Review: Bad Intentions by Mila Kane

August 16, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

BAD INTENTIONS
Series: The Players #3
Author: Monica Murphy
Genre: New Adult Romance
Release Date: August 10, 2023

When trouble follows you home…

Lily
His name was Cayden, and he was a golden boy, an instant hit with everyone I knew.
But the mask chipped and cracked in front of me, and I saw underneath.
If I hadn’t, maybe everything would have been different.
Maybe he would have let me go.
I guess I’ll never know.
I saw him, and I can never change that.
Most importantly…. he saw me.
Now, the Coach says he’s staying with us for the season, in the room right next to mine…
I’m locked inside with my bully, and he’s watching my every move.

Cade
It started with needing to make the coach’s daughter keep her pretty little mouth shut.
It ended with an obsession… mine.
I’m burning…. consumed – and she’s the reason.
Now, there is no way back.
Lily Williams isn’t like anyone think she is, underneath her straight-A student veneer.
I’m the only one to see the real her, I’m the only one to know her…
And I’m the one who is keeping her.

Meet the Ice Gods, the Hockey players who never play by the rules and own Hade Harbor and everyone in it. Bad Intentions is a standalone bully romance featuring a possessive hockey playing Ice God, and the smart, sheltered object of his obsession.

AMAZON

One day, you’re going to realize how wrong you are. You’re going to understand that I never betrayed you and that I always wanted the best for you, but by then it’ll be too late. The one person you opened up to will be gone forever.”

I have been firmly in my hockey romance era, desperately looking for something similar to S Mastery’s dark hockey romance vibes. When I saw the cover and blurb for this book, I knew instantly this would be my first Mila Kane book. I’ve been eyeing this author for some time, but this blurb finally pushed me over and I’m so happy it did because this book definitely hit the spot.

This is your bad boy from the wrong side of the track meet the good girl trope that I needed. Cayden comes with some real demons from his dark childhood and everything riding on his success in hockey. When the coach of the HHU team takes him under the wing, he knows nothing will stop him from his college hockey dreams, including the coach’s goodie two shoes daughter, Lily.

A restatement to my seriously f-ed up excpectations, I didn’t feel this was as dark as the trigger implied. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t deliciously gray. Because it was. Cade has a painfully dark past and the more you learn about him, the more you want to heal all his bad boy boobos. The trigger warning lists CNC, but I didn’t really feel that in that scene. Not to say it wasn’t deliciously steamy, because it was. There’s some primal play and definitely, hand necklaces, and some rough f-ery. But Lily most definitely enjoys every moment of it.

For all her parent pleasing, outcast/nerdy vibes, Lily is no pushover. She gives as good as she gets when it comes to Cade messing with her. And though I did want her to make him work for it more, especially at the end, the things Cade does to keep her safe made me more than ok with their easy reunion.

This is a promising beginning to a series that I’m definitely looking forward to reading more in and I will definitely be stalking Mila’s backlist. I do wish this was set in college rather than high school, but it was still super entertaining, with grayish undertones, and an intriguing cast of secondary characters.

 

I’m obsessed with cats, coffee, and anti-heroes just the right side of insane.

I write dark and dirty romance with the alpha-holes of your most filthy nightmares.

While I like my heroes obsessed and powerful, I like my heroines smart and independent. My headstrong, capable women will bring their own personal demons to their knees, and capture their hearts at the same time.

I only write SAFE stories, there is never a place for another woman in my heroes sights, once he’s caught the scent of the heroine, and there will always be, no matter how dark and twisted the story might be… a HEA guarantee xx

 

Connect with Mila

Website | https://www.milakane.com/

Amazon | https://amzn.to/44E1nt6

Facebook | www.facebook.com/MilaKanewrites

Facebook Group | https://bit.ly/3NOGG6C

Instagram | www.instagram.com/milakanebooks/

TikTok | www.tiktok.com/@milakanebooks

Pinterest | www.pinterest.co.uk/MilaKaneWrites/

 


 

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, New Adult · Tagged With: , , ,

#DGEFave & Review: The Puck Secret by G.N. Wright

July 11, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

THE PUCK SECRET
Series: Fairfield U #1
Author: G.N. Wright
Genre: New Adult Romance
Release Date: June 16, 2023

Hockey is my life. It’s my only goal, my only escape, and everything was going according to plan. All I had to do was focus on the game, keep my head down, then get drafted into the NHL.

