three-time Romance Writers of America RITA© Finalist, a Passionate Plume winner, a two-time HOLT Medallion finalist, and couldn’t be any happier that people enjoy reading her sexy words.

Connect with Nikki

Amazon | FacebookTwitter | Instagram | Bookbub | Goodreads | Joining her mailing list

Review: Ruthless Creatures by J.T. Geissinger

RUTHLESS CREATURES
Series: Queens & Monsters #1
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Suspense
Author: J.T. Geissinger
Release Date: February 19, 2021

An explosive new novel of love, lies, and obsession from bestselling author J.T. Geissinger

Five years ago, my fiancé disappeared. Left me with a wedding dress I’d never wear. Left me with the kind of scars that can’t be healed. The man I built my future on vanished like a ghost. All that remained were my broken heart and unanswered questions.

Until a mysterious stranger arrives in town.

Tall, dark, and dangerous, Kage is as full of secrets as he is sex appeal. Though I know he’s hiding something, I’m drawn to him like a moth to flame.

The intensity of our connection is addictive, unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. Heat crackles between us with every look, desire flares into passion, and I fall hard, helpless to resist.

But when I discover how he’s tied to the darkness in my past, I learn what happens when you fly recklessly into fire:

You get burned.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

AMAZON | AMAZON PAPERBACK

People say time heals all wounds, but those people are assholes. Wounds like mine don’t heal. I’ve just learned to control the bleeding.

I have an obsession with JT Geissinger’s words. The woman has created some of my absolute favorite alphas and some of my favorite heroines. She’s the queen of banter and uber alphas. And I love me some uber alphas.

Ruthless Creatures is the start of her brand new Queens & Monsters series and I was so here for it. Mafia bad boys meet their match with fierce heroines? Yes please and thank you!

Let’s start with what I loved. Nat and Sloane. I am a sucker for a sassy and fiercely loyal BFF dynamic, and these two had it in spades. I couldn’t get enough of them.

He said that?”
“Verbatim.”
“Holy shit.”
“That was pretty much my reaction, too.”
Sloane pauses. “And you didn’t throw yourself to your knees, rip open his zipper, and latch onto him like a sucker fish?”
Rolling my eyes, I sigh. “And they say romance is dead.”

I lived for glimpses of Sloane in all her sassy, maneater glory. I love a female that owns her sexuality and is not one to settle. I can’t wait to meet the man to bring her to her knees. But I digress.

Nat met the love of her life, only for him to disappear on their wedding day. Five years later, she’s still moving on from the loss. The worst of it is the not knowing what happened to him and whether he’s alive or dead.

She’s been living in limbo all these years, keeping her heart in check, and not able to commit to any man. Until a mysterious stranger with an aura of danger changes everything.

Kage was absolutely DELICIOUS. When I tell you that the man has presence, I mean he has PRESENSE. He practically oozes sexuality and badass. But he’s also hiding something dark and dangerous with Nat in the front and center of it. He tries to deny their chemistry for as long as he can (which wasn’t that long) until his need for her turns desperate. Now I’m not one for the insta-love vibe, but it actually worked for me here.

What kept this from being a five star were a few things. One, while the sex was hot, there was just too much of it. I found myself skimming sex scenes, and when I admit to doing this, you know it’s a lot. This was a lot more erotic than what I’m used to from JT’s other books. And don’t get me wrong, I’m a girl that loves a good sex scene. But when it begins to detract from the plot, it’s too much. I wanted more character development. I wanted more meat to the story. I felt like the focus was on the sexy times rather than the seriously intriguing plot. There’s so much to unpack here with the rival mafia families, and I would have loved to spend more time with that. As it was, I found the primary focus to be on the sex. The other, because the focus was primarily on the plot, the characters were more forgettable then what I’m used to from this author as well. I won’t find myself going back for a re-read of this one.

Now that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it, because I really did. I finished it in one sitting. Did I love it? No. But I did like it quite a bit. I’m complete hooked on the series, and the set up for the next book? I’m drooling.

