Review: ✩Prisoner✩ by @Annika_Martin & @skye_warren

He seethes with raw power the first time I see him—pure menace and rippling muscles in shackles. He’s dangerous. He’s wild. He’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.So I hide behind my prim glasses and my book like I always do, because I have secrets too. Then he shows up in the prison writing class I have to teach, and he blows me away with his honesty. He tells me secrets in his stories, and it’s getting harder to hide mine. I shiver when he gets too close, with only the cuffs and the bars and the guards holding him back. At night I can’t stop thinking about him in his cell.

But that’s the thing about an animal in a cage—you never know when he’ll bite. He might use you to escape. He might even pull you into a forest and hold a hand over your mouth so you can’t call for the cops. He might make you come so hard, you can’t think.

And you might crave him more than your next breath.


Some people have a relationship that’s sunshine and roses. Our is darkness and vengeance.

If you’ve read the blurb, then you probably picked up on the fact that it pretty much tells you nothing. As far as descriptions go, it’s very vague…AND THAT’S IMPORTANT. I’d advise you to read as little reviews about this book if not any before diving in. Trust me, you’ll enjoy it that much more. What are some things I can tell you about it?

1. Prepare to read it in one sitting.
I’m not even kidding. This story sucked me in from the very first page and I was utterly incapable of setting it down until the last one.

2. I wouldn’t classify it as dark, per say. Sure it has a darker undercurrent, it’s definitely on the grittier end, and there are scenes that are violent and even some that border on non-consent. BUT, all that being said, I didn’t find it that dark. I’ve read darker. That doesn’t make it any less good.


See, here’s something for you to ponder. You’re smart, so you need to be thinking what you are to me right now. Do you know what you are to me, Ms. Winslow?”

Abigail hides behind her books and her glasses. She’s not meek, but she’s not exactly “noticeable”. Her childhood hasn’t exactly been sunshine and butterflies, and she’s not looking to go back. When she accepts an assignment from the English Department where she studies to teach a class in prison, she questions her ability. But nothing shakes her more than her very first meeting with him.

Grayson.
Sweet baby jebus, their first meeting was one of the most intense ones I’ve read in a while. I knew right then that this was going to be good, and I was not disappointed in the least. Holy shit.


Pain is a funny thing. We fight so hard to avoid it, almost more than death. But it’s the only thing that binds us. Going through pain together, and coming out on the other side, is the only form of friendship I’ve ever known.

He was such a tortured character, but he also had a very endearing vulnerability to him as well. Maybe that’s also why I wasn’t as bothered by the couple’s almost instantaneous connection. It somehow fit the both of them. Don’t get me wrong, Grayson was not a soft man. Fuck no. He was intense with an undercurrent of brutality, and yet there was always something about him that no matter what fucked up thing he does, you can’t help but love him.

This isn’t a fucking fairy tale. I’m not going to turn into a good guy because her cunt is made of velvet and rainbows.

Abigail was a force to be reckoned with herself. I loved that she wasn’t the meek little kitten that she comes off as in the very beginning. She certainly had a fierceness to her, though she does make some stupid decisions along the way. I never quite understood why she was the way she was though. Sure we get her childhood history and that puts some pieces together, just not all.

I want to hurt her and I want to protect her. Break her and shield her.

Grayson was my favorite part of the story. As intimidating and fucked up as he is, he’s also fiercely protective. This is not a man that enjoys sweet and easy in bed. This is a man that fucks and fucks hard. And this girl is NOT complaining.

I absolutely loved the dynamic between the side characters that are introduced. The subject matter is not a light one of how they all came together and I can already tell we’re in for some amazing books in this series. I’m especially intrigued by Stone. I love me a good asshole and that was one giant, violent, walking asshole. But oh man do I get the feeling his book is going to be fantastic. I can’t wait to read about the woman that will bring him to his knees. The bigger they are…

But that is all you will be getting from me. Only thing I can tell you here is READ THIS BOOK. Do it. It’s a gritty, suspenseful, erotic, and completely unputdownable romance that you will never want to end. It’s not entirely dark and yet it’s definitely not rainbows and unicorns. What it is, is addictingly good. So good in fact, that you’ll be dying for the next book as soon as you finish. But you won’t get any pity from me, since I’m in that fucking boat right now LOL 😉