Starting the year as the Captain of FU should have made that easy, but now my attention is torn between the ice and taunting my rival’s little sister, Madeline Peters.

My only real solace is the mystery girl inside my phone who refuses to tell me her name.

Then one drunken knock on the wrong door brings Madeline into my bedroom. It doesn’t matter that I hate her, that I’ve been warned to stay away from her, now that I know what she tastes like, the Mayor’s daughter is just too hard to resist.

I know I can’t afford any distractions, especially not with her brother’s warnings in my ear, but I’ve never been good at following the rules and denying what I want, and what I want is her.

But what do I do when it turns out the same girl I can’t let go of is also the temptress who’s been sending me all of her secrets?

AMAZON

 

She might not even know my name yet, but I know one day I’ll be making her scream it.

I didn’t know this when I started this book, but I am fully now in my Hockey romance era. And this book? OMG! Where has this been all my life and how is this my first GN Wright book? Y’all, obsessed doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Are you going to beg, Princess?” I tease, licking her taste from my lips as I try to restrain myself from going back for more.
“God, I fucking hate you,” she pants, her chest rising and falling in rapid movements as she tries to catch her breath.
“That’s okay,” I say with a smile. “You can still hate me and come on my face at the same time.”

There has never been any love lost between Nova Darkmore and Madeline Peters. He may not hate her as much as her father, but it’s a close third. The second place taken by her twin brother and his hockey teammate, Josh. There’s some convoluted history between these two to say the least. Nova is the boy from the wrong side of the tracks with a golden college hockey career. Madeline is the perfect little obedient daughter of a senator and snob…or so Nova thinks anyway. The tension between these two is almost as palpable as the chemistry.

A drunken night and a wrong phone number later, begins a text exchange with neither of the them knowing who the other is. And OMG this was delicious. But certainly not as delicious as the hate between them brewing into such heated lust that they can’t deny it anymore.

Madeline is put between a rock and a hard place when her father tells her she has to get engaged to a slime back of a guy or he’ll pull his financial support. The last thing she wants is to marry the sleaze ball but she feels like she has little choice if she wants to graduate and stand on her own two feet. Her attraction to her brother’s rival is quite inconvenient. Especially when another drunken mishap lands her on his door looking to even the odds with her philandering “fiancé”. Thus begins their push and pull, we can’t but we can’t stop relationship and oh my god was I here for it. Nova is what my book boyfriend dreams are made out of. A little tortured with a sprinkle of dirty talk and all of the possessiveness. Madeline was a ball of sass herself even though I wanted to judge her for caving so easily to her father…who I hated so hard. But I digress.

This was the beginning of what’s bound to be one amazing new series and I cannot wait for more. I devoured this in one sitting and if you’re on the fence with this book, trust me and just read it. You’ll be kicking yourself for not doing it sooner.

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance, New Adult · Tagged With: , , , ,

#DGRFave & Review: The Love of My Next Life by Brit Benson

July 10, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

THE LOVE OF MY NEXT LIFE
Series: Next Life Duet #1
Author: Brit Benson
Genre: New Adult Romance
Release Date: September 8, 2022

I calmed his demons.
He created mine.

Macon Davis.
My best friend’s brother.
My tormentor.
My least favorite person.
Pothead. Delinquent.
A careless, directionless loser.

That’s what I used to believe,
but I didn’t really know him.
And when I finally saw him,
it was the best and worst thing to ever happen to me.

We burned hot and fast.
Passion. Anger. Love. Pain.
We were reckless. Naive.
We were doomed from the start.

When I finally saw Macon Davis for who he was,
we both went down in the flames.