If you’re looking for a super spicy book with a bad boy, mafia, suspense, and the hottest dirty talk, you need to check this one out.


J.T. Geissinger is a bestselling author of emotionally charged romance and women’s fiction. Ranging from funny, feisty rom coms to intense, edgy suspense, her books have sold more than one million copies and been translated into several languages.

She is the recipient of the Prism Award for Best First Book, the Golden Quill Award for Best Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, and is a two-time finalist for the RITA® Award from the Romance Writers of America®. She has also been a finalist in the Booksellers’ Best, National Readers’ Choice, and Daphne du Maurier Awards.

Her first novel was published in 2012. Since then she’s written eighteen more novels. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, drinking wine, surfing the internet, and daydreaming about all the things she’s going to be when she grows up. She lives near the beach in Los Angeles with her husband and deaf/demented rescue kitty, Ginger.

Connect with J.T. Geissinger

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram |  Pinterest | GoodReads |  BookBub |  Join Geissinger’s Gang Reader Group |  Stay up to date by joining J.T.’s mailing list | Website 

Review: Abel by Katee Robert

ABEL
Series: Sabine Valley #1
Genre: Erotic Romance, Menage, MMF
Author: Katee Robert
Release Date: January 5, 2020

Seven Brothers. Seven Brides. A revenge seven years in the making.

Eight years ago, my family was betrayed by those closest to us.

Now we’re back in Sabine Valley, staging our return during the feast of Lammas, where I step into the ring and ensure we’re given what we’re owed. Who we’re owed.

Our enemies send their seven best warriors against me.

With each victory, I win a Bride for each of my brothers.

And for me? I’m saving the best for last.

My Bride is Harlow, the woman claimed by the man I used to call friend—the one responsible for our exile. Eli.

And if Eli has a problem with it? Well, then I’ll take him as my Bride, too. All the better to enact my revenge…and bring Sabine Valley to its knees.

The Paine brothers are back, and we’re here to stay.

AMAZON

They look like mine.

Oh.
My.
OVARIES.

Dis. Book.
If you’re looking for some trope candy, how about a sinfully sexy mix of revenge, marriage for convenience, and enemies to lovers? And did I mention it’s an MMF? Because GAH.

The second I saw Katee post about this series, I was instantly drooling. 7 Brothers set for revenge after their faction betrayed them. A little pagan, a little mystery, a lot of revenge and sexy times to be had. Now admittedly, I could have used a little more background on the universe here. Perhaps a little more development on the brothers past? I was confused on all the different factions at first and what differentiates a mystic from a radar? But I ultimately began to get the gist of it. I also got a little confused trying to wrap my mind around all of the characters, because there’s a bit of a data dump with this.

The romance was SO good. It was insanely hot with just the right touch of angsty feels and I was so here for it. The push and pull between these three was delicious. Hawlow and Eli have the angst of a relationship that’s falling apart because Eli just doesn’t see Harlow for who she really is. Then there’s the hate lust between Eli and Abel who used to be best friends until Eli’s father murdered Abel’s father and ran the brothers out. Abel is set on revenge, even if it means keeping his enemies close. When he wins his battle, not only does he choose Harlow as a Bride, but Eli as well. To say that these three have some unresolved issues is an understatement. But I loved the development of their relationship.

While I felt like we got a lot of development for Eli and Abel, it was a little lacking with Harlow. We hear about her difficult past, we never learn what it was. Perhaps that’s going to be revealed in the future books? I hope so because I was so intrigued by her character.

If you’re looking for a crackilicious read with plenty of sizzling hot scenes, you’ve found your next read.

Review: Gabriel Fallen by Nina West

GABRIEL FALLEN
Genre: Erotic Romance, Mafia
Series: Dirty Empire #2
Author: Nina West
Release Date: May 23, 2019

From internationally bestselling author K.A. Tucker, writing as Nina West, comes the dark and steamy Dirty Empire trilogy.