Review: ☆Hot Rebel☆ by @LynnRayeHarris

A rebel on the run…

Victoria Royal is a traitor. Or so the U.S. government believes. Victoria was once a promising sniper in the Army, but now she’s gone rogue—worse, she’s just landed in the middle of a Hostile Operations Team mission in the desert and blasted it all to hell.
Nick “Brandy” Brandon doesn’t expect to run into Victoria when he’s bugging out from a mission gone wrong. It’s been more than three years since she disappeared from the sniper course they were in together, and he’s finally stopped thinking about her killer curves and smart mouth.But now she’s back—and she’s far more dangerous than Nick ever believed possible…

Is she really a traitor? Or is there something more at stake? He has to decide fast—because time’s running out and too many lives hang in the balance…

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Review4.5 stars 

She’d disappeared a little over three years ago, and now she was here in the middle of a war zone, fucking up his mission.

You know what I love about this series? Freaking EVERYTHING. The fact that it only continues to get better and better with each new installment is just the icing on the cake. Lynn Raye Harris is able to deliver heart pounding suspense with a sensual and sizzling romance that all together adds up to an addicting and unputdownable read.

She looked like a somewhat frightened and helpless woman, and yet he knew she was a deadly assassin. The same as he was. She was like one of those startlingly beautiful creatures in the wild- colorful and attractive, but deadly when touched.

Nothing better than a bad ass heroine in my eyes, but make her a hot shot sniper and yet at the same time endearingly vulnerable and put her together with a cocky and yet endearingly protective hero?

Victoria Royal has been deemed a traitor by the US army and kicked out of the sniper training program all because her sister has been cavorting with a known terrorist. Determined to clear her name and rescue her sister who no longer seems to be voluntarily staying with a man that is on the US terrorist watch list, Victoria plays mercenary for a man that she hopes has some kernel of information about where her sister is. When her mission brings her face to face, or snope to snope as it were, with a face from her past, everything changes.

But this- him- she was out of her element.
It had come on fast. Too fast.
This crazy pull between hem was disconcerting and exciting all at once. 

Nick “Brandy” Brandon hasn’t seen Victoria since she left sniper training, but he’s never forgotten her. So when she comes in, guns blazing, and blows his mission to hell and back, he’s determined to not let her go this time. Whether she’s willing or not, he’ll bring her in, and she’ll work on the right side to help bring a known terrorist to justice.

I devoured this book just as I did the others in the series, but I think this one may be my favorite yet. The chemistry between Victoria and Nick was absolutely sizzling.

He reached for her, pulled her against his chest, and tilted her head back with both his hands on her face. He was a fucking goner. He was like an addict being offered a fix, and he couldn’t say no.

Both of them may try to fight it, but their pull to each other is undeniable.

I want you, Nick Brandon. I don’t know why, but I do. Badly. You’ve been under my skin since the first moment I saw you back in training, and while I have no fucking clue what I’m doing, I think I’d regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t do this with you.

I have to admit, I could have done without Victoria being a (highlight to view spoiler)virgin (end spoiler)[virgin at 25 (hide spoiler)]. I’m growing kind of bored with that particular thing, but then again her explanation of why did make sense, so it didn’t bother me too much.

I can tell you that absolutely everything about this book worked for me; the action, the suspense, the romance, the characters. I also loved that Lynn began to weave a secondary POV into the story of the MC from the next book. I loved getting that little peek inside of “Iceman”.

If you’re a fan of romantic suspense, I’ve said it in all my reviews of this series, and I’ll say it again; THIS IS A MUST READ. Trust me. You’ll thank me for it later 😉

Don’t miss the rest of the series!

Hot Pursuit (Hostile Operations Team #1)
Hot Mess (Hostile Operations Team #2)

 


 

Review: ☆Hot Shot☆ by @LynnRayeHarris

Cool under pressure… Until now.

Hostile Operations Team sniper Jack “Hawk” Hunter is cool, methodical, and utterly lethal. Nothing rattles Jack’s calm. But that was before he learned he fathered a child three years ago—a child who has just been kidnapped.