***
The Love of My Next Life is part one of a duet.
It is just as much a love story as it is a tale of ruin.
While the duet will end in an HEA, book one does not.

AMAZON

She’s an addiction. My worst fucking addiction.”

I was desperately looking for a deliciously angsty romance that was bound to hurt my feelings. I’ve seen this book pop up a few times on my Instagram so I thought, why not. And after binge reading this book well into the night to finish it in one sitting, I immediately kicked myself for waiting this long to read a book by this author. BECAUSE OH My GOD! This was everything I didn’t even realize I needed.

Beg for it, Lennon Capri,” he rasps. His voice is low, breathless. He’s teetering on the edge, just like me. “Be a good girl and ask me nicely for your orgasm.”

Lennon is the quintessential good girl who moves to a new town with her widower father. While she makes quick friends with Claire Davis in her new school, her brother is a whole other story. Their contentious relationship evolves into a deeply toxic one full of heated looks and barbed insults. Lennon is now 17 and yet nothing has changed with her and Macon Davis from the time she was 9, except the sulky boy grew into an even more troubled teenager. And yet there’s a string that tethers them together despite their best efforts.

Macon is the quintessential bad boy who turns to drugs to deal with his pain. Being attracted to his sister’s best friend is the last thing he needs, but neither of them realize the similarities between them until they get thrown together in the community center they both work at unbeknownst to the other.

I hate myself a little less when Lennon is around, even on days when she hates me enough for the both of us.

This book was what my toxic angsty dreams were made out of. The back and forth these two shared and the dark past that Macon can’t move on from was addictive to read. Lennon is no pushover and I love that she gave as good as she got. Admittedly, I hated Claire and couldn’t understand the friendship they had. Lennon was way too understanding with her but that did nothing to take away any of my enjoyment. If anything, it heightened it further.

If you’re looking for a deeply angsty book with a slow burn and sizzling chemistry, look no further. And if you need me, leave me alone, because I’m immediately binging on book two!!

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, New Adult · Tagged With: , , , ,

Review: Rogue by Elle Kennedy

March 16, 2023 by · 4 Comments

ROGUE
Series: Prep #2
Genre: New Adult Romance
Author: Elle Kennedy
Release Date: March 7, 2023

From New York Times bestselling author Elle Kennedy comes the return to Sandover Prep, where secrets lurk in the dark and no one is safe when they come into the light.

It’s been a long time since Casey Tresscott has felt like her life was her own. After the car accident that nearly cost her everything, she’s used to her family’s coddling and the relentless whispers at school, no matter how much they sting. After all, she’s found a safe harbor in her budding relationship with Sandover’s golden boy, Fenn Bishop…or so she thinks.

Beneath Fenn’s pretty, party-boy surface is a dangerous truth about the night Casey almost died. He thought lying to her was the right thing to do, but when the secret shakes loose, he just might lose her for good.

Because Casey is done being taken advantage of.

Grasping for the control she’s been missing, Casey finally snaps—telling off her bullies, gallivanting with rebels and playboys, and shirking her headmaster father’s strict curfews, despite the consequences. A desperate Fenn must ally with his stepbrother RJ and the other Sandover delinquents to uncover the full story of Casey’s accident and the ones responsible if he hopes to win her back.

But what happens if Casey is no longer the same girl he first fell for? Is there any hope for their future if she’s gone rogue for good?

AMAZON

I blink back the moisture coating my lashes. “Why’d it have to be you?” His answer is a kiss.

I have sat on my review for days, completely torn in how to rate this. As much as I loved Misfit, it pains me to admit that I struggled immensely with the second installment.

First, if you’re planning to read this as a standalone, stop right there. While each book is a new couple, the story arc continues throughout the series, as well as some character arcs. Rogue was similar to Misfit in which you get primarily the main characters POV in addition to some secondary characters.

Now as for my rating, this was tough. While I liked the drama and enjoyed the mystery of Casey’s accident unfold, the romance was completely lackluster. Honestly, I’d go so far as to say I didn’t really feel this was a romance at all. While I rooted for Casey and Fenn in book one, the second half of this book had me feeling no sort of way about them at all.