Mercy Wheeler and Gabriel Easton’s sordid tale continues in Gabriel Fallen as Mercy finds herself heading down a dangerous path.

Gabriel has made an art of dangling what I’m most desperate for in front of me, what he knows I can’t refuse, no matter the cost. In this case, that cost continues to be me.

He is still a scoundrel, but I’m starting to see something more.

And while our bargain is proving advantageous in ways I never anticipated, the risks that come with being associated with a man like him are becoming painfully clear.

But how much longer before this arrangement with Gabriel costs me everything I am?

This is the second book in the Dirty Empire series and should be read after Sweet Mercy.

 AMAZON 

I’m falling for this woman, and I’m falling hard.

This trilogy is the best sort of book crack. I can’t get enough of Gabriel and Mercy.

You know that saying about the bigger they are? Well nothing is more satisfying than watching the biggest bad boy fall hard for a woman, especially when that woman is a spitfire that gives as hard as she gets.

The dominoes continue to fall in Gabriel’s world in this second installment. More secrets are revealed about his family and they’re jaw dropping. Gabriel went into his affair with Mercy hoping to work her out of his system but he definitely got a lot more than he bargained with her. He finds himself falling for her, even if he doesn’t quite realize that’s what’s happening.

Mercy is one of my favorite heroines. The woman has all of the odds stacked against her and still she fights. She essentially sold her soul to the devil to help her father. She can’t possibly fall for Gabriel when he’s the antithesis to everything she should want, right? I gotta say I absolutely love the live wire dynamic between these two. Their chemistry is incendiary. But the progression of their relationship is absolutely magnetic. I can’t get enough of them.

I’m salivating for the conclusion. I needs it. If you’re looking for a sexy, fast paced trilogy, you need this one in your life. Gabriel is an antihero that needs to be experienced.

Review: Sweet Mercy by Nina West

SWEET MERCY
Genre: Erotic Romance, Mafia
Series: Dirty Empire #1
Author: Nina West
Release Date: March 27, 2019

From internationally bestselling author K.A. Tucker, writing as Nina West, comes the dark and steamy Dirty Empire trilogy.

One visit to my father in prison—convicted for a murder he didn’t commit—and I’ve attracted the attention of the last man I’d ever want knowing that I exist.

Gabriel Easton.

Son of an infamous crime boss. Deplorable womanizer. Scoundrel to the core.

Worse, he has figured out how desperate I am to protect my father from brutality behind bars. He has the power to grant that protection, and he has offered it … for a price.

Me.

I am to become a “guest” in his mansion, to live with him until he tires of having me around.
I’ll do anything for my father, including agree to Gabriel’s cruel game. But I won’t comply with his every whim and wish.

Not when he taunts me with that ruthless spark in his cold blue eyes.

Not when he requires that I share his bedroom at night.

Unfortunately for me, I think my loathing for him is what he’s enjoying most.

That’s fine. By the time I’m through with him, he’ll be crying my name.

Mercy.

 AMAZON 

My name on this woman’s lips will be my downfall.

First of all, if we’re friends and you’ve read this book and didn’t scream at me that I need to read it immediately? Yeah. I’m reevaluating our friendship. You are no friend of mine. Because if you were and you read this, then you’d know that this was so much my catnip, I’d want to name both of my ovaries Gabriel.
This is book one in one of the most addictive trilogies I’ve read in a long time. And I’m not a reader that gravitates to trilogies? But having devoured this book in one sitting, I can already confirm that book two is giving me the same vibes.

Gabriel is the ultimate bad boy. The man is the son of an infamous gangster whose mere name makes grown men quake. He and his brother have lived a life of debauchery and no expense spared but don’t exactly what to be in their father’s shadow.

Gabriel is also used to getting any woman he wants to fall at his knees at the snap of a sexy finger.