Gina Domenico is a superstar, a pop sensation with a string of hit records. But deep inside, she’s still the lonely girl she’s always been. When Jack saved her from an arms dealer, they spent three unforgettable days together waiting for rescue—and Gina fell hard for the sexy soldier before he walked away forever.

But now she needs his help and she’ll do anything to get it. Though Jack can never forgive Gina for keeping his child from him, he’ll do everything in his power—and HOT’s—to bring their son home safely.

Nothing is what it seems, however, and their fates hang in the balance as someone else pulls the strings…and brings them ever closer to an explosive confrontation that could either save their son—or cost them everything.

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Review
4 stars

Even if you were thinking about something other than my gun, I’m not interested,” he told her. “Not ever again. You’re gorgeous and you know it. But you’re a fucking liar- and I can’t stand a liar.”

Three years ago pop sensation, Gina Domenico, was at the wrong place at a very wrong time. Caught on the wrong side of flying bullets during a mission, she’s rescued by the sexy HOT operator and sniper, Jack “Hawk” Hunter. Jack knows he has no business with the beauty, especially since her fame can cost them their carefully planned op. But that doesn’t stop them from sharing three passionate days together…to never hear from each other again.

Three years later the last person that Jacks expects to get a phone call from is Gina when her son is kidnapped. But what he expects even less is to find out that he fathered that child. To say he’s furious is an understatement. He may never forgive Gina for keeping his son from him, but he will stop at nothing from getting him back.

Jack was one of those heroes that no matter how much of an asshole he may have been to Gina at times, you can’t help but to feel for him. Having lost his wife all those years ago changed him and he know’s he’ll never be able to replace that one time love.

I really appreciated that the author never downplayed Jack’s love for his wife while at the same time never making it feel like Gina was a consolation prize. Miss Harris did a fantastic job painting the picture of a man that lost a young love and struggles when he begins to develop feelings for a different woman. That’s not to say that he didn’t have his asshole moments, because he certainly did…a lot of them. (But then again, I’m into that sort of thing)

Gina was sassy and take charge, while also dealing with her own painful past and not so smooth present. That doesn’t mean that she lets Jack walk all over her. She gave as good as she got, and then some.

Sex sells, baby. Or haven’t you heard.”
“Then you’re doing a fine job of selling it.”
“You’re an asshole, you know that? You don’t get to judge me or make assumptions about my business just because I’m wearing a dress that makes you hard. Jerk off tonight if you must, but blame yourself, not me.”

The chemistry between these two was positively sizzling. As hard as they try to fight their attractions, it is pretty much inevitable that eventually they’ll give in. Gina knows that Jack will never forgive her, but that doesn’t stop her heart from falling for a man that may never feel anything other than lust for her.

Hot Shot was another sexy and action packed installment in the HOT series that you are not going to want to put down for a second. I especially loved the banter between Jack and Gina…

This thing won’t go off, will it?”
“No. But don’t pull it no matter what. It’s for me, not you.”
“The damn thing is between MY legs.”
“I know. Guns and pussy. Two of my favorite things on earth.”

The author gives us a perfectly built romance in the midst of high action ops and suspense.

Each book only continues to get better, and I cannot wait to read Victoria and Nick’s book next. That set up sounds utterly delicious. If you’re a fan of sexy romantic suspense, I can’t recommend this series enough.

Don’t miss the rest of the series!

Hot Pursuit (Hostile Operations Team #1)
Hot Mess (Hostile Operations Team #2)

 


 

 

Review: ☆Dangerously Hot☆ by @LynnRayeHarris

 

The world’s most wanted man is back from the dead. And only one woman can stop him… 

Former Army linguist Lucky San Ramos escaped with her life, but the scars an evil terrorist leader left on her skin are a constant reminder of her captivity. Now her tormentor is back—and so is the sexy Special Operations soldier she once loved.

HOT operator Kevin “Big Mac” MacDonald rescued Lucky the last time. And then he walked away when he couldn’t be what she needed. When Lucky married his teammate, Kev knew it was for the best. But now Marco is dead and Lucky is no longer safe.

When Kev and Lucky team up to capture a terrorist, they’ll have to pretend to be man and wife on an explosive military mission to a war-torn nation. With time running out and the fate of the world hanging in the balance, Kev and Lucky play a perilous game of cat and mouse with a madman during the day.

But at night, they battle the secrets of the past and the sizzling attraction that threatens to endanger the mission. Lucky shouldn’t want the man who abandoned her once before. But the passion between them is sinfully, sensuously, dangerously hot… and proving impossible to resist.

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Review4 stars

In Kev’s world, sex with a variety of women was easy. It was love that was impossible.

If you want an action packed and sexy romantic suspense, this is the series you really need to get acquainted with. I’ve been looking for a long time for something similar to Cindy Gerard’s Black Ops series, and I’m so happy I stumbled onto HOT. Each book only gets better and better…and did I mention sexier?

Lucinda “Lucky” San Ramos narrowly escaped death when she was captured by a terrorist during a mission. Left with a daily reminder of her torture not only through her surface scars, but internal ones too, she left active duty and moved to Hawaii…only to lose her husband during a mission 2 years later. Now a widow, she’s trying to move on and forget her past life…and everyone in it; including her husband’s best friend and current HOT operator, Kevin “Big Mac” MacDonald. Unfortunately her plans change when the man himself shows up at her doorstep telling her she’s their only hope to catch a terrorist she long thought was dead.

Mac has always been attracted to Lucky, but he knew he was no good for her, so he pushed her off to his best friend and watched her from afar. Having been the one that rescued her those years ago, he tried to stay in touch with her but she wanted nothing to do with him. Now his orders are to bring her in and convince her to go on a mission that’s just as dangerous as the one that once got her captured. But that’s not his hardest mission, that would be trying to fight his undeniable attraction to a woman that seems to be completely immune to his Southern good ole’ boy charm.

Nipples? That’s your proof? I haven’t been warm since I landed in this icebox and you think my nipples are hard for any other reason?”
Stop now, dude. Just stop. “Yeah, I do.”
She snorted. “We all want you, don’t we, Southern boy? You turn up the drawl and we fling our panties at you?” She flicked her fingers at him. “Take your drawl down to the bar and get laid so your brain will be clear again. I’m going back to sleep.”

Stuck together on a mission where they pretend to be husband and wife, forces them to confront all those long forgotten feelings; Kev’s guilt over wanting his best friend’s widow and Lucky’s never forgotten feelings to a man that didn’t want her those years ago.

…She feared Kev. The way he made her feel. Her emotions were scraped raw in this environment. There was no room for deceit or obfuscation. She feared the way the simplest touch could light her up inside and make her long for so much more. If she’d thought for one moment that a single night with him would ease this longing, she’d been very wrong.

This author has an ability to write a heroine that is endearingly fragile and yet equal parts fierce and strong. I absolutely loved that about Lucky. She survived a horror at the hands of a mad man, and she doesn’t hide her fear of this mission. She had this understated strength to her that you just can’t help but feel for her.

Miss Harris also does a fantastic job of weaving romance and suspense together effortlessly. It’s never out of place or overbalances the other. It’s this perfect combination that will have your heart pounding and then leave you panting.

Kev was a great hero as well. He’s not perfect and he has his own demons that he fights but he’s also sexy and protective all with just that right amount of damaged.

Deep inside he always wondered if his past had damaged him so badly he could never be the kind of man any woman should take a chance on.

Action packed, suspenseful, and sexy, Dangerously Hot was another fantastic addition to the HOT series. The romance, the story, everything about this book worked for me.

If you’re a fan of the genre, this is a book that’s not to be missed. While a part of a series, each book can be easily read as a standalone. You do get to meet some of the characters earlier in the series, and usually you’ll meet the future hero or heroine in the previous book. But the author does a great job reiterating any necessary information without making it sound redundant to the readers that have already read the previous books.

 

Don’t miss the rest of the series!

Hot Pursuit (Hostile Operations Team #1)
Hot Mess (Hostile Operations Team #2)

ARC Review: ☆Hot Mess☆ by @LynnRayeHarris

English professor Dr. Georgeanne Hayes has a problem. Her star pupil, an Army sergeant who works in a Top Secret government program, is missing—and someone tried to push her in front of a train last night.

Sam “Knight Rider” McKnight is used to looking out for Georgie. When they were kids, she was just his best friend’s baby sister. But Georgie’s not a baby anymore and Sam is getting some very male—and very dirty—thoughts about the girl he knows he can never have.