The jaw dropping ending of Misfit revealed a small snippet into Casey’s accident, and the entirety of this book is focused on the fall out and the further revelations. We also see Casey take a total personality change. She goes from quiet, demure, and timidly non confrontational to a total ball buster. I didn’t hate it, and loved seeing her finally stand up for herself. But it was also so sudden and such a 180, it was hard to buy it at times too.

RJ and Sloane took a turn too. There was a certain thing that Sloane convinces RJ to do that had me seriously judging him and how much he chess to his girlfriend’s dramatic flare. As for Sloane, I absolutely LOATHED her in this book. She became intolerable and I really hope we get some redeeming features for her in the next book.

As for Casey and Fenn? I was so disappointed with the romance of this book, I’m still mad. There was a particular event, which I won’t spoil, but it seriously ruined any semblance of romance between them. I understand that Casey was mad, but the decision that she made was just…UGH. I hated it. This was even more disappointing by the fact I felt more chemistry with Lawson and Casey than with Fenn. I didn’t understand why this had to happen. It felt unnecessary and outside of additional fallout, didn’t do much in driving the plot forward. It could have been the same effect had the decision not been as extreme as it was.

Sadly, this book took me 7 days to finish and when I was marinating on my rating, I understood there was more things I disliked than enjoyed. So while the story kept me entertained, the characters frustrated me to no end and the romance was almost non existent. I’m really hoping books three turns things around for me because I’m still super invested in this series.


4 Comments · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance, New Adult · Tagged With: ,

Review: Rivals by Piper Lawson

January 24, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

RIVALS
Genre: Rockstar Romance
Author: Piper Lawson
Release Date: January 24, 2023

When the biggest rockstar in the world invited me into his home, there was one rule:

Don’t touch his daughter.

For a kid from the wrong side of the tracks with no future, the offer should have been a dream come true.

Classy new digs.

A fancy prep school.

Someone who cares what happens to me.

Except for that rule.

The rich pricks at my new school worship me. I couldn’t care less.

She’s the one person who makes me feel worthwhile.

I want to save her from the turmoil eating up her picture-perfect world.

But she thinks I’m her rival: for her friends, her future, her father’s love.

I should keep my distance.

Avoid rescuing her from the assholes at school.

Definitely pretend I can’t see in her bedroom window from the pool house.

There are only two obsessions my life—music…and her.

All I have is my talent to set me free.

But my future will burn if I can’t stay away.

Rivals is an epic, angsty romance featuring two people from opposite sides of the track forced together by a forbidden love that could cost them everything. One-click today and find out if the damaged boy in the pool house can be the happily ever after she’s looking for!


Note: If you have previously read A Love Song for Liars, A Love Song for Rebels, and a Love Song for Dreamers, the new RIVALS ebook also contains an extended epilogue short story.

AMAZON

A man who’s seen heaven is more dangerous than one who only believes. And I’ll never forget how it feels to have you need me.”

Did this book take me a full week to finish? Yes, yes it did. Did I enjoy it all the same? Yes, yes I did.

Admittedly, this was my first book by this author, and inevitably won’t be my last. At first, the pacing of the story threw me off, but then I realized that this was first released as a trilogy and it made a bit more sense. The relationship between Tyler and Annie spans years and full of first love, heartbreak, and angst.

Annie, the daughter of a famous rock star, dreams of a life on the stage. Her father, who knows the dark pitfalls of that life wants to do shelter her from it. Tyler is a young protege who he moves into their poorhouse and is getting the side of Annie’s father she only dreams about. When we first meet Tyler and Annie, its years into their relationship, but still when they’re young adults in high school. Annie has crushed on Tyler, but he’s the reigning bad boy of their school. Once friends, their relationship is now strained because he took popularity over her, or so it seems anyway.