Mercy has had her entire world turned upside down when her father gets sent to prison for the murder of a man that attacked her. She’s desperate to get him out and fight his unfair conviction. Especially since his life is in constant danger. Gabriel lays his sights on the beauty while visiting his own father and is determined to have her. But he doesn’t exactly make a convincing argument when he offers his protection in exchange for her dropping to her knees.

Now if you’re not a fan of alphaholes, you won’t like this. But if you’re like me and like them mean and extra cocky, prepare for ovary explosion, friends. Because Gabriel is all of the things. And I think what makes this as good as it was was watching his fall for Mercy. Mercy may be a good girl, but she takes no sh*t and isn’t afraid to put Gabriel in his place and makes him work for it. The sexual tension is UNREAL You can practically taste their chemistry.

I devoured and I mean DEVOURED this book. It was deliciously dirty and completely addictive.

Review: The Pool Boy by Nikki Sloane

THE POOL BOY
Genre: Erotic Romance
Series: Nashville Neighborhood #2
Author: Nikki Sloane
Release Date: August 11, 2020


Nothing says happy birthday like catching your husband in a compromising position with his boss.

His male boss.

Why, hello, midlife crisis. I’m starting over, but this time I’m doing it right. Or at least I’m doing what I want.

Taking the day off from work to hang out poolside? Yup. Do I leave the swimsuit in my house? Sure.

Does my very hot, twenty-something pool boy happen to catch me naked? Oh, yeah, he does. And he likes what he sees… a lot.

My best friend keeps telling me to have a fling and get back out there. But I’m not so sure she meant for me to do it with her son.

 AMAZON | iBOOKS | NOOK | KOBO | GOOGLE PLAY

If he had a flavor, it was just like his music. Sinfully rich and hot.

Every now and then a girl just wants a fun and smutty romance with a dash of taboo/forbidden mixed in. And whenever I’m craving this, Nikki Sloane is my no-brainer go-to. The woman can write a steamy erotica like no other. But she’ll also infuse it with a fun story and plenty of feels to make it immensely satisfying.

Now I’m going to admit something to you and I’m prepared for the judgy looks I’ll get. *whispers* I have a double standard. *grins sheepishly* What? I own it. I know I do. Because while I love me a good age gap romance with an older man, I don’t particularly gravitate towards the reverse. I know, I know. It’s not a bias I have in life. But for some reason, I do have it in books. Which is ridiculous, now that I think about it, because some of my favorite age gaps have been with a younger guy. Huh. I’m having an epiphany here. But I digress. What I’m trying to say here, is it’s not my go to, but if Nikki writes it? I’m all over it.

I devoured Erika and Troy’s book. Beyond the age gap, there’s also a big dash of forbidden, because Troy just happens to be Erika’s best friend’s son.
Erika is a recent divorce still dealing with discovering her husband’s long term affair…with his male boss.
I know! The plot twists! Craziness. But I digress again.

Troy is Erika’s best friend’s son and also her pool boy. Troy has also been harboring a huge crush on his mom’s friend for years. When he stumbles upon Erika sunbathing at her pool topless, well, let’s just say his reaction is not easy to hide. And seeing her best friend’s son all grown up staring at her with some very adult lust in his eyes? Well let’s just say Erika has an epiphany of her own. Thus begins their incredibly hot but also forbidden affair. And I was SO HERE FOR IT.

This story was so much more than just hot sex. Even though it was hot. I mean, smoking hot. SCORCHING. But really, there was so much more to it. I loved the way that Erika fought for Troy’s dreams even when his own parents didn’t see them. Troy was absolutely delicious. He’s sweet and caring and he’s all in with Erika. He’s not a stereotypical 20 year old playboy. He knows what he wants and he doesn’t need years of playing the field to know that it’s Erika and he could care less about their twenty year age difference. I absolutely loved the two of them together.