When someone threatens Georgie’s life again, Sam will do anything necessary to keep her safe. Even if it means spending the next few days locked up in a remote house on Maryland’s Eastern Shore with her.

Sam might be used to denying himself what he wants, but he’s about to find out that being cooped up with Georgie will push him to the limit. And maybe beyond.

Buy Links
Review4 stars

She thought he had trouble remembering she wasn’t a kid anymore. No, what he had trouble remembering was that he was no good for her. Because damn if he didn’t want her. He wanted her every possible way he could have her.

Wow! What a hot little read this was. I definitely didn’t see that coming. After reading and enjoying Hot Pursuit, I was expecting more along the lines of that book. And it was…mostly. If you’re looking for a nail biting romantic suspense, that’s not quite what you’ll get her. This was light on the suspense and action but verra high on the steam. You certainly won’t be getting many complaints from me. This was the perfect short and steamy little read to spend my Saturday night with.

Georgeanne was Texas money, debutante balls, exclusive sororities and country club all the way. She knew which fork to use, what to wear to any event- and she used bone china for her morning coffee.
He was nothing but a poor kid from a dysfunctional family.

12 years ago Georgeanne was hopelessly in love with Sam McKnight, her older brother’s best friend. Sam was used to see her as his friend’s annoying little sister, until one night changed everything. But Sam also knows that he’s not good enough for Georgie. He’s the boy from the wrong side of the tracks, and she’s the beautiful and innocent southern belle.

Now Georgeanna is and English professor coming off of a recent divorce after her husband cheated on her. The last person she expects to see on her doorstop is Sam, who’s been sent by her brother to check on her. When they see each other again, all those pent up sexual feelings begin to resurface again.

Georgie never hid the fact that she wants Sam, and she’s not exactly shy about showing that it hasn’t changed with the years that have passed. But Sam fights the attraction between them, knowing he’s not good enough for her. But when Georgie’s life is threatened, he’s determined to protect her. And when these two are thrown together in a remote house on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, sparks begin to fly. Sam may be determined to stay away from her, but there’s only so long he can fight it for. And when Sam does give in, holy hell but does he give in.

I do want you, Georgie. I’ve wanted you since that night twelve years ago. I want to spread you out beneath me and make you come so many times you can’t do it anymore. I want to taste your pussy and feel your legs wrapped around me as I pound into you. I want to see you swallow my cock and hear you cry out in ecstasy.

He was deep inside Georgeanne Hayes, the perfect little princess of his teenage years, and he wanted to corrupt her utterly. He wanted to possess her and make her scream his name. He wanted to imprint himself on her so thoroughly she’d never forget this night with him.

The suspense part of the book was mainly lost in the background of the story of two childhood friends reuniting and giving into the chemistry between them. I was hoping for a little more action, at least in the end, but that never happened. I found the ending a little too perfect and glossed over. The other thing keeping this from being 5 stars was Sam’s constant self esteem issue. He was always dwelling on how he wasn’t good enough for Sam, no matter how hard she tried to show him she didn’t care about that. It did get slightly frustrating at times.

I still really enjoyed this book, and would recommend it for those looking for a quick and steamy little read with some suspense thrown into the mix. This can easily be read as a standalone, as neither of these characters appeared in the first book (that I remember) and there was plenty of background given that nothing is lost. I’ve become a big fan of this series, and if you like steamy Romantic Suspense, I’d recommend reading this series in order. The men of HOT are definitely worth meeting, and I can’t wait to dive into Dangerously Hot

 

Review: ★Love and Let Die★ by Lexi Blake

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A Tragic Love Story
Charlotte Dennis’s mission was clear: distract and misdirect CIA operative Ian Taggart by any means necessary. If she failed, she would never see her sister again. With her training, it should have been simple, but after one night in Ian’s arms, she knew that saving her sister would mean losing the man of her dreams.
Ian was tracking a terrorist when he met the beautiful American daughter of a Russian mobster. His instincts told him Charlotte was trouble, but his body craved her like a drug and his heart would not be denied. She took his ring and his collar. For once he was truly happy. But as he closed in on his target, her betrayal cost him his mission while her sacrifice saved his life. As she died in his arms, Ian vowed he would never love again.
A Dangerous Reunion
For six years, Charlotte has thought of nothing but returning to her husband, her Master. Working in the shadows, she has devoted herself to earning a chance to reclaim her place in Ian’s life. But forgiveness isn’t a part of Ian’s vocabulary.
Nothing is more important to Ian Taggart than his new mission. But the information he needs is firmly in the hands of the woman who betrayed him. To catch his most dangerous prey, Ian will have to let Charlotte back into his life. As the hunt takes them to some of the world’s most exotic locations, the danger grows and their passion reignites.
Will Ian forgive his wayward submissive…or lose her again?
Review
4 stars
He’d been a different man with Charlotte, a softer man, a man who might have had a future.


If there was one thing she’d learned in her lifetime, it was that the world was a game. She would win or she would die.When I read the first book in the Masters and Mercenaries book, I knew, I just knew that I had to, I needed, I had to have Ian’s book.

I’m pretty sure I got to a point where all I had to do was think of Ian’s name and my mind was all

So needless to say, my anticipation and my hopes have gotten quite high in 5 books’ span. I don’t remember the last time I pre-ordered a book and then spent hours staring at my Kindle willing it to come in. Did this book meet my expectations? Not quite…IAN

The bigger they are, the bigger they fall. That’s kind of the idea I had built up in my mind for Ian. He was always so cynical with love with all his friends. I was waiting for a woman to come in to knock him on his ass. So when 5 years later his dead wife shows up at his office, he gets thrown for a bit of a loop.

Charlie

I absolutely loved Charlie’s personality from the last book. She was spunky, tough, and kick-ass. I just knew that she was going to be even better in her own book. She had been through so much in her life and at the hands of her father. And when she was forced to betray Ian five years ago in order to save herself and her sister, she has spent those years apart trying to atone for her actions.

A girl had to have a hobby. Hers just happened to be causing chaos for some of the world’s worst terrorists and criminals. It was fun.

She made plenty of sacrifices, and even stood in front of a bullet for a member of Ian’s team in the previous book. All in hopes for earning the right to be back in his life.

When Ian is force to work with Charlotte since she holds the key information he needs in order to finally get to the rogue agent responsible so much of his past turmoil, he finds it hard to fight his attraction to her. Even though he should hate her for what she did to him, he can’t help but still feel the pull between them.

He was going to kill her. He was going to wrap his hands around her pretty throat and squeeze. Except the minute he had the vision of killing his back-from-the-dead wife, she was suddenly naked and he wasn’t thinking about throttling her anymore. Maybe he could fuck her to death. That would be a better way to go.

The one thing that I have loved in Lexi Blake’s books in the past was the super steamy love scenes. You could just feel the burning passion between the couples when you read it. I couldn’t seem to get the same thing here. The sex scenes between Ian and Charlie read almost mechanical to me at times. Like insert slot B into slot A, moan, breath, *insert dirty words here*, rinse and repeat. It took Ian pretty much the entire book to finally open up some. So maybe that was what was missing for me? I’m not even sure. Then again, this also might have been the case of my high expectations just being too high? Who knows. What I do know that is that in all the build up to Ian’s book, it didn’t quite meet my expectations in that.

I really liked Charlie. The way that she fought for her sister, and then fought her way back to Ian melted my heart. She took on so much abuse, and she took it all from Ian too, in order to make up for her mistakes. She was understanding, and sweet, yet at the same time maintained a lot of her strength.

The other thing that I found lacking was the romance. At times I found that the romance took a backseat to the suspense. Don’t get me wrong, the story was action packed and entertaining. I guess I just wanted something…more. I was even able to look past a few details that irked the Russian in me. A few stereo types here and there, and the name Dusan Denisovitch. (Dusan? Not a Russian name. At least none I’ve ever heard.) But I suppose that’s just me being picky.

There is a HEA at the end, but a hell of a cliffhanger introduction into the next book. I was really hoping to get Simon’s book next, but looks like we will be getting a different sexy Brit, Damon Knight.

Don’t Miss The Rest of The Series!

The Dom Who Loved Me (Masters & Mercenaries #1)
The Men With The Golden Cuffs (Masters and Mercenaries #2)
A View to a Thrill (Masters and Mercenaries #7)
Copyright © 2015 · Dirty Girl Romance

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