Now, I think if I had read this as individual books in the series but not as one, I wouldn’t have taken issue with the pacing. But I couldn’t help but feel it was a bit stretched out for my personal tastes. It wasn’t boring by any means, but it also didn’t immerse and grab me either. Instead of the usual final act break up, we get three, which was a bit frustrating. Though they weren’t all big ones and some was just life and them pursuing their own dreams.

This was emotional with a splash of steam and plenty of feels. I would have loved to been deeper immersed in the music side of Tyler’s career, but it was still entertaining. Having now met his daughter, I need to read her father’s book in Good Girl. This was a heartfelt story of first love, first heartbreak, and timing being everything. I loved that Annie never stopped pursuing her dreams and I loved how both of them melded this together. It was immensely satisfying in the end.

Piper Lawson is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of smart and steamy romance.

She writes women who follow their dreams, best friends who know your dirty secrets and love you anyway, and complex heroes you’ll fall hard for.

Piper lives in Canada with her tall and brilliant husband. She’s a sucker for dark eyes, dark coffee, and dark chocolate. 

Connect with Piper

Website: https://www.piperlawsonbooks.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13680088.Piper_Lawson

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

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

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

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/piper-lawson

    

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance, New Adult · Tagged With: ,

Review: Good Girl Fail by Roni Loren

January 17, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

GOOD GIRL FAIL
Author: Roni Loren
Genre: Erotic, MMF Romance
Release Date: January 17, 2023

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Loving on the Edge and the Say Anything series comes a new steamy standalone MMF romance that proves good girls can have fun too…especially when she’s their good girl.


O’Neal Lory has been taught that one mistake can undo an entire life of right decisions. That it doesn’t matter if a person has been good ninety-nine percent of the time. One misstep, one snap judgment, can derail everything. So, she’s taken a lot of right steps on the straight and narrow path. Eighteen years of them, in fact. Perfect grades. No rules broken. And definitely no boys.

Until she kisses him.

Auden Blake knows he shouldn’t touch his little sister’s best friend, knows that innocent girls like her should stay far, far away from him and his roommate Lennox—especially when she could reveal their behind-closed-doors activities to his family. But when sheltered O’Neal goes rogue, ditching her scholarship to a conservative all-girls college and showing up at Bennette State—his school—instead, it’s going to take everything Auden has to keep his and Lennox’s hands off the curious good girl whose teach me vibes could unravel them both.

Good Girl Fail is a full-length standalone MMF romance with lots of steam, two heroes who like to share and get a little bossy, and a good girl heroine who’s about to break every rule that’s ever been placed upon her.

AMAZON

 

I would’ve happily taught you anything you wanted to know too.” He gave her a full smile, a wicked gleam in his eyes. “Feel free to reach out later if you want. You can get your bachelor’s degree with Auden. When you’re ready for your master’s, come and find me.”

I have spent years waiting for Roni to get back to her erotic romance/BDSM roots. I first discovered and fell in love with her writing with her Loving On The Edge series. So when she announced this book, I was giddy with fangirl excitement. A New Adult MMF poly romance? Yes, please and thank you!

It’s funny because third person POV used to be all I read back in the day. Now I struggle to read anything outside of first person. I can’t help but wish this was written in first person POV because I would have loved it that much more. But while it took me a minute to get used to the third, it never detracted from the story.

O’Neal Lory is the definition of sheltered. She grew up in a deeply religious household with two very strict grandparents who didn’t allow her to do much of anything. And generally, this sort of naiveté is not my cuppa when it comes to my MFCs, there was something so endearing about O’Neal that I couldn’t help but like her. Was she super sheltered, yes. But she also recognized that and rebelled against her strict upbringing in a smart way. She made the difficult decision to follow her own path and attend the university of her choice that her mother had attended, against her grandparents’ wishes, causing them to essentially disown her.

O’Neal has been crushing on her best friend’s older brother for as long as she’s been aware of boys. But even though they shared one fiery kiss, Auden knows he’s not for her. She’s too sweet and naive for him. But when O’Neal ends up at his university, the chemistry between them is too much to deny. But the Auden that he is at home, is not the same man he is at school. Auden hides his sexual cravings from his small town, so no one but his best friend and roommate knows about his dominance and desire to share.