This was such a fun, quick paced read that I devoured in one hot Sunday afternoon and finished with a smile on my face. It was the perfect steamy read to get my mind off of all the crazy happening in our world right now. I also immediately went and purchased book one in this series to read about the good Dr and his son’s ex girlfriend. Because Yum. If you’re looking for a super steamy but wonderfully developed and immensely satisfying erotic romance, this is definitely a must read.

USA Today bestselling author Nikki Sloane landed in graphic design after her careers as a waitress, a screenwriter, and a ballroom dance instructor fell through. For eight years she worked for a design firm in that extremely tall, black, and tiered building in Chicago that went through an unfortunate name change during her time there.

 

Now she lives in Kentucky, is married and has two sons. She is a three-time Romance Writers of America RITA© Finalist, a Passionate Plume winner, a two-time HOLT Medallion finalist, and couldn’t be any happier that people enjoy reading her sexy words.

Connect with Nikki

Amazon | FacebookTwitter | Instagram | Bookbub | Goodreads | Joining her mailing list

Review: A Worthy Opponent by Katee Robert

A Worthy Opponent
Series: Wicken Villains #3
Genre: Erotica, Erotic Romance
Author: Katee Robert
Release Date: February 1, 2020

Once upon a time I was a girl who believed in love and happily ever afters.

Now the only thing I believe in is revenge.

Unfortunately for me, there’s only one man willing to help me.

Hook.

I should have known it wouldn’t be out of the goodness of his heart.

He doesn’t have one.

No, Hook wants his ring on my finger and me on my knees before him—and he won’t take no for an answer.

 

I’m willing to pay any price in order to bring Pan down…even if it means I lose my soul in the bargain.

AMAZON

My soul hates Hook. My body hasn’t gotten the memo. But then, my desires always did get me into trouble.

This series has quickly become one of my favorite guilty pleasures. It’s deliciously wicked and sinfully hot. Katee Robert manages to merge together some sizzling hot erotica with an addicting story and characters that you can’t help but love. Think has been a character that I’ve been intrigued with since the beginning of the series. She’s feisty, sassy and has this live wire spark to her that shines bright even as a secondary character. Now we finally get her story and you come to find out that there’s some dark secrets behind that smart mouth of hers. And it’ll take a sexy villain to offer her a bargain with the devil in order to survive.

Here are the updated terms. I will not negotiate further. You marry me. I kill Peter. When you decide you’re tired of playing hard to get, you’ll crawl to me and beg for my cock. I’m all too happy to give it to you any way you like. Every way you like.”

Hook has wanted Think for years and he’s not above playing dirty to finally get her in his bed. He’ll protect her from a man she fears and in exchange she’ll give him the one thing he craves, her begging.

If you’re expecting a traditional MF here, you’ll be sorely disappointed. This book is sizzling hot and one of the things I love most about this series is the different kinks each one explores. Hook’s kink just so happens to be voyeurism and I’ll let you use your imagination on that. There’s some MMF and MFM and all of the hot f*ckery!!! I’m saying HOT here people! Now I’m desperate for Beast’s story because holy hell, that set up!!!

Review: Siren Reborn by Lexi Blake

SIREN REBORN
Series:
Texas Sirens #8
Genre: Erotic Romance, MMF menage, Suspense
Author: Lexi Blake
Release Date: January 7, 2020

Re-released in a second edition. Re-edited but no substantial changes.

Cole Roberts and Mason Scott loved each other since childhood, but they needed something more to make them whole. They searched for a woman who could complete them, but a terrible accident tore them apart. Their perfect life shattered, they were each left angry and alone.

Kitten Taylor’s past is filled with heartache. She yearns to be part of a family she can call her own. When Cole takes her in, she hopes to finally find the place she belongs, but quickly realizes something is wrong. There is a chasm between them and every day it seems to get worse. When they are alone together, she can sense the wonderful bond they could share, but they can’t seem to find a way to connect.

Everything changes when Kitten meets Mason for the first time. She instantly feels a connection and realizes how perfect their lives could be if Mason and Cole could look beyond the past.

When a killer puts the trio in their crosshairs, Cole and Mason will have to put aside the betrayal and hurt they allowed to consume them in order to forge a future with the woman they love.

AMAZON

Kitten was the picture of innocence and Mason of decadence. His. They were fucking his. His to command. His to protect. His to fuck and pleasure. His to love. His to lose.

This was easily my favorite book in the series. Seriously. A sizzling hot MMF menage, a second chance romance, and a sweet wounded soul finally finding love with two men. This story was EVERYTHING.

Now as much as I love everything Lexi Blake writes, I was a little worried jumping into this book. Kitten, while a sweetly endearing secondary character in the previous books, just didn’t sell me as a heroine. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about her. This is a woman that was almost broken beyond repair at the hands of an horrible man and she’s still dealing with it. Taken, beaten, raped, this man didn’t just steal Kitten’s innocence, but ultimately her identity. But this book was the story of her finding her voice and her identity and I loved that!

Mason and Cole, though. GAH. These two simply stole the show for me. I loved them so much. They were each other’s everything at one point. But then instead of a woman bringing them together, one ripped them apart. Cole walked away and he hasn’t been the same since. Mason is still dealing with Cole’s abandonment and everything that Cole doesn’t know or realized years after.

Kitten has been living with Cole as they test the boundaries of a potential contract and relationship. But Cole’s treatment of her with kid’s gloves is starting to widen the already big gap between them, no matter how much sexual chemistry they have together. When Kitten takes a call that turns out to be from the hospital because Mason still has Cole as his only emergency contact, she believes she’s doing right by her master to pick him up and take care of him. Suddenly Mason is back in Cole’s life and forcing him to deal with everything he caused those years ago with walking away. Mason is a wounded man seeking revenge, and what better one than to take his previous master’s girl.

But it doesn’t take long for them to realize that there’s something much deeper between them. Mason and Cole is everything that Kitten needs, and Cole begins to realize the depth of his mistakes and becomes desperate to right his wrongs with Mason. Mason is a switch to Cole’s Dom, and kitten is the ultimate submissive. Together, they’re absolutely incendiary. I loved this book from beginning to finish. A sizzling and emotional read, the way only Lexi Blake can write.

New Release & Review: Hate Crush by A. Zavarelli

HATE CRUSH
Genre: Forbidden, Erotic Romance
Author: A. Zavarelli
Release Date: November 21, 2019


They call him the devil.

When I crash-landed into him on my first day at Loyola Academy, I was sure that couldn’t be true.

He was the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen in real life.

Little did I know he was also the cruelest.

I went from starstruck to stunned the moment his cynical eyes cut through me.

I can’t tell you what it was that made him want to punish me. But from that day forward the brooding recluse of a man made it his goal to torment me.

I want to loathe him, and some days, I do.

But good or bad, nobody’s attention has ever tasted so sweet.

What do you do when you have a hate crush on your bully?

Worse yet, what do you do when he’s also your teacher?

AMAZON


There’s something about Stella that makes me believe she will always go the extra mile to seek approval from those with authority. I can see it every time she looks at me. And before the end of the hour, I’ve made up my mind. In the past, I picked easy, obvious targets for my projects. Without fail, they failed me. They couldn’t withstand the expectations of their peers and their family and the machine that is Loyola Academy.

But Stella won’t fail. I feel it deep in my gut. A spark of hope that I haven’t had with any of the others. A want I haven’t experienced since my own college days. I will push her harder than I’ve pushed anyone else before her, and she will cling to hold onto herself in the face of any storm I might bring her way. I will open her eyes to the realities of this world. And in the end, she will despise me for my ruthlessness, but she will be grateful.

Stella LeClaire, welcome to my final project.

I want to eat her alive and right now, she can sense that. But I’ll never admit it. I’ll never admit that she gets to me. I just need her to know that she’s mine toy with for as long as I want, and that’s all there is to be said about it.