When O’Neal all but dares him to teach her, he’s up for the challenge. And so is his sinfully sexy best friend, Lennox.

This story was fiery hot, and I loved the dynamic between Auden and Lennox. I loved their bond and friendship, but especially their chemistry. I loved the way O’Neal added to their dynamic and her innocence wrapped in passion. This is a girl that doesn’t live by her past and doesn’t shy away from her desires. I loved that about her.

My one quibble with this book is the story arc of O’Neal’s mother. There’s so much attention given to this and quite a lot centered around it, yet it ultimately felt highly anticlimactic and unresolved. The romance was amazing, and I loved these three together, but I also couldn’t help but feel something was missing. Maybe a longer epilogue? Maybe another book? I can’t quite place my finger on it, but something was missing to make this a solid 4 for me.

I can’t help but hope this will be the start of a new series because I want more of this world from this author.

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Erotic Rom, New Adult · Tagged With: , , ,

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.

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Dark, New Adult · Tagged With: , ,

Review: Playing Hard To Get by Monica Murphy

December 1, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

PLAYING HARD TO GET
Author: Monica Murphy
Genre: New Adult Romance
Release Date: December 1, 2022

Knox Maguire is the king of our college campus.

Star offensive tight end on the football team.

He is the complete opposite of me in every way.

I’m quiet. He’s loud.

I’m shy. He’s definitely not.

Everyone loves him. No one knows me.

Fresh out of a breakup, I don’t really trust him, and why should I? Knox is the ultimate player. When I become his English tutor, I tell myself we need to keep things between us strictly business. Watching my mother deal with my ex-athlete father long, long ago taught me to stay far away from that type of man.

Yet Knox is impossible to resist. Next thing I know, we’re getting hot and heavy in the library—and that was never part of the plan. When Knox admits he can’t stop thinking about me, I have a realization.

I can’t stop thinking about him either.

Instead of keeping my distance, I pull him in closer. Until somehow, we’re spending all of our time together and I find myself falling for Knox. Hard.

Will this actually work between us? Or am I getting played?

AMAZON

You are my end goal, Jo Jo.”

My whole heart right now. It’s been a minute since I read a good college sports romance, and man did this deliver on all fronts.

I love when authors interconnect their characters throughout their books. And if you all loved Drew and Fable from One Week Girlfriend and recall Fable’s brother Owen in Four Years Later, prepare to meet his son Knox Maguire in this one. Knox is the football team’s tight end well on his way to the NFL. Knox has a packed schedule and a class in which he knows he’s going to struggle is the last thing he needs. He needs to focus, so what’s a man to do? Swear off women and go celibate of course. But you know what they say about no good dead…

Enter Joanna Sutton, the quiet studious girl who just got out of a three year relationship with a heartbreak she’s not yet over. She doesn’t like to be the center of attention and she doesn’t like jocks who draw all attention to them. So the ridiculously handsome Knox is the last man she should be spending time with. But when Knox hires her as his tutor following the most adorable meet cute at the book store she works in, sparks fly.

This was such a sweet romance, packed full of emotion and with a splash of steam. Knox is a reformed manwhore who is a total cinnamon role. And while that’s not usually my thing, it just worked for me here. The way he pursued Joanna and the easy camaraderie between them just did it for me. He’s not used to women turning him down, yet that’s what Jo seems to do at every turn. She’s not impressed with his rep and unwittingly forces him to chase her. I loved their banter and their instant chemistry and slow burn romance.

This was a one sitting read that I enjoyed from start to finish and I can’t wait for more in this series. Hopefully we get Knox’s sister’s book next. I do love me the brother’s best friend trope.

 

Monica Murphy is a New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling romance author. Her books have been translated in almost a dozen languages and have sold over two million copies worldwide. Both a traditionally published and independently published author, she writes young adult, new adult and contemporary romance.

A native Californian, she lives on fourteen acres in the middle of nowhere with her husband, son, their goofy dog, and three cats. When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about writing. Or reading. Or binge watching something.

 

Connect with Monica

Website | Goodreads  | Amazon | Facebook | Facebook Group | Instagram | Twitter | Bookbub | Pinterest | Verve Romance | Tik Tok 

 


 

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance, New Adult · Tagged With: , , ,

Review: Bad Girl Reputation by Elle Kennedy

October 4, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

BAD GIRL REPUTATION
Series: Avalon Bay #2
Genre: Contemporary, New Adult Romance
Author: Elle Kennedy
Release Date: October 4, 2022

When former bad girl Genevieve West returns home for her mother’s funeral, she’s prepared to keep her distance from her ex-boyfriend, Evan Hartley. Their history is rife with turbulence. And passion. A heck of a lot of passion… which she’s trying desperately to forget.

But it’s impossible not to run into Evan in the small coastal town where they once ran wild. And the moment she sees her gorgeous ex again, it’s clear to Gen that Evan is still as unruly, sexy, and irresistible as ever. This time around, however, she’s resolved to walk a new path. No more partying. No more foolish mistakes. Her plan is to temporarily remain in town to help her father run his business, but the second he finds somebody else, she’s out of there.

Evan has other ideas. He knows they can be good together, but he just has to convince Genevieve of that, even if it means turning over a new leaf himself. But can a bad reputation ever truly be shed? Do second chances really work? Genevieve and Evan are about to find out.

Bestselling author Elle Kennedy returns to Avalon Bay in this sexy second chance story about two exes who can’t stay away from each other, Bad Girl Reputation.

AMAZON  | PAPERBACK 

…a year gone, and I’d finally trained myself to stop thinking about her every time this thing or that reminded me of another time when. So of course, just when I’ve almost got her out of my system, she’s back. A fresh, unfiltered shot straight into my bloodstream when I was damn near clean. Now all I taste are her lips. I feel her nails down my back every night while I’m lying in bed. I wake up hearing her voice. It’s infuriating.

Know what I love more than a second chance romance? A second chance romance written by Elle Kennedy. *dreamy sigh*

I have been eagerly anticipating the story of the other Hartley brother ever since I greedily devoured Good Girl Complex. As much as I loved Carter, I couldn’t wait to get to the heart of the more reckless twin, and boy did he deliver.

Ever since Evan was old enough to notice girls, the only one he noticed was Genevieve. And growing up, these two were like fire and gasoline. Their toxic back and forth only fueled by the undeniable chemistry between them and their reckless behavior. So much so that everyone knew their reputation in high school. Evan, the heartbreakingly handsome bad boy, and Gen, the stunning bad girl who caused havoc together until the day Gen suddenly left town without so much as a goodbye. Now she’s back for her mother’s funeral, and Evan is like a moth to a flame.

But Gen is no longer the reckless bad girl who left the small town. She’s grown up, she’s changed, or at least she’s working on it. But tough to prove yourself in a town that remembers you at your worst and an ex that you can’t seem to stay away from.

We don’t get enough bad girls in romance, and Gen is one FMC I could really get behind. I love a good redemption arc, and this is a girl that hit a low and now working on bringing herself up and staying away from her triggers, like her reckless ex. But chemistry like theirs is impossible to ignore.

I can’t place my finger on exactly why, but I didn’t quite devour this one as quickly as I did book one. And while I really enjoyed it, it still took me 4 days to finish. There was nothing specific either, I just didn’t get as enraptured in this story as I did the previous one. Did I enjoy it? Absolutely! Did I adore Gen and Evan together? Without a doubt. Do I recommend this for fans of steamy second chance with a bad boy and reformed bad girl? YES. I really loved Evan’s growth in this story as much as I did Gen’s. And while I can’t say it was my favorite, it was still a super satisfying fun read and I can’t wait for more in this series

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance, New Adult · Tagged With: , ,

Review: Misfit by Elle Kennedy

July 26, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

MISFIT
Series: Prep #1
Genre: New Adult Romance
Author: Elle Kennedy
Release Date: July 26, 2022

Welcome to Sandover Prep, where the delinquents roam…and you can’t trust a soul.