I love me some A. Zavarelli. The woman knows how to right books that just hit the spot for me each and every single time. There’s something about her writing that’s like catnip for me. I don’t even bother to read the blurbs to her books, they’re an auto add for me. But when I read the blurb for this one, I just about had a heart attack in my desperate need to get my hands on it. Forbidden, student/teacher romance with a splash of enemies to lovers and Zavarelli’s signature dark grit? GOD YES. Sign me up!

I was so conflicted with my rating on this one, I sat on it a full two days trying to make up my mind. On the one hand, I binge read it. Like completely incapable of putting it down sort of binge read it. On the other hand, there were elements and parts that just didn’t quite do it for me. Did I enjoy it? Hell, yes!!! Was it perfect for me? Not quite. Would I recommend it? Totally!

So what worked for me? The set up. GAH! Delicious. Sebastian is a teacher in a prestigious boarding school. His reputation for being a tough a-hole on his students is almost as big as the one for his looks. He’s the a-hole of Loyola Academy and he has no problems with that. Stella is the sweet and innocent fly that’s about to step into the spider’s web, thought she’s not quite as innocent as she looks. A product of two barely functioning parents, she just got transferred to the prestigious school because that’s what her parents decided was best to her. With a functioning drunk of a mother and a father barely seeing day light in order to keep them in the moneyed life style her mother has become accustomed to, Stella is surprisingly functional. But when she gets on the radar of the ruthless teacher and batting off the vicious verbal attacks from her fellow students, she can’t help but show a vulnerable underbelly. The spark between her and Sebastian is instant, but their connection is completely forbidden. While Sebastian fights it with everything he’s got in his a-hole artillery, Stella is determined to break his iron control.

Admittedly, the characters felt a little underdeveloped. I wished they were further fleshed out, because I would have been HERE FOR IT. As it was, I felt like I was getting a small snippet of who they were with a lot of the development and backstory happening off the pages. I also struggled with Stella being as passive as she was. She forgave Sebastian and everything he did so easily, I wanted to shake her at times. I wanted her to make him WORK for it. And while I love me a domineering and dominant alpha man as much as the next girl, Stella’s passiveness kinda killed the buzz for me a bit.

Don’t get me wrong, I really did enjoy this book. It wasn’t perfect, but it was still an addictive read. I just can’t help but wish it had another 100 pages to it. It was still a fun read and one I’d certainly recommend it.

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.

Connect w/A. Zavarelli:
Website: https://www.azavarelli.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AZavarelli
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AZavarellibooks
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/azavarelli/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/a-zavarelli
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13549895.A_Zavarelli
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2S3zrKS
Newsletter Signup: http://www.azavarelli.com/#!mailing-list/c46c

Review, Excerpt & Giveaway: Iron Crowne by CD Reiss

IRON CROWNE
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Author: CD Reiss
Release Date: November 15, 2019

A new enemies-to-lovers standalone.

Byron Crowne is a charming liar and a gorgeous monster.
I detest him.
I can’t resist him.
He’s awakened desires I didn’t know I had.
When he touches me, I need to fight him . . . and I need him to win.
Our one night stand bruises my skin and leaves dents in the walls, but the sheets aren’t the only thing we shred that night.
And suddenly, the stakes are higher than ever.

Olivia Monroe lights a fire in me that died a long time ago.
I’m a different man when I’m with her. I need to own her, take her, mark her as mine.
Everything changes when she might be pregnant and for the first time in my life…I’m powerless against this stubborn, untamable woman.
She’s the one in control and I have an impossible job:
Prove I’m worthy to be a father.

Download your copy today read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

AMAZON | AMAZON PAPERBACK

Listen now on Audio: https://amzn.to/2qPXcfY

Narrated by: Elena Wolfe and Sebastian York

“Why should I sleep with you?” I cross-examined the witness. It was the only way to manage Byron.

He considered his cup as if committing to his goal, then studied the way my finger tapped the counter as if choosing a strategy, then pondered my face as he decided on his tactic.

“Because you’re wet already,” he said with a deep knowledge of what aroused women looked like. “Because you want what I can give you. Your head hasn’t even acknowledged it, but your body knows.”

“That’s—” I was going to end in a denial, but my nipples were hard. “—not relevant. You and I don’t make sense.”

“That’s correct.” He gulped tea. I left my cup on the counter, refusing the challenge. “We are a disaster. You despise me too much to want a relationship and just enough to turn you on. And from what I can tell, you don’t want to get involved enough to force an ethical quandary. So, if you agree in principal, I have a proposal.”

Agreeing in principle meant revealing how badly my body ached for him.

Disagreeing meant never satisfying that ache.

“I agree in principal.”

“My proposal is one night. One full night…”

I could commit to that, and I was about to when he continued.

“…where I own your body.”

“Wait.”

“You let me own you when we fuck. You come when I say. You obey me without hesitating. That’s what you want and you know it.”

My cheeks prickled, radiating the heat of my shame.

“No, then.” I pushed my cup away. “It’s never been like that. I’ve had three long relationships and a couple of flings but never—”

“—really enjoyed it.”

It was all lies… even when he spoke the truth, he lied.

He was a mixed message. A loophole in a rock-solid contract. The coexistence of lies and truths.


*looks around the room desperately*

Oh, excuse me. I can’t write my review right now. I’m too busy looking for my ovaries. Those suckers exploded about 40% into this book and I haven’t seen them since. I don’t know whether to send CD Reiss a thank you or my medical bill. I’m leaning towards the former, though, since the woman did give me Lord Byron. And oh hubbah hubbah! *insert drooling emoji here*

Oh how I’ve missed CD Reiss books. It’s been way too long since I indulged and this book really served as an incredible reminder about what made me fall in love with her writing in the first place. The woman can take pure filth and write it with poetic prose. She can also create some of the most enigmatic alpha men I’ve read to date. And let me tell you, it just doesn’t get more enigmatic than Byron Crowne.

Flattery is such a blunt tool, Mr. Crowne.”
“Call me Byron. Please.”
“You can call me Ms. Monroe.”

It’s no secret that I love me a good enemies to lovers romance and this one seriously delivered. You have two sharp witted adversaries pitted against each other in the line of their work. Olivia and Byron had an instant chemistry the second they appear on the pages together. Byron is everything I love in a good alpha; arrogant, demanding but with a shadowed painful past. Olivia is a woman after my own heart. She’s rabid when it comes to winning and pitted against the likes of Byron, the sparks fly immediately.

Friends, this story was hot. And I mean it was SERIOUSLY hot. Granted some of the descriptions were a tad out there for my persona tastes. But I couldn’t care less considering the story was riveting. Everything about this story sizzled; the characters like live wires drawn to each other while they both stand to lose everything.

But if you’re thinking there’s only one Crowne, you’re mistaken. There’s siblings. And I’m already rabid to get my hands on Logan’s book. But I digress. This book? Everything I could hope for from one of my favorite authors. A sizzling page turner that I absolutely devoured from beginning to end. I’m so here for this series, it’s not even funny. I can’t wait for more!

CD Reiss is a New York Times bestseller. She still has to chop wood and carry water, which was buried in the fine print. Her lawyer is working it out with God but in the meantime, if you call and she doesn’t pick up she’s at the well hauling buckets.

Born in New York City, she moved to Hollywood, California to get her master’s degree in screenwriting from USC. In case you want to know, that went nowhere but it did give her a big enough ego to write novels.

She’s frequently referred to as the Shakespeare of Smut which is flattering but hasn’t ever gotten her out of chopping that cord of wood.

If you meet her in person, you should call her Christine.

 

Connect with CD Reiss

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2iwpkPQ

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cd-reiss
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CDReiss.writer/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cdreisswriter
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Website: www.cdreiss.com
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