Finding out your mom is marrying some rich dude you’ve never met is enough to make any eighteen-year-old guy’s head spin. But for RJ SHAW, it only gets worse: he’s being sent to Sandover Prep for senior year. If there’s one place a misfit hacker like RJ doesn’t belong, it’s an ivy-covered all-boys boarding school for rich delinquents.

RJ knows his stay at Sandover will be temporary. Which means there’s no point making friends or trying to fit in. But the plan to remain antisocial goes awry when he meets a gorgeous girl in the woods on campus. SLOANE TRESSCOTT is pure temptation, with a sharp tongue and an ice princess attitude RJ’s determined to crack. Except there’s a catch. Sloane is the one girl he is forbidden from touching.

The headmaster’s daughter.

Good thing RJ doesn’t believe in rules. Sure, Sloane insists she’s swearing off guys this year, but their connection is impossible to deny. He wants her bad, and he’s going to win her over if it kills him.

Unless her ex-boyfriend kills him first.

The ruling king of Sandover will stop at nothing to get rid of his competition. Luckily, RJ’s unwittingly made some friends—his new stepbrother FENN, a pretty boy with a self-destructive streak; LAWSON, self-proclaimed agent of chaos; and SILAS, the All-American Good Guy who can’t actually be as nice as he seems.

If RJ wants to survive prep school and win Sloane’s heart, he’ll need to adapt—and fast.

AMAZON

What,” I say innocently, “you’re not confident about your dick game? Pity”
RJ’s gaze transforms from hot to molten. “Sweetheart, my dick is always the most confident motherfucker in the room.”

Having read and obsessed over Paper Princess, when I tell you I may have peed a little in excitement when Elle Kennedy announced this new series may be an understatement. There’s just something about rich kid drama that takes me back to my obsession roots of Cruel Intentions, Gossip Girl, and 90210. This book was like a mashup of all of them and I was HOOKED.

It’s been a long time since I read a book that hooked me so thoroughly within the first few pages. But not only did this book hook me, it kept me glued to the pages until the very end.

Now usually I’m not a fan of the multiple POVs in romance books. And most books I’ve read that had this lost the romance along the way. The multiple character POVs got confusing and watered down the plot. This was definitely not the case here. If anything, the additional character POVs enriched and added to the plot to make it all the more delicious. Particularly the hedonistic Lawson with his evil intentions. God, I can’t wait until his book. But I digress.

While it sounds cliche, outcast loner meets the headmaster’s daughter, forbidden romance thing. This book was anything but. RJ and Sloane were such charismatic personalities that I couldn’t get enough. I love reading about females in NA romance that own who they are and they’re also not shy virgins. I seriously loved how confident Sloane is with her sexuality and appeal to men. She knows she’s attractive and she makes RJ work for it. And god did I love how he chased her.

RJ’s flighty mother marries a rich guy and suddenly he’s immersed in an entirely different world of prep school, private schools, and a new step brother. A loner by his own admission, RJ doesn’t like to form ties because he knows it won’t last. After all, the guy has switched schools 5 times in the last 3 years due to his mother’s moving around. He’s a rebel without a cause and I fell head over heels for him immediately.

We get introduce to the cast of enigmatic characters like his step brother Fenn, his friends Lawson and Silas. As well as Sloane and her sister Casey. Did I also get intrigued by Sloane’s douchey ex, Duke? Yes, yes I did. But that’s a discussion for another day.

Misfit was a finger licking mix of drama and romance and man was I here for all of it. If this book is any indication we’re in for a heck of a ride with this series, and I can’t wait for more. We get Fenn’s story next and after the jaw dropper of an ending to hook his book, I’m absolutely dying for it. This is a full standalone romance with what shows to be a continuing story arc that will go into the next book. I’m totally and completely hooked!

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance, New Adult · Tagged With: , , ,
Copyright © 2015 · Dirty Girl Romance

%d bloggers like this: