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★DGR’S Ultimate List of Angsty Romance★

DGR-Ultimate list of angst

Let’s talk angst.
angst
äNG(k)st/
noun
  1. a feeling of deep anxiety or dread, typically an unfocused one about the human condition or the state of the world in general.
    “adolescent angst”

ANGST just so happens to be pure catnip for this reader. I gobble it up like the starved addict that I am, and love every hair pulling second of it. If a book can make me feel like I want to throttle someone, scream at the ceiling and rip my hair out by the roots, I know I got myself a winner. What? Like you don’t have your vices? Sheesh. Judgy much?

This month you all voted for my Ultimate List of Angsty Romance, and that’s what I’m giving you. Fair warning, this will quite possibly be my longest list ever! We always chat about these lists in my FB group, so if you haven’t yet, join in on the inappropriate fun  HERE.

Since this list will be ridiculously long if I let it, I decided to limit my choices to the uber angsty book picks. These are some of my all time favorites and my go-to recs.

And if you’re new to my blog, this a monthly feature I do on the last Saturday of each month! Check out the previous features here:

★ULTIMATE LIST OF DIRTY TALKERS★

★ULTIMATE LIST OF ROCK STARS★

★ULTIMATE LIST OF FIGHTERS★

★ULTIMATE LIST OF ANTI-HEROES★

★ULTIMATE LIST OF HATE TO LOVE ROMANCE★

★ULTIMATE LIST OF SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE★

★ULTIMATE LIST OF MAFIA ROMANCE★

As always, I’d love to hear from you all in comments if you don’t see one of your favorites listed. You know I love me some book recs 😉

You’ll notice I’ll list some of these by author because I loved several of their books, some I’ll list by series, and some will be simply individual books. Now let’s do this thing!


THOUGHTLESS by S.C. Stephens
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“What if I don’t choose you, Kellan? What will you do?”
He looked away, a tear rolling down his cheek. “I’ll leave, Kiera. I’ll leave, and you and Denny can have your happily ever after.” He looked back at me. “You wouldn’t even need to tell him about me. Eventually, the two of you…” his voice broke and another tear fell on his cheek, “the two of you would get married, and have children, and have a great life.”
I fought back a sob. “And you? What happens to you in that scenario?”
“I…get by. And I miss you, every day,” he whispered.”

Sweet mother of hair pulling, wanting to run the heroine over with my car, while rocking myself in a corner somewhere ANGST. GAH! GAH I tells ya! This freaking book. I don’t know how I even survived it. It put me off life triangles for years. And yet when I think of angst, this is the first one that pops into my head. Clearly it left an impression. And let’s be real here for a hot second, because it just doesn’t get much better than Kellan fucking Kyle *pervy sigh*

THE THOUGHTLESS SERIES
THOUGHTLESS | EFFORTLESS | RECKLESS | THOUGHTFUL | UNTAMED 


TRISTAN & DANIKA trilogy by R.K. Lilley
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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I knew we were going to be a dangerous combination. Bad things were going to happen if we spent too much time around each other.

First I read book one, and thought, well this isn’t so bad. Then I read book two and thought I’d been hit with a two by four full of feels, and then I barely BARELY survived book three because holy hell!!! I LOVED this trilogy. Absolutely loved it. It spans years and had one of the most memorable love stories I’ve read. The angst was in apoplectic proportions and I loved every single painful second of it. It was utterly delicious!

I convinced myself that it had all been passion, not true love.  True love was a myth, a misdirection from the solid things in life.  What I’d felt for Tristan had been big and all consuming, but I told myself, like a mantra in my head, that it had never been solid.   Even so, every little thing brought him to mind.  We’d had too much together, been through too much, felt too much, and every feeling had a memory.

THE TRISTAN & DANIKA SERIES
BAD THINGS | ROCK BOTTOM | LOVELY TRIGGER


CAROLINE & WEST duet by Robin York
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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I want you, and I don’t know how to stop wanting you. I want to get deep inside you, and then deeper, until I’m so deep I don’t even know what’s me anymore and what’s you.

What’s better than angst? New Adult kind of angst. Yum yum yum. This is one of my all time favorite duets. These books took me through the emotional wringer and I don’t regret it even a little. I adored the heroine and I loved to hate the hero. But who am I even kidding? I mostly loved him even when I wanted to hate him!

“I could tell you how much I’m hurting, or I could get out of the car, slam the door, hitchhike to the airport because fuck you, fuck you, West, how could you do this to me? How?

What I can’t do is pretend I don’t know what you did,” I say. “Or pretend I don’t still care about you.”

THE CAROLINE & WEST DUET
DEEPER | HARDER


BULLY by Penelope Douglas
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“You were my tempest, my thunder cloud, my tree in the downpour. I loved all of those things, and I loved you. But now? You’re a fucking drought. I thought that all the assholes drove German cars, but it turns out that pricks in Mustangs can still leave scars.”

If you haven’t at least heard of this phenomenal series, odds are you’ve been living under a rock. Well climb on out from under there my friend, because you are seriously missing out. This is easily of my top favorite NA series and the angst is utterly delicious. I have a motto when it comes to books by Penelope Douglas; she writes them, I read them. Period. No exception.

Becoming hard at heart isn’t an intersection in your brain where you have a choice to turn left or right. It’s coming to a dead end, and you just keep going, over the cliff, unable to stop the inevitable, because the truth is you just don’t want to.
There is freedom in the fall.

THE FALL AWAY SERIES
BULLY | UNTIL YOU | RIVAL | FALLING AWAY | AFLAME


THE VINCENT BOYS by Abbi Glines
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“ If I’d ever taken the time to wonder about my soul being as black as this town seemed to believe, I knew the moment Ashton stepped out of her little white Jetta looking like an angel from Heaven that my soul was damned to Hell. ”

I have a love hate relationship with Abbi Glines books. No really. See I love to hate them. No I don’t mean that in a hater sort of way. What I mean, is she’s a guilty pleasure author for me. I may not always love every book, I may want to throttle most of the heroines, and yet I still enjoy the ride. Kind sick saying it out loud lol. I’ve read her entire backlist, and I absolutely ADORED her Sea Breeze series. To date, that’s my favorite series by her.

But what began the obsession was this book. The Vincent Boys. And to be clear, I’m referring to the uncut edition, because let’s be real, if I’m forced to endure YA angst, I need steam to dilute it. I devour her books in one sitting. I adore every hero she’s written. What can I say? The struggle is real with this addiction I have and I’m not even sorry. Even when I hate the heroines, the heroes more than make up for it.

DGR’S ABBI GLINES FAVORITES (All angsty deliciousness)
WHILE IT LASTS | JUST FOR NOW | HOLD ON TIGHT | UNTIL THE END | FALLEN TOO FAR | NEVER TOO FAR


AN ORDINARY GIRL by Barbara Elsborg
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“I can’t believe I’ve found someone that’s more fucked up than me.”

I don’t remember why I read this book exactly. I think I stumbled on it by pure chance actually. Something about that synopsis just hooked me. I ended up devouring it in one sitting! This author has a signature blend of angst and dry wit and humor that just calls to me. I love it! She’ll add a bit of OTT drama that also somehow just works and at times a dash of suspense and voila! Instant addiction. I went on a Barbara Elsborg binge right after this and the addiction still continues. Not only does she write great angst, but the steam level is through the roof! She writes amazing MM, scorching MMF, and deliciously dirty MF. I can’t recommend her enough!

DGR’S BARBARA ELSBORG FAVORITES (all angsty perfection)
STRANGERS (MF erotic) | TO KISS A FALLING STAR (MF erotic) | FALLING (MM) | BREAKING (MM)


THE UNWANTED WIFE
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“I’m your husband…”
“No. You are not my husband,” she interrupted in a voice thickened with hatred and tears. “You have never been my husband. A husband loves, honours and cherishes! A husband is a lover and a champion….Look into the next room if you want to see what a real husband is, because you are no such thing!”

What would happen if you combined Harlequin presents with some crazy angst? This. Book. Holy mother! I loved it! I loved it so freaking much! Natasha Anders definitely has a signature style to her romance. I love watching her heroines grow into their own and stand up for themselves. I love seeing her royal alphaholes of heroes realize their mistakes and perform some epic kind of groveling. All of it just speaks to me and I can’t get enough!

DGR’S NATASHA ANDERS FAVORITES (all standalones and all angsty, of course)
A HUSBAND’S REGRET | A RUTHLESS PROPOSITION


THIS HEART OF MINE by Brenda Novak
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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She’d wanted him so badly seventeen years ago. And now that he wanted her, regardless of what anyone said, she wouldn’t come near him.

This was the first book I had read by this author and boy was I kicking myself for it after. Hard. If you love second chance romance and redemption stories, this is an absolute must read. It’s emotional, heart breaking, beautifully written, and completely unforgettable. While it is a part of a long-standing series, it can easily be read as a standalone.

No it’s not exactly the smutty smut that I normally gravitate to so if you’re expecting lots of steam, you’ll be sorely disappointed. But this book was not lacking it for me. Not even a little. The story was so emotionally powerful and the romance was so beautiful with just the right amount of tasteful love scenes, that I fell head over heels for This Heart of Mine.


THIS MUCH IS TRUE by Katherine Owen
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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LIFE CAN CHANGE in as little of fifteen seconds. I know this.
Fifteen seconds.
An SUV clips my car, kills my sister, and changes me and my life forever.

Thirty seconds.
The time it takes for a stranger to lift me up and carry me away and save me from the burning wreckage.
Thirty seconds.

One night.
The time it takes to fall in love with Lincoln Presley and forge promises that neither of us can keep.
One night.

Thirty seconds.
In thirty seconds, a heart can break.

If you like your angst to feel like you’ve been run over by the mac truck of feels, boy do I have a rec for you. Because this book? It will actually physically drain you. I’m not even a little kidding. It was fucking painful, people! I still have no idea how I survived it but I feel like I needed a cookie, a hug, a medal and all of the alcohol after it. In that exact order. This does end on a cliffhanger and I recommend reading the full trilogy to get a much deserved HEA.

THE TRUTH IN LIES TRILOGY
THIS MUCH IS TRUE | THE TRUTH ABOUT AIR & WATER | TELL ME SOMETHING TRUE


IF YOU LEAVE by Courtney Cole
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“That day, that one day, changed me forever. It taught me that everything you love, everyone you love, even if you love them and hate them at the same time, can be taken away in a moment and there isn’t anything you can do to change it.”

The Beautifully Broken is a series of 4 books, but it wasn’t until this book, IF YOU LEAVE (book 2 in the series), that I fell in love with the series. If You Leave deals with many heart wrenching issues; the biggest being the hero, Gabriel’s, PTSD from his Army Ranger days. It’s an emotional romance filled with angst, feels, and enough steam to keep you panting.

I loved every book in this series, but 2 and 4 have to be my all time favorites. If you haven’t read these yet, I strongly recommend you check them out.

THE BEAUTIFULLY BROKEN SERIES
IF YOU STAYIF YOU LEAVE | BEFORE WE FALL | UNTIL WE FLY


THE EDUCATION Series by Jane Harvey-Berrick
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“What do you think I’ve got here that I wouldn’t give up in a heartbeat to be with you? There’s nothing to keep me here: I’ll go anywhere, do anything to be with you.”

What happens when a 30-year-old woman stuck in a loveless marriage has an affair with her 17, soon to be 18-year-old neighbor? One of the most gripping, emotional and powerful romances that I have ever read. Book one is The Education of Sebastian and tells the heart wrenching story of how these two fell in love. The Education of Caroline takes place ten years later, when these two lovers finally reunite. If you haven’t read this series, it’s seriously an absolute must read.

“Be happy, Caro, because that’s what you deserve.
I love you, I have always loved you, and where I go after this world, I will always love you.
Sempre e per sempre.”

THE EDUCATION OF SERIES
THE EDUCATION OF SEBASTIAN | THE EDUCATION OF CAROLINE | SEMPER FI


UNBEAUTIFULLY by Madeline Sheehan
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“Baby,” he said gruffly. “Man like me got no business with a girl like you. You’re nothin’ but a fuckin’ beauty and I’m a while lot of fuckin’ ugly who’s already halfway to hell.”

You want angst? You want grit with a big chunk of dark MC romance? Welcome to your next addiction! While I enjoyed every single book in this series, I have to say that UnBeautifully is easily my absolute favorite. There was just something so powerful about this beauty-and-the-beast romance that just spoke to me. It wasn’t an easy read and far from a light one. But it was an unforgettable ride from beginning to finish.

THE UNDENIABLE SERIES
UNDENIABLEUNBEAUTIFULLY | UNATTAINABLE | UNBELOVED


ROCK CHICK REGRET by Kristen Ashley
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“No really,” I whispered, letting the sweet, peaceful feeling steal over me. “It only matters if there’s someone to care if you don’t wake up. It’s okay if I don’t wake up because there’s no one to care.”

I have three words for you: Hector OMG Chavez. That is all. No really. That’s all. If you’ve read this book, you know exactly what I mean. And if you haven’t? You need to get to reading it right freaking meow because MAN! So. Good.

This was probably the heaviest and most powerful book in the series for me (right up there with Stella and Mace in ROCK CHICK RECKONINGwhich is also a HUGE angsty rec). But there was just something about RCR that stayed with me for all these years. Maybe it’s what the heroine went through and watching her grow? Maybe it’s the story as a whole. Whatever the case may be, I simply adored it.


DREW + FABLE series by Monica Murphy
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“Maybe it was a mistake leaving you.
And I don’t know how to make it right.
Regret fills me every single day.
So much of it builds up I
Hate myself for 
Missing you. Hurting you.
And I want you to know i…
Long for you
Love you
Others may come and go in our lives but…
We belong together”

New Adult angst? This has it. In spades. This was the book that made me fall in love with Monica Murphy’s writing. It was the first book that I read by her and I was hooked. I recommend reading them back to back because the cliffhanger in OWG will leave you so ragey, it’ll make you want to slap someone.

THE ONE WEEK GIRLFRIEND SERIES (these need to be read in order)
ONE WEEK GIRLFRIEND | SECOND CHANCE BOYFRIEND

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES but with new characters
THREE BROKEN PROMISES | FOUR YEARS LATER


DESTROYED by Pepper Winters
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“I was obsessed with finding redemption. Destroyed by love. Possessed by hope. Consumed by a past I couldn’t shake.”

So Pepper Winters advertises this as her “gray romance” but please don’t let that fool you. While this is certainly not quite on her usual dark scale it still packs a mean punch….straight to the mother effin feels. My. God. This book tore my heart to shreds and put it back together…barely. I was a damn mess reading it. I don’t remember the last time I cried that hard in a book but DAMN. Just DAMN.

This is a full standalone.


WICKED HEART by Leisa Reyven
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“Heartache doesn’t teach you to be resilient. It teaches you to protect your fragility. It teaches you to fear love. And it draws a bright red circle around all the ways you’ve failed as a person and laughs while you cry.”

Ah…sweet sweet second chance romance angst. How I love thee. Let me count the ways….Liam, Liam, Liam…wait. That’s not right.

While a lot of my friends loved the first two books in this series, I struggled a little with them. But I continued with the series because not only did I love the writing style, but I saw where it was going and I knew it was only a matter of meeting the right characters for me to fall in love with the story. And Wicked Heart? It was exactly that book for me.

THE STAR-CROSSED SERIES
BAD ROMEO | BROKEN JULIET | WICKED HEARTS


UNFORGIVEN by Elizabeth Finn
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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You don’t fall in love with the person responsible for your greatest loss. And God help you if you do.

God help you indeed. This book was a crazy rollercoaster of emotion. It was almost physically painful to read at times. But man. MAN. What an incredibly powerful and angsty romance. To date, this is my favorite book by this author. And Elizabeth Finn happens to be one of my go to’s for angst, so I don’t make that statement lightly.

I’ll list some other notable favorites below. All are full standalones.

DGR’S FAVORITE ELIZABETH FINN BOOKS
THE FIGHT FOR US | KISSED | KANE’S HELL | THE DEVIL’S PAWN | THE RULES REGARDING GRAY | INAPPROPRIATE 


WORTH IT by Linda Kage
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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I craved every little second I got to see her, but I knew I should stay away. It was torment, the two cravings rivaling and constantly churning in me, playing tug-of-war between what my heart wanted and what I knew was best.

I’m seriously obsessed with this New Adult series and can’t recommend every book in it enough. I love it that much. Worth It had some darker undertones to it that the others didn’t. It wasn’t dark, just more emotional and a touch heavier if that makes sense. The whole series packs a good amount of angst and if sexy NA romance is your thing, prepare to binge.

THE FORBIDDEN MEN SERIES
PRICE OF A KISS| TO PROFESSOR WITH LOVE | BE MY HEROWITH EVERY HEARTBEATA PERFECT TENWORTH ITTHE GIRL’S GOT SECRETS | PRICELESS 


BEAUTIFUL DISASTER by Francette Phal
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“Nicholas Grayson wasn’t a nice person. In fact one could call him an asshole and he wouldn’t dispute it. He was as jaded as they come, eighteen years old, with a moral compass fixed permanently on diabolical. … His goals in life were to piss off his parents, break a few laws and generally screw his way through life.”

Cruel Intention meets Soap Opera in this deliciously angsty YA romance and I gobbled up each page like the addict that I am. Holy crap, people! This book HURT. Complete with a mother of all cliffhangers. But no worries, because you do get a much deserved HEA in the conclusion, REDEMPTION.


FACADE by Nyrae Dawn
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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I don’t see the future; I just notice shit. When you’re seven years old and scared of your own shadow, too scared to get close to anyone like I used to be, you learn to pay attention. To study people’s loves because it’s the only way to feel like you’re living and to think about how differently you’d be doing if you had the balls to man up. Or, hell, if you hadn’t been given such a shitty hand to begin with. 

While I loved the entire Games series, Facade was easily my favorite. I couldn’t even tell you why exactly. It just was. Something about a broken boy finding love in the girl he least expected. I just loved it.

THE GAMES SERIES
CHARADE | FACADE | MASQUARADE 


A LUSH BETRAYAL by Selena Laurence
GOODREDS | AMAZON

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I know almost instantly- this is it- I’m done. This woman will either be my salvation or the death of me. There is no question. I’ve lost control now that I’ve touched her. There’s no going back, and she’s the most spectacular thing I’ve ever experienced.

Rockstars. Betrayals. Redemptions. Second chances. This book had it all. This was my first book by Selena and I was hooked. A Lush Betrayal is still free on amazon, so if you like the sounds of this one, you need to grab it quick!

THE LUSH ROCKSTAR SERIES
A LUSH BETRAYALLOVING A LUSH | LOWDOWN & LUSH | A LUSH REUNION


Twisted by Cari Quinn & Taryn Elliott
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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He could do anything, survive anything, but he couldn’t turn away from Jazz. She would sustain him where every other drug had failed.

It’s no secret that I love everything these authors write. I first fell in love with their Love In Oblivion series when I stumbled on ROCKED by pure chance. And from then, it was as they say, history. While each book focuses on a different member of the band, I don’t recommend reading it out-of-order. There is a story arc that continues throughout the series that you wouldn’t be able to appreciate having read the books out-of-order. I highly recommend starting with the prequel (SEDUCED) first. It really introduces the characters and gives you a taste of things to come.

THE LOST IN OBLIVION SERIES
SEDUCED | ROCKED | TWISTED | DESTROYED | SHATTERED | OWNED


TEN TINY BREATHS by K.A. Tucker
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“Just breathe,” my mom would say.
“Ten tiny breaths…Seize them.
Feel them.Love them.”

Does this book even need an introduction or an explanation for being on my list? C’mon now!

“I don’t hate you. I could never hate you. Give me your heart, Kacey. I’ll take everything that comes with it.”

THE TEN TINY BREATHS SERIES
TEN TINY BREATHS | IN HER WAKE | ONE TINY LIE | FOUR SECONDS TO LOSE | FIVE WAYS TO FALL


THIN LOVE by Eden Butler
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“I don’t want easy. I want the impossible. I want love so thick, I drown in it; it’s the only thing worth having and, I’m sorry Kona, you’re a nice guy when you’re not acting like an entitled jackass, but I really don’t think you’re capable of being anything more than that.”

To date, this is still one of my favorite second chance romances. The angst is in epic proportions and I do mean epic. This book will make you rip your hair out, it will make you sob hysterically, it will make you scream like a lunatic, but ultimately it will make you feel every single emotion right along with the characters and love every second of it.


UBEARABLE GUILT by Emma Grayson
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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I was ripped from heaven with an angel, and tossed into the fiery pit of hell by myself with no way out. I wouldn’t ever allow myself to be released from its relentless grip.

If you ask me how this book first came on my radar, I wouldn’t be able to tell you. All I remember is reading that synopsis and knowing that I had to read it. And boy was I glad that I did because I absolutely loved it! I mean….just read this:

Kane Archer hasn’t always been tormented; he hasn’t always hated himself or been full of rage. He hasn’t always lived his life with an overpowering sense of guilt that threatens to destroy him. There was a time when his life was different. He was optimistic; he smiled and laughed; he loved passionately; he had it all. Kane was content—until the unthinkable took it all away. Two and a half years later and still reeling from his fiancée’s death, Kane returns to the one place he vowed he’d never visit again—Camden—with the promise to find the men who killed her and bring them to justice, regardless of the cost. Emotionally numb, stricken by guilt, and haunted by the events preceding Aimee’s death, the last thing Kane wanted was to meet someone he connected with; someone who made him feel again. As Kane gets closer to those responsible for Aimee’s death, he is thrown a curveball when he discovers a secret so devastating it rocks his world and threatens to destroy his chance at happiness. Whitney Jareau packed up her life when tragedy struck her family, leaving everything behind. Finally free from the persistent and domineering family that insisted she do the one thing she couldn’t, Whitney found peace in Camden. Two years later, her family wants her to come home and will stop at nothing to get her there. Wearing her heart on her sleeve for Kane Archer, a man so gorgeous it hurts to see the pain he carries, Whitney fights her family and refuses to return home to carry out their wishes. Can Whitney stay strong without giving in to the demands of her family? Can Kane let go of the past and move forward with the woman who brought him back to life? Or, will he walk away from her and carry the burden of UNBEARABLE GUILT

This is book 2 in the Breathe Again series, but easily enjoyed as a standalone


BROKEN by Lauren Layne
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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I almost want to laugh at how messed up we are.
Two completely shattered souls doing a weird approach-and-recoil dance around each other.

A New Adult take on beauty and the beast by the super amazing Lauren Layne? Hell. Yes.

Lauren Layne first hit my radar when I read ISN’T SHE LOVELY which funnily enough turned out to be the prequel to this amazing series. But don’t be fooled, it’s not a novella. It’s a full length novel that introduces the characters, so I think that’s why it’s not considered the prequel? But it has its own fabulous HEA. Each book in the series is easily enjoyed as a standalone.

THE REDEMPTION SERIES
ISN’T SHE LOVELY | BROKENCRUSHED


WALK THROUGH FIRE by Kristen Ashley
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“I gave you up, walking through fire to do it but I did…
I did it in the end. I gave you everything.”

Holy mother of ugly cries!!! I was a pathetic mess reading this book. Utterly pathetic I tells ya! I don’t remember the last time a book made me ugly cry to quite this caliber. I’m talking crocodile tears level here, people!

You already know I love me a second chance romance and Walk Through Fire had an absolutely epic one. As a matter of fact, I’ve re-read one particular scene in this book at least 4 times now and each time the water works start. It’s just that powerful. So. Good.


DIVIDED by Ivy Stone
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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He wasn’t supposed to show up on that bridge.
He wasn’t supposed to fill me with a slither of hope, for more, for different. But he did.

I first discovered Ivy Stone when I read the first book in her Unguarded series, EXPOSED. I fell in love with her writing style, her broken characters, and I knew I found myself a new author to stalk.

While each book in this series focuses on a different couple and their HEA, I highly recommend reading them in order because the backstory starts in the very beginning and you’d appreciate the story that much more having read each book.


BREAK EVEN by Lisa De Jong
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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To an outsider, I have it all- the job, the husband, and the house- but inside I’m nearly empty.

I’ll be honest, I was afraid to read this book. Utterly terrified. I’m not typically a reader that enjoys reading about a heroine that cheats, no matter what the circumstance. It’s a horrible double standard I have and I own it, because I’ll forgive the hero but not the heroine *hangs head in shame*

But this book is nothing like what I thought. It’s incredibly unpredictable, erotic, and utterly unputdownable. If you read any book by this author, please make it this one. Trust me. Take a chance on something outside your comfort zone. You will not regret it.


PAPER HEARTS by Claire Contreras
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“How would you describe the #feeling of #love in 140 or less characters?
Answer : Like somebody is gripping your heart, but you don’t want them to let go because the ache would worsen without them.”

You already know that second chance romance is my crack of choice, so are you even a little surprised to see this book on my list? Really? Are you? Of course you’re not! I adored Kaleidoscope Hearts, but I loved Paper Hearts even more. If you’re a fan of angsty second chance romance and you haven’t read these books yet, you need to get on them right now. RIGHT. NOW.

THE HEARTS SERIES
KALEIDOSCOPE HEARTS | PAPER HEARTS | ELASTIC HEARTS


HOPELESS by Colleen Hoover
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“Fuck all the firsts, Sky. The only thing that matters to me with you are the forevers.”

Um…I’m sorry, but do I even need to say anything here? I don’t think so. Carry on…

“The moment my lips touch yours, it will be your first kiss. Because if you’ve never felt anything when someone’s kissed you, then no one’s ever really kissed you. Not the way I plan on kissing you.”

“I live you, Sky,” he says against my lips. “I live you so much.”


FISHER’S LIGHT
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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I’m going to fix this. I have to fix this… I hate every moment that I’m away from her, but I will do whatever it takes to find the man she once loved and bring him back to her.”

Yet another second chance romance that I adored! I seriously loved every single angsty page of this! One of my top reads of that year.

How do I get that back when the darkness is hell bent on taking over, holding me in its clutches and making sure I never see the sunshine again?


TOXIC by Kim Karr
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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Jeremy McQueen.
He wasn’t just any boy- he was “the boy”. The only one I never should have met, and the one I’d never trade meeting for the world.

And since we’re on a second chance romance angst kick, how can I not mention this deliciousness?

I loved him once, even though I’d never told him I did. And as I looked at him, everything I’d ever felt for him came rushing back.

 


PAPER PRINCESS
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“You should know whatever game you’re playing, you can’t win. Not against all of us.
If you leave now, you won’t be hurt. If you stay, we’ll break you so bad that you’ll be crawling away.”

Book. Crack.

Warning: this book will cause nervous break downs, eye ticks, random screaming episodes, cause you to perve on a 17 yr old alphahole and be glued to your kindle from beginning to finish. That is all. You’ve been warned.

This will never be my home. I don’t belong in splendor, I belong in squalor. That’s what I know. It’s what I’m comfortable with because squalor doesn’t lie to you. It’s not wrapped up in a pretty package. It is what it is.

THE ROYALS TRILOGY (Warning: Rage inducing cliffys ahead)
PAPER PRINCESS | BROKEN PRINCE | TWISTED PALACE


UNBREAK MY HEART by Jacquelyn 
GOODREADS | AMAZON

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I’d pushed her aside for so long that there was no foundation to build on. Just a mess of shattered pieces that I’d crushed with a sledgehammer every time she’d grown closer than I was comfortable with.

Quite easily my favorite angsty romance I’ve read all year. ALL OF THE ANGST!!! Oh man! If you love serious alphaholes, angst so thick you can choke on it, and a story so addicting that you can’t stop reading it for even a second? Read. This. Book.

For the past couple of nights when I’d lain down beside her, after she’d called asleep and I knew she couldn’t hear me, I’d promised her that she’d never have to forgive me again if she could do it one last time.


OTHER DGR ANGSTY FAVORITES

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The following are all book recommendations I’ve received (thanks to my favorite angst pusher, Carolin Jache)


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Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: ★Dirty Sexy Cuffed★ by Carly Phillips & Erika Wilde

CUFFED BT BANNER (1)Dirty Sexy Cuffed
Series: Dirty Sexy #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Authors: Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde
Release Date: June 21, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

CUFFED cover

Are you ready to get Cuffed?

As a cop, Levi Kincaid is all about discipline and control . . .in the bedroom, and out of it, and he’s always been very careful about choosing women who abide by his rules.

Hot sex and intense pleasure?

No problem.

Emotional commitment and forever promises?

No way.

But he never anticipates falling for a blue eyed angel who makes him want to cuff her to his bed and do dirty, sexy things to her. And that control of his? It doesn’t stand a chance against Sarah Robins, the one woman he can’t resist . . .

 

Buy LinksAmazon | iBooks | B&N | Kobo | GooglePlayExcerpt

“When are you going to face the fact that this chick just isn’t into you?”Levi Kincaid glanced across the dark interior of the unmarked SUV to his partner, Nick Catalano, who was alternating his attention between navigating the road and making sure Levi saw his smart-ass smirk. It wasn’t the first time his friend had given Levi shit about his request to stop by Circle K on their way back to the station after their shift ended.

For the past two months they’d been assigned to the DUI Strike Force in the area, which made stopping by the mart convenient. Seeing and flirting with Sarah Robins was just an added bonus.

“She’s totally into me, so that’s not the issue,” Levi refuted confidently, not at all bothered by Nick’s ribbing. There were many times he’d caught the tempting way Sarah looked at him when she didn’t think he was aware of her. And there was no mistaking the attraction between them she was so determined to fight. He just hadn’t figured out why yet. But he would.

“Then what’s the problem?” Nick persisted—this from a man who was all about instant gratification when it came to women, while Levi was more . . . selective.

“I’m not sure yet,” he replied honestly.

Truthfully, he was having a hell of a time getting past that wariness of hers, which only made him more curious about who Sarah Robins was— and where she’d come from. Admittedly, his interest in her had nothing to do with him being an inquisitive cop, and everything to do with him wanting her, in a deeper way than any female had gotten to him before. He just had to get her on the same page as him.

Levi wasn’t normally the type of guy who’d continue to pursue a woman who’d already turned him down half a dozen times. A smart man would have cut his losses after the first rejection, but from the moment he’d looked into Sarah’s sweet, soulful blue eyes, he’d felt a connection that only seemed to grow stronger every time he saw her.

And he certainly didn’t miss the irony of that realization, when he was a man adept at maintaining strict control of his emotions—in all aspects of his life.

“This is a shit part of town,” Nick said, stating the obvious, which brought Levi’s thoughts back to the present. “As soon as we’re off this DUI task force, I don’t want to drive through this part of Englewood unless it’s for a call, so close the deal with Sarah already.”

“Winning a woman over takes time, Catalano,” Levi said easily—especially one as wary as Sarah. “Though that’s something I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”

“Hell, no,” he agreed with a quick, player’s grin. “That’s too much fucking work when there are plenty of women who take one look at this uniform and are instantly willing and eager to bend over and drop their panties. Trust me, getting laid, and regularly, is not an issue for me.”

Levi had plenty of offers; he was just more particular about his bed partners. He didn’t do one night stands, but he didn’t do long term committed, either. The few women he’d dated and allowed into his private life were looking for the same thing he was—a mutually satisfying physical relationship without any emotional involvement. More importantly, they were willing to let him be in control during all aspects of sex.

And Sarah, from everything he’d learned so far, didn’t strike him as the type looking for long term either. Which made his pursuit easier for him to justify … and live with.

Arriving at the Circle K, Nick turned the SUV into the deserted lot. He drove past the gas station area and stopped in front of the convenience store instead of parking the vehicle.

“I noticed the back tire was low at the DUI check point,” Nick said, explaining why he hadn’t pulled into one of the many empty spaces in front of the mart like he normally did. “While you run inside and do your thing, I’m going to drive around back and fill the tire up with air. I’ll meet you out front when you’re done.”

“Sounds good.” Levi released his seat belt and opened the door. “You want anything?”

Nick grinned. “Yeah, I’ll take a root beer and a Snicker’s bar.”

“You got it.” Levi hopped out of the truck, and while his partner drove off and disappeared behind the building, he headed toward the store.

Out of years of habit, he glanced around the area, looking for anything, or anyone, who might be out of place. Especially in this part of town. But it was a quiet evening, and there weren’t any other cars or people around, which wasn’t unusual for a late Tuesday night. He walked into the store, and to his immediate left was the main counter and two registers. Sarah was sitting on a stool reading a magazine, and as soon as she heard someone enter, she looked up.

Her bored expression immediately transformed to one of pleasure as a genuine, happy-to-see-him smile curved her soft, lush mouth, which never failed to make him think about slowly licking his tongue across that full lower lip before kissing her, or how that mouth would feel sliding down the length of his cock as she looked up at him from a kneeling position on the floor at his feet.

Heat and desire mingled in his belly, and lower, as he strolled toward the counter. Yeah, he’d stored up five long week’s worth of the hottest, most sinful fantasies of Sarah, in some of the most erotic scenarios he could imagine. Those dirty thoughts had come in handy when he’d lain in bed, hard and aching and needing relief. With his hand wrapped tight around his dick, those decadent visions playing through his mind never failed to alleviate his lust.

But the relief was always temporary. He wanted the real thing. He wanted Sarah, her body soft and warm beneath his, and her willing to give herself over to him in all the ways he desired. And that kind of trust took time. And patience. Both of which he had in abundance.

CUFFED AN

Review-DGR3.5 starsDirty Sexy Cuffed-DGR teaser

…this went beyond simple attraction. She was the first woman to stir something deep inside of him when he honestly thought that part of him was damaged beyond repair.

I’ve been looking forward to Levi’s book for a long while now. There’s always been something about him that showed hints towards a certain intensity that I love in my alphas. Still waters run deep with that one, that’s for sure. Because Officer Levi is not the quiet man he seems to be at first sight. This is a man with some dirty dirty kinks, and it hit the spot just right for me.

If you’ve read the previous books, you already know that Kincaid brothers had a difficult childhood. And while you got to see Mason and Clay’s sides of it, you never quiet know Levi’s and this book will delve into that. I knew it had to be pretty dark but I never imagined what poor Levi had been through.

Sarah is the pretty clerk at a convince store that Levi has been frequenting just for the chance to see her. There’s something about Sarah that catches Levi’s interest and he knows that while she’s been admiralty yet sweetly turning him down for a date, she wants him just as much as he wants her. Levi is relentless in his pursuit, but when he puts himself in the line of danger to save her life things really take off between them. But Sarah is running from something that Levi has no idea about. Sarah’s childhood hasn’t been any easier than his but unlike Levi, her present continues to be rough. Levi’s protective instincts kick in with her and all of a sudden a man that’s never been interested in relationships begins to crave just that.

This is where I belong, Sarah,” he said raggedly, slamming his body against hers, again and again. “Right here, with you. Inside you.”

I really liked both these characters. Levi is so sweet and protective with Sarah and yet he still maintains that dominant edge to him throughout without coming off as domineering. Sarah has been through so much in her young life and yet she never has a woe is me mentality. She’s strong in her own right and determined to fight her own battles. But what I loved is she wasn’t hesitant in letting Levi in and there was no unnecessary drama spanning from secrets here.

So what didn’t quite work for me? Well, I felt like this book lacked a certain intensity that seems to fit Levi. There wasn’t really a major conflict at the end which I’ve come to expect in most romance, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just different. The one thing that I did have trouble with is the way Levi handled a particular thing at the end; especially with him being a cop. I was a little surprised that it was handled the way that it was considering a good portion of the book built up to that scene. I suppose it left me craving a little bit more. But that’s simply a matter of my expectations getting the best of me because Dirty Sexy Cuffed is certainly a fun and sexy installment in what’s come to be one of my favorite series. I’ve fallen hard for the Kincaid brothers and was dreading this book because it may mean the end of it. So boy was I happy when the authors thew in a crazy surprise at the end and I’m beyond thrilled to be getting a 4th book because of it.

If you like sweet heroines, protective heroes with a sexual edge, and a wonderful romance tying it all together, this is definitely a book you’ll want to check out. I highly recommend the entire series, even though you could easily read this as a standalone as well. But I appreciated Levi’s story that much much more knowing his backstory with his brothers.


Check out the other Dirty Sexy books!

Each can be read as a Standalone

Dirty Sexy Saint
AmazoniBooks | B&N | Kobo | Google Play 

Dirty Sexy Inked
Amazon | iBooks | B&N | KOBO | Google Play


About the Author

Meet Carly Phillips:

Carly Phillips is the N.Y. Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of over 50 sexy contemporary romance novels, including the Indie published, Dare to Love Series. She is happily married to her college sweetheart, the mother of two nearly adult daughters and three crazy dogs. Carly loves social media and is always around to interact with her readers.

Connect with Carly Phillips:

Sign up for Carly’s Newsletter at: http://www.carlyphillips.com/newsletter-sign-up/
Sign up for Blog and Website updates at: http://www.carlyphillips.com/blog
Sign up for Text Updates of New Releases: http://tinyurl.com/p3upm5s
Friend Carly on Facebook: www.facebook.com/carlyphillipsfanpage
Hang out at Carly’s Corner! (Hot guys & giveaways!) http://smarturl.it/CarlysCornerFB
Instagram: https://instagram.com/carlyphillips
Twitter: www.twitter.com/carlyphillips
Website: www.carlyphillips.com


Meet Erika Wilde:

Erika Wilde (aka Janelle Denison) is the USA Today bestselling author of over 50 contemporary romances for multiple print publishers.

Connect with Erika Wilde:

Sign up for Erika’s Newsletter at: http://smarturl.it/ErikaWildeNewsletter
Join Erika’s Private Fan Page – Books & Exclusive Giveaways! http://smarturl.it/ErikaWildeFanPage
Friend Erika on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ErikaWildeAuthorFanPage/
Twitter: www.twitter.com@erikawilde1
Erika’s Website: www.erikawilde.com

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: ★Man Candy★ by @MelanieHarlow2

MAN CANDY BT BANNERMan Candy
Author: Melanie Harlow
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: June 20, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

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He’s back.

Not just back in town, but living in the flat right beneath mine. And he looks good enough to eat, which is just one more reason to stay away from him.

But I can’t resist.

The sex is incredible (pretty sure we’ve shaken the house right off its foundation), but he can’t fool me—not this time. A degree in marketing and five years in advertising have taught me that “true love” is a fairy tale used to sell lipstick, diamonds, and perfume. It doesn’t exist.

He thinks I’m wrong, and he wants to prove it.

I think he’s crazy, so I dare him to try.

It might be the biggest mistake of my life.

Buy Links

AMAZON

Excerpt

“It’s so good to see you, Jaime,” he said. “You look great.”
“You too,” I said before I could stop myself. I didn’t want him to think I still cared—in fact, I wanted him to know I wasn’t fooled by his charm. I wasn’t that silly little girl anymore, the one who’d doodled his name in her notebooks and blushed when he said hi at school and cried herself to sleep when he asked another girl to his prom. That silly little girl was gone, and in her place was a confident, smart, professional woman who knew her worth and, even better, the truth about love. No more stars in her eyes.But why did he have to be so hot?OK, pull yourself together. No drooling.“I’m so glad this worked out.” Quinn let me go but stood too close, his feet planted wide and his arms crossed over his chest. He wore jeans, a gray knit pullover that hugged his muscular chest and arms, and his feet were bare. His hair was damp and messy on top, just like it had been the last time I’d seen him in person. His full lower lip made me want to bite it. Maybe even draw blood.“Sorry, I just got out of the shower,” he said sheepishly, ruffling his hair. “Want to come in and catch up? Or maybe go out for a drink? I just need to throw some shoes on.”“No.” Trying desperately to shove the image of him in the shower from my mind, I elbowed past him and trudged up the stairs. My cheeks were hot, which meant they were probably turning scarlet. They ruined my poker face every time.

“Come on, it’s Friday!”

“I have work to do.” He was naked a few minutes ago. And wet.

“Did you have a bad day?”

“No.” Rivulets of water streaming over those muscles.

“You already have plans tonight?”

“No.” Steam rising as he stroked himself beneath the spray.

“You don’t love me anymore?”

I froze as the shower fantasy exploded into bits, replaced by a humiliation that paralyzed me, one foot on the top step, one hand on the banister. Slowly, I turned my head and glared at him over one shoulder.

Now the grin cocked up on one side. “Because you used to, you know. You told me.”

“You need to forget about that.”

“Have you?”

“Yes,” I snapped. “That was a long time ago. Back when I was young and impressionable and believed in love.”

His brows went up. “You don’t believe in love anymore?”

“Not the romantic kind. That’s a fantasy used to sell things like lipstick and roses and diamonds.”

“Pretty jaded for twenty-seven, aren’t you?”

I resumed heading up the stairs. “I’m not jaded, Quinn. I’m just a realist.” And I’ve been burned before, trusting guys way less attractive than you.

He said nothing more, and I let myself into my flat. As soon as the door was shut behind me, I leaned back against it, exhaling and fanning my face.

He still got to me. That was so aggravating.

I mean, how was I supposed to sleep at night? Quinn Rusek was one fine piece of man candy, and I had a sweet tooth for him that wouldn’t quit.

But he’d made fun of me! Again! A nice guy would have at least pretended not to remember what I’d said. Or maybe apologized for humiliating me. Or not have brought it up at all!

What an asshole.

A hot asshole—the worst kind.

Curse you, Alex, and your generous heart.

And curse you, Quinn, for getting under my skin again. You stay away from me.

But a traitorous little part of me hoped he wouldn’t.

(Bet you can guess which part.)

Review-DGR4.5 starsMan Candy-Dirty Girl Romance teaser

You don’t believe in love anymore?”
“Not the romantic kind. That’s a fantasy used to sell things like lipstick and roses and diamonds.”

Melanie Harlow books are my happy place. The quirky humor, the steam, the ridiculously endearing characters she writes, all of it simply does it for me. Man Candy was yet another reason why she’s become my go-to author when I’m in the mood for something cute and steamy.

I love the older brother’s best friend trope, so of course I gobbled this up with a fangirling sort of glee. Add into this the fact that the heroine was basically my long lost twin and it was a recipe for a guaranteed win for me!

Ten years ago, Jaime put her heart on the line and confronted Quinn with her crush…only to have him crush her. She never got over the sexy asshole and when her brother tells her that Quinn is back in town on break from his successful modeling career and will be living in the flat below her, she’s not exactly thrilled. But Quinn? He’s ready to claim Jaime once and for all. She was too young ten years ago, but he’s ready for her now. The only problem? The Jaime of today is a jaded relationship phobe the shuns the idea of true love.

I lay there for what felt like hours, imagining her right above me, wishing she were curled up beside me, and wondering where the crack in her armor would be.

The banter between these two was one of my favorite parts about the book. I loved the way Quinn teases her and Jaime’s inevitable crumbling to his sexy ways. It’s so refreshing to get a role reversal where the man wants the relationship and the woman is hesitant. But all that hesitancy built up to some of the best banter and sexual chemistry I have read in a long while…

I want you I want you I want you.
I couldn’t stop thinking it, couldn’t stop fucking her, couldn’t bear the thoughts that she didn’t want me, didn’t want this, more than she wanted to protect herself.
I was inside her.
And I didn’t want to leave.

Quinn was absolute perfection. I had expected a cocky manwhore but he was so much better! He was the perfect combination of sweet and intense. He was incredibly sweet with Jaime and understanding when he needed to be. He was meticulous at chipping away at her carefully constructed walls. But when it came down to the sex? Holy mackerel! The man was crazy intense and had one heck of a mouth on him. GAH but I loved it.

Jaime, while stubborn as hell, was so endearing. I’m not even sure what it was about her. Maybe it’s because she reminded me of myself with her disgust of mushy relationship stuff, but I loved her even when I wanted to throttle her! She puts on a brave front but there’s definitely chinks in her armor where Quinn is involved.

I wanted him to have me in a way no one else ever had. I wanted to share myself in a way I never had.

Man Candy was fun and sexy. It was a romance lover’s dream! It had me swooning and laughing well into the night, and even panting in some places. I loved it to pieces and can’t recommend it enough if you’re in the mood for something light but incredible satisfying!

All my rules were broken. All my walls were down.

 


About the Author

Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her heels high, and her history with the naughty bits left in. When she’s not writing or reading, she gets her kicks from TV series like VEEP, Game of Thrones, House of Cards, and Homeland. She occasionally runs three miles, but only so she can have more gin and steak.

Melanie is the author of the HAPPY CRAZY LOVE series, the FRENCHED series, and the sexy historical SPEAK EASY duet, set in the 1920s. She lifts her glass to romance readers and writers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and pet rabbit.

Connect with Melanie:

Facebook | Amazon | Goodreads | Twitter | Website | Newsletter

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New & Upcoming Releases: June 20

New Releases-DGR

Another amazing release week is ahead of us and there are some goodies releasing this week! Get those one-clickers ready, dirty birds 😉


ALREADY RELEASED


YOURS by Jasinda Wilder

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When my husband Oliver died, my life ended. My purpose, my passion, my everything bled out with him on the side of the Pacific Coast Highway.

Ollie was an organ donor. His eyes, his brain, his lungs, his heart…parts of my Ollie went out and saved lives.

Then his heart, beating in another man’s chest, found its way back to me, and I found myself faced with an impossible choice: hold on to the pain and beauty of the past and the memory of the man I loved, or reach for a bold new future, knowing each heartbeat will be a reminder of all I’ve lost.

*   *   *

I wasn’t supposed to live past thirty.

My grandfather died at forty-five. Heart failure.

My father died at thirty-eight. Heart failure.

The doctors told me my whole life that I wouldn’t see my thirty-first birthday. My heart was going to give out. It was just a matter of time: a rare blood type and an unusually large heart meant essentially zero chance of a transplant.

I proved them all wrong…by dying on my thirty-first birthday.

And then I woke up, alive, with another man’s heart inside my chest, and his widow on my conscience.

I spent my whole life preparing for death, and now I have to learn how to live. Only, as I soon discovered, living is the easy part.

Loving, and allowing myself to be loved…well, that’s a whole lot harder.

This is a standalone second chance romance like you’ve never read before.


MAN CANDY by Melanie Harlow

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He’s back.

Not just back in town, but living in the flat right beneath mine. And he looks good enough to eat, which is just one more reason to stay away from him.

But I can’t resist.

The sex is incredible (pretty sure we’ve shaken the house right off its foundation), but he can’t fool me—not this time. A degree in marketing and five years in advertising have taught me that “true love” is a fairy tale used to sell lipstick, diamonds, and perfume. It doesn’t exist.

He thinks I’m wrong, and he wants to prove it.

I think he’s crazy, so I dare him to try.

It might be the biggest mistake of my life.


 

POESY by Mary Elizabeth

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***A Low Prequel Novella***

Living on the right side of the tracks can be cruel.

Poesy Ashby lives a dysfunctional life to prove it. Determined not to turn out like her parents, she’s gives up seeking their approval and focuses on breaking free. But abiding by the rules is nearly impossible when corruption is in your blood.

Before Poesy Ashby becomes a renegade on the run, she’s a girl from the suburbs who finds acceptance for the first time in the most unexpected place: between rose petals and thorns.

Bonnie and Clyde have nothing on her love story.


 

 

RAMSAY by Mia Asher

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Lydia De Havilland is shocked when Brogan Ramsay suddenly reappears in her life. Several years before, Brogan was the son of her family’s gardener, and the boy she hurt and betrayed. But Brogan is no longer the quiet, sensitive boy she remembers. Now he’s a man—gorgeous, powerful . . . and seeking vengeance.

Brogan Ramsay can’t let go of the memory of Lydia tricking him cruelly, leaving his heart shattered and his family penniless. And now he’s back to destroy her family the way his was destroyed. There’s only one problem . . . the girl who wounded him so badly years ago is now a woman who still has the power to render him breathless.

Ramsay is the story of betrayal and wrath, of the strength of regret and the power of forgiveness. It is the story of the thin veil between love and hate, and how more often than not, when we seek to inflict pain on others, the heart we wound is our own.

THIS IS A STAND-ALONE SIGN OF LOVE NOVEL, INSPIRED BY ARIES. New Adult Contemporary Romance: Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.


ALWAYS by Nina Lane

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Without darkness, there can be no light.

Dean has always been Liv’s white knight. Not once has he retreated from battle. Not once has he failed to keep his wife safe. Not once has he broken his promise to slay monsters for her.

Then Dean encounters a monster he can’t destroy. A monster he can’t even face. And for the first time ever, there is nothing he can do to protect the woman who owns his heart.

The love story of Liv and Dean West that started with AROUSE and continued in ALLURE, AWAKEN, and ADORE now comes to a breathtaking conclusion as the professor and his beauty fight the battle of their lives.

 


JUNE 20 RELEASE


SAY YOU’LL STAY by Corrine Michaels

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One word.
Stay.

It was all he had to do. Instead, he got on that bus and took my heart with him.

That was seventeen years ago.

I moved on. Marriage. Kids. White picket fence. Everything I ever wanted, but my husband betrayed me and I was left once again.

Alone, penniless, and with two boys, I had no choice but to return to Tennessee. He wasn’t supposed to be there. I should’ve been safe. However, fate has a way of stepping in.

This time around, the tables are turned. It’s my decision. Second chances do exist, but I don’t know if we can repair what’s already been broken…


JUNE 21 RELEASES


THE BILLIONAIRE’S FAVORITE MISTAKE by Jessica Clare

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A hot one night stand between friends might spark true love in the latest Billionaires and Bridesmaids novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Billionaire Takes a Bride.

Greer has always been there for Asher, but she wishes she could break through her shyness and show how much she truly loves him. But after a steamy, mindless fling at Hunter and Gretchen’s engagement party, Greer finds herself tossed aside and forced to admit that you can’t love someone who doesn’t acknowledge you exist.

It’s a shame he got her pregnant.

After his fiancée betrayed him and tanked his business in one fell swoop, Asher has spent his time trying to rebuild his wealth and forget the past. But he doesn’t understand why Greer blew him off after their night together—until he catches a glimpse of her belly.

Now Asher is willing to do whatever it takes to convince Greer she belongs with him. And he’s very skilled at the art of persuasion.


DUE DILIGENCE by Ana Zabo

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A business trip leads to a surprise encounter with an old flame in this sexy romance from the author of Just Business.

After Fazil Kurt breaks up with his girlfriend, a business trip to Seattle offers some much-needed time away. Sent by S.R. Anderson Consulting, Fazil is there to help audit Singularity Storage, a company they are trying to save. His first discovery is intriguing to say the least: One of Singularity’s engineers is Todd Douglas, Fazil’s first love.

He knows better than to get personally involved on a job like this. Back in high school, Todd broke Fazil’s heart more times than he could count, but both men have grown so much since then—and Fazil never could say no to Todd…


 

DATING THE GUY UPSTAIRS by Amanda Ashby

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From Amanda Ashby, author of the charming contemporary romance Dating the Guy Next Door, comes an all new story of a fake relationship that might not be so fake after all…

LIARS OR LOVERS?

Young librarian Riley Harris has always maintained her independence, leaving the drama of love to anyone silly enough to fall for it. Her Jane Austen novels are as close as she cares to get to “true love.” Luckily, her handsome upstairs neighbor—and landlord—Will Henderson feels the same way.

Since his ex-fiancé crushed his heart, Will devotes himself to charity in an effort to atone for the misdeeds of his wealthy, ruthless father. So when Will needs a date for his brothers high-society wedding, he asks Riley to be his faux girlfriend.

After a spontaneous kiss throws both Riley and Will for a loop, they find themselves fighting their mutual pride and prejudice against love. And when Riley is rocked by something from Will’s past, both will need to decide whether to follow their heads or their hearts…


STAY UNTIL WE BREAK by Mercy Brown

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What happens on the road stays on the road in the latest New Adult novel from the author of Loud Is How I Love You

Twenty-one-year-old Sonia Grant, a business major, has big plans for a career in the music industry. So when she’s offered the job of tour manager for her best friend’s band, she jumps at the chance for some real life experience. When her number one crush, bassist Cole McCormack, jumps her the first night on tour, she hopes she’s in for three weeks of some hot backstage action, too. But Cole turns out to have more up his sleeve than she or anyone realized.

Nobody knows that Cole is on the road to party like a rock star one last time before quitting his dream to take a more practical job and settle down. What he hadn’t planned was to fall in love with a girl he believes is out of his league. Will Cole play out the rock star fantasy he thinks Sonia wants from him, or tell her the truth and take the chance that she’ll either break his heart or make an even bigger dream come true?
 
Includes a preview of the first book in the Hub City Romance series, Loud Is How I Love You


STEALING HIS THUNDER by Sparrow Beckett

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From the author of the Masters Unleashed series, Sparrow Beckett revs things up with two lovers on a collision course in the first Masters of Adrenaline novel. 

Nothing gives Addison Kennedy a rush like stealing cars. The Lexus was the perfect target, but before she can get its engine purring, she’s cold-cocked unconscious. When she comes to, she finds herself on a bed with a blonde, tattooed god standing over her.

Fox Larson is shocked to discover the thief he knocked out is actually a hot girl. Bringing her home may not have been the smartest move, but he wasn’t about to leave an unconscious and defenseless woman in a parking garage. Besides, if she’s part of an auto theft crew infringing on his territory, he needs to pump her for information.

However, Addison has personal drive that won’t be denied and she’s desperate to prove Fox’s group needs her skills. Submitting to his kinks in the bedroom is a hot yet complicated bonus. When a big job goes bad, and Addison finally gets her chance, will she succeed in stealing his thunder?


DOWNTOWN DEVIL by Cara McKenna

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From the author of Crosstown Crush comes the second sexy novel in the trilogy that explores the illicit pleasures of ménage à trois.

At the edge of thirty, Clare is feeling restless. Even though she’s gainfully employed and pursuing her passion for photography, she can’t shake the feeling that something’s missing. Then she meets Mica. A perfect subject for her portrait exhibit, Mica is sexy, exciting, and everything Clare desires.

One night with the charismatic stranger is all it takes to leave her craving more. But the intensity Mica brings isn’t confined to the bedroom, and Clare wonders if this summer fling might turn more adventurous than she anticipated—especially as a curious energy starts to simmer between the two of them and Mica’s handsome roommate, Vaughn.

As the three-way tension mounts, Mica makes a sinful proposal. It’s an invitation Clare can’t pass up, and an erotic encounter she’ll never be able to forget. Caught up between two irresistible men, Clare is about to get all the excitement she’s been looking for—and then some….

Includes an exclusive preview of the next Sins in the City Novel, Midtown Masters


SMOLDER by Karen Erickson

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Lane Gallagher wants Delilah Moore—bad.

He’s imagined the sexy brunette in his bed more times than he can count.

She’s everything he’s ever wanted, but the only problem is . . .

She’s his brother’s ex.

For years, the stoic sheriff’s deputy has fantasized about the sweet, bubbly dance teacher who stirs his deepest desires. But Lane’s too loyal to ever move in on forbidden territory and he knows that while he can look, he definitely can’t touch. Fighting his attraction to Delilah is nearly impossible, but the infuriating—and incredibly sexy—woman seems determined to drive him crazy.

And she’s bringing him to his knees. One smoldering kiss at a time.

An Avon Romance


INTO THE FIRE by Meredith Wild

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Darren Bridge is living a bachelor’s dream. When he’s not running into burning buildings with his crew, he’s training the flavor of the week at his brother’s gym. Few women have ever been off limits…until Vanessa. Smart, beautiful, and legs for days, she’s unlike anyone he’s ever met. Too bad he’s sworn to leave her alone.

Overworked with no end in sight, Vanessa Hawkins hasn’t had a vacation in nearly two years. When Cameron and Maya’s destination wedding takes her out of the office for a much-needed break, she finds herself struggling to resist her attraction to the best man. Darren is dangerously good-looking with enough charm to make any hot-blooded woman want to drop her panties and enjoy the ride, no matter how long it lasts.

When they return to the city, Darren realizes the single life has lost its glimmer. But with everything else on her plate, Vanessa doesn’t have room in her life for a man, let alone a player. Can Darren find his way into her heart and convince her that he’s worth the risk?


EASY KISSES by Kristen Proby

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The Boudreaux Series. Sexy. Intriguing. Easy. Simon Danbury, an internationally sought after motivational speaker, helps women from all walks of life with love, self-esteem, dating and career building skills. Handsome, witty and wealthy, Simon seemingly has everything a man could want. But appearances can be deceiving. While Simon may have the answers for millions of women all over the world, when it comes to his own love life, he’s a giant, sexy mess. Divorced, and convinced that he’ll never love again, the very last thing he expects is one Charly Boudreaux. Charly doesn’t want to be at this seminar in the middle of nowhere, but her sister made her go. She’s the one who has her life together. Great career, amazing family, nice home, and loyal friends. So what if she doesn’t have a man? She doesn’t need one. If she’s learned anything in her almost thirty years, it’s that men are more trouble than they’re worth. And they have a nasty habit of breaking your heart into a million tiny pieces. So she’ll sit through all of Simon’s touchy feely crap and go home and get on with her life. Except Simon isn’t really spouting crap, and when he smiles at her, the butterflies are ridiculous. Never mixing business with pleasure, Simon finds Charly, a bright spot in a universe that’s been dark for too long. But will he be able to resist her? And why would he want to?


INTO THE NOTHING by BT Urruella

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Xander Evans has been on the road for many years. Never settling. Always moving from one place to another, unable to let go of his past. He lived a tragic childhood, spending most of those years in foster care. He’s never felt like he’s had a home. That is until he stops in the small town of Truman Valley, Missouri, where he meets a woman who will change everything he’s ever known.

Paige Watson has it all. A loving family, beautiful home, and a great career. The only thing she’s missing….is love. After escaping an abusive relationship, she opens her heart up to a stranger. He is unlike any man she’s ever met. He came into her life and turned it completely upside down. Everything is perfect. That is, until one fateful night.

A night that would tear the Watson family apart, never to be put back together again.

A night that would send Xander away to prison for life.


DIRTY SEXY CUFFED by Carly Phillips & Erika Wilde

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ARE YOU READY TO GET CUFFED?

As a cop, Levi Kincaid is all about discipline and control… in the bedroom, and out of it, and he’s always been very careful about choosing women who abide by his rules. Hot sex and intense pleasure? No problem. Emotional commitment and forever promises? No way. But he never anticipates falling for a blue eyed angel who makes him want to cuff her to his bed and do dirty, sexy things to her. And that control of his? It doesn’t stand a chance against Sarah Robins, the one woman he can’t resist . . .

Review: ★Hot SEAL Lover★ by @LynnRayeHarris

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Series: Hot SEAL Team #2
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Author: Lynn Raye Harris
Release Date: June 14, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

HotSEALLover-2

One night in the sheets is all she wants…

Christina Girard is a lady. But she’s a lady whose world is about to implode. She’s done everything right, but she can’t escape the taint of scandal when her husband cheats on her with another man. She’s broken, her spirit battered, her confidence at an all-time low.

Then she meets Navy SEAL Remy Marchand, and parts of her she’d thought dead flare to life. Except Remy is part of the Hostile Operations Team, the Black Ops group her brother works for, and that means NO in flashing neon letters. Yet Christina’s tired of always doing what’s expected. Just once, she wants to saddle up and ride a tattooed, dirty-mouthed bad boy before she kicks him to the curb and goes on with her life.

One night is not enough to put out the fire…

Remy Marchand burns with guilt and regret that he couldn’t save his twin sister from her abuser. He lives his life slaying dragons for the innocent and vulnerable. He thought Christina needed his strength and protection too, but he was wrong. After a single night of pleasure, she disappears from his life.

But then his SEALs get tasked with a mission: infiltrate war-torn Qu’rim and get Christina out before the enemy finds her. With bombs exploding, blood spilling, and survival not certain, Remy protects Christina from harm while vowing not to succumb again to her sweet temptation.

One night is only the beginning…

But life in a war zone is intense, and vows mean nothing in the face of danger. Giving in is inevitable. Staying alive is not—especially when the greatest menace still waits for the perfect moment to strike…

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Review4 starsHot Seal Lover-DGR

He was a revelation to her. A need beyond any she’d ever had before.

Let me sum this up for you in a few words: Navy SEAL, Cajun accent.

I’ll let you marinade on that for a bit.



What? You need more? Pfft! Clearly you’re not easy like me. But this may also be the case because I’m obsessed with all things Lynn Raye Harris. I’ve been a huge fan of hers since the very first HOT book, and suffice it to say I’m thoroughly enjoying the spin-off with some hot Navy SEALs.

Now the order of the book may be confusing, so let me explain. Hot SEAL marked book 1 in Harris’s HOT SEAL Team spin-off. While the time line follows the rest of the HOT books, there is a slew of new characters introduced in the form of a SEAL team that works with the HOT men. Still with me? Good. And while it’s book #11 in the HOT series and #2 in the HOT SEAL series, each book may be enjoyed as a standalone as it’s a different couple with their own HEA in each book. The author gives plenty of background so the reader will never be lost. Unless you’re one of my series OCD friends. In that case pretend you didn’t just read the aforementioned, kay? Great!

Moving on to the review…

Christina Girard is Matt Girard’s younger sister from Hot Pursuit but we don’t really get to know her until this book. So if you haven’t yet read Hot Pursuit, no worries. You won’t have any trouble jumping right in. (Sorry, OCD friends. Ignore this too)

After the scandal of her husband’s affair implodes her life, she’s left shattered, unable to trust any man. Her family life and especially her father just further solidify her stance. Her divorce almost final, she goes out to spend time with her friends and lays eyes on the incredibly sexy SEAL, Remy Marchand. Remy is immediately taken with Christina and wants to explore their attraction further, but all Christina wants from him is one night to explore the chemistry between them.

He wanted it to be more, but she didn’t. And that pissed him off.

One sizzling night together is all they have before Christina runs scared. Now it’s six months later and Remy is part of the mission sent to infiltrate war-torn Qu’rim and get Christina and a few other US citizens out before they’re discovered and captured by dangerous rebels. Now they’re forced to deal with all the unanswered tension and questions between them, but can Christina learn to trust again in order to let Remy in?

But I’m scared. I’m scared it’s too soon and I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m scared you aren’t what you seem to be, and that tomorrow you’ll walk away- I’m scared of so many things.

Considering these two spend the night together pretty early into the book, I was a little afraid it’ll be the case of insta love. That wasn’t it at all. If anything, there was the added spice of second chance romance mixed in with their reunion months later. Remy is understandably angry with her and gone is the sweet man that Christina first met. In his place is the angry, slightly bitter SEAL with an air of danger around him. There was plenty of tension and burn to make this romance deliciously sexy.

It takes Christina some time to really come into her own, but I enjoyed watching her growth throughout the story.

She’d let him back into her life, and she had to ride out the storm to see where it went. She just hoped there was some little piece of her left when the storm was over.

While it wasn’t my favorite book in the series (but I’m a touch biased since I’m practically salivating for Ian Black’s book), it was definitely a satisfying installment in what’s become one of my go-to romantic suspense series.

Harris has become synonymous for me with heart-pounding and deliciously sexy romantic suspense. Her heroes are just the right amount of protective and intense with an air of danger around them. Her heroines are strong and assertive. Her romance sizzling hot and addictive. If you haven’t discovered this series yet, you’re seriously missing out. I’m not just recommending it, I’m insisting you read it. It’s that good.


HOT SEAL (Hot SEAL Team #1)25716896GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY REVIEW

Review: ★Chasing Butterflies★ by Terri E. Laine

Chasing-butterflies-blog-tourCHASING BUTTERFLIES
Standalone
Genre: NA Romance, Second Chance Romance
Author: Terri E. Laine
Release Date: June 2, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

CHASING BUTTERFLIES EBOOK B&W

USA Today Bestselling Author, Terri E. Laine brings a new standalone New Adult Romance novel, Chasing Butterflies, about second chances on and off the field.

One night … one kiss … one touch … will change everything.

Kelley Moore’s tragic home life should make him a survivor. But when he’s uprooted yet again, his plans for a better future seem impossible. Being a player on and off the football field is all he knows, until Lenora Wells. The beautiful town princess makes him feel and want things he never thought he could have…

Lenora will do anything to get out of her town, even if it means dating the wrong guy. There’s one problem: she can’t stop thinking about the gorgeous, complicated boy with the unusual eyes who gives her butterflies and makes her question her choices.

When their lives collide, the world shifts and not in their favor. Four years later, the sins of their past can never be taken back and forgiveness won’t come easy.

College is a different game, a second chance for something better.

She’s not the girl he remembers and he’s the one boy she can never forget.

He’s made a name for himself as the star quarterback — the golden boy who can do no wrong. But he’s only interested in being her hero.

Despite everything, she can’t deny he still makes her heart flutter; and she’s got him chasing butterflies.

Buy Links

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ChasingButterflies-Teaser2Review3 starsChasing Butterflies-DGR

 

I don’t think I’ve ever felt like that with anyone else.”
“Felt what? Butterflies?”
“If that’s what they call it. You’ve got me chasing them.”

Wow. Before I get to my review, let me say this. Don’t let my rating fool you. This book had me riveted to the story from beginning to finish. Aside from a few quibbles that I had, the story itself was beautiful. It drew me in from the very first chapter and kept me glued to the pages. The author clearly has an incredible talent and I strongly believe she has great things ahead of her. While this may not have been a full four star read for me, it was a damn solid 3 and I’ll get to my reasons why shortly.

Go back to the ball, princess. You won’t find any castles or princes here.

Kelley Moore has grown up in a way that no boy should ever have to endure. From a volatile home life to numerous tragedies throughout his life, he’s never had it easy. He dreams of making it big in football and making it out on his own.

Lenora Wells may not have had the tragic life that Kelley has, but doesn’t live an ideal one either. At the instance of her parents for the good of a potential business deal, Lenora allows them to convince her to date the most popular boy in school. But the boy that gives her butterflies isn’t her seemingly too good to be true boyfriend, but the boy from the wrong side of the tracks with the beautifully unusual eyes.
What starts as stolen encounters soon turns into something more only to shatter before their eyes and leave both of them grasping at the jagged pieces.

But time didn’t heal wounds. They only dug horrible gouges in my heart as I felt pierced through my very soul.

Chasing Butterflies is told in two parts: past (high school) and present (college). The first half is almost 60% of the story and so emotionally gripping I forgot at times that I’m reading about teenagers. I’m not typically a fan of YA but yet something about these characters simply stood out for me.

Admittedly there was a few minor issues I had with the writing; odd transitions (one chapter being told in Lenny’s POV and the next chapter jumps back a day or a few hours and retold in Kelley’s). There was a lack of clear transitions between these scenes at times, that while it wasn’t confusing, it did stand out enough to take me out of the story a bit. There were also some odd phrases like …my brain shorted and some strange analogies that stuck out to me as well..

But even those few issues aside, the story was so strong that it was easy to overlook it. Ultimately what made me lower my rating was the second part of the book that’s told in present. While their high school years have strong development and spans over half the book, I had hoped that their college years would bring the same, but alas it didn’t. I wanted that sizzle of a second chance romance, and I didn’t get that. It felt almost rushed. There were also some (redundant) choices made by the characters that left me scratching my head.  And as much as I hate to use the term cliche, there were quite a few scenarios of it present in the last half. I liked Lenny in the beginning even though some of her decisions and choices frustrated me. While I can understand why she did what she did when she’s older, I still feel like she regressed a bit as a character. I wanted her to find her inner strength and that didn’t happen until pretty much the last pages. I suppose I just wanted that sooner.

But here’s the thing; even with the aforementioned, this is still a book I would definitely recommend to any lovers of NA romance. The author spins a tale that’s tragic and beautiful that even managed to bring a tear to my eye on more than one occasion. The story is well developed, the characters are multi-layered, and it’s certainly not a book I’ll be forgetting any time soon. So if that blurb intrigues you, read it. One thing guaranteed; it will keep you up all night reading. I definitely look forward to any future releases this author has in store.

ChasingButterflies-Teaser1 (1)About the AuthorTerri E. Laine, USA Today bestselling author, left a lucrative career as a CPA to pursue her love for writing. Outside of her roles as a wife and mother of three, she’s always been a dreamer and as such became an avid reader at a young age.

Many years later, she got a crazy idea to write a novel and set out to try to publish it. With over a dozen titles published under various pen names, the rest is history. Her journey has been a blessing, and a dream realized. She looks forward to many more memories to come.

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New & Upcoming Releases: May 30

New Releases-DGR

Another new release week is upon us and boy do I have some goodies here to keep your one-clickers busy. Which ones do you have your eye on? Click on book title or the cover to purchase <3


MAY 30 RELEASES


BOUND TO SERVE by Julie Castle
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Condor earned his reputation by being Delta Star’s ultimate secret agent. He’s untouchable, unstoppable, and he always nails his targets. But no matter how many times he’s saved the world, he’s a ghost who will never take credit. He works best alone, and to continue to protect his country, he’ll stay alone.

New Delta Star field agent Bridget Jamison is obsessed with capturing Simon Perez, the elusive terrorist responsible for her ex-fiancé’s death. When the Delta Star director hands the case over to Condor, a mesmerizing ghost agent who has the power to make her weak in the knees with one intense look, Bridget agrees to be Condor’s partner so that she’s not dropped from the case and her chance for justice.

Now they’re on a mission to infiltrate a dangerous criminal organization and capture Perez. It’s up to Condor to keep this beautiful, determined agent out of harm’s way, and to keep their explosive passion contained long enough not to risk their cover…and their lives.


MAY 31 RELEASES


PRIMAL INSTINCT by Tara Wyatt

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ROCK YOU ALL NIGHT LONG

The first time he lays eyes on Taylor Ross in a bar, Colt Priestley does something few men would dare to do. He approaches the world-famous singer, shamelessly flirts with her, and gives her a night in his bed that neither of them will soon forget.

When Taylor’s record label hires a bodyguard to keep tabs on the out-of-control rocker, she’s less than thrilled to find it’s her off-the-charts one-night stand who shows up for the job. She’s terrified of letting herself fall for the damaged ex-Army Ranger, and she’s determined to push him away. Yet every moment they’re together simmers with tension. As the danger from an obsessed stalker mounts, Taylor and Colt are tempted to cross that line again-baring their hearts and souls as well as their bodies-and there’s no telling how hot this song will get.


WICKED LOVE by Michelle A. Valentine

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All Tyler Mercer wanted was to make music—until he met Avery Jenson. The beautiful new girl in town turned his head and struck a chord in his heart. But when their one night of passion results in devastating tragedy, Tyler hits the road, leaving behind his dead-end hometown and the girl he knows he’ll never forget.

After her father was caught embezzling, Avery’s comfortable life in the city was blown to bits. But meeting Tyler helped to pick up the pieces and eased her into country living. She just never expected the handsome musician would add to her heartbreak by walking away without a backward glance.

Now, three years later, rock star Tyler’s come back, hat in hand. He’s found fame and fortune as a member of Wicked White, but it’s all worth nothing without Avery’s love. Can she forgive him for leaving when she needed him most? Or will the ghost of their past keep them apart?


CONSTANT CRAVING by Melissa Schroeder

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She might trust him with her life but she’s not too sure she can trust him with her heart.

Charity Edwards has never been a woman who liked to compromise–not at work and definitely not in her personal life. So, when TJ Callahan appears on the scene as their FBI liaison, she decides to take a chance on the slow talking Texan.

TJ doesn’t like undercover work, but thanks to an old case, he has been tasked to do just that. He uses his position to infiltrate TFH to investigate Charity, a woman well-known for her hacking skills. His almost instant attraction he has to Charity makes it impossible not to blur the lines and he soon finds himself falling for the impossible woman.

When his assignment is revealed, Charity wants nothing to do with him, but she has no choice. Thanks to TJ’s investigation, Charity’s life is in jeopardy and he will do anything to protect her–even if it means sacrificing himself.


EVERYWHERE AND EVERY WAY by Jennifer Probst

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Hot on the heels of her beloved Marriage to a Billionaire novels, New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst nails it with the first in an all-new sexy romance series featuring red-hot contractor siblings who give the Property Brothers a run for their money!

Ever the responsible eldest brother, Caleb Pierce started working for his father’s luxury contracting business at a young age, dreaming of one day sitting in the boss’s chair. But his father’s will throws a wrench in his plans by stipulating that Caleb share control of the family business with his two estranged brothers.

Things only get more complicated when demanding high-end home designer Morgan hires Caleb to build her a customized dream house that matches her specifications to a T—or she’ll use her powerful connections to poison the Pierce brothers’ reputation. Not one to ignore a challenge, Caleb vows to get the job done—if only he can stop getting distracted by his new client’s perfect…amenities.

But there’s more to icy Morgan than meets the eye. And Caleb’s not the only one who knows how to use a stud-finder. In fact, Morgan is pretty sure she’s found hers—and he looks quite enticing in a hard hat. As sparks fly between Morgan and Caleb despite his best intentions not to mix business and pleasure, will she finally warm up and help him lay the foundation for everlasting love?


BLOOD LUST by Alexandra Ivy

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Blessed and cursed by their hidden abilities, the Sentinels have no choice but to live, and love, on the edge of humanity…

The Sentinel assassin, Bas, is facing the greatest challenge of his outcast existence. His young daughter, Molly, has been kidnapped. But her disappearance has brought the return of her mother, Myst, whom Bas has never forgotten–or forgiven.

Haunted by a vision that she’s destined to create a weapon that will destroy thousands, Myst was never impulsive–until she met the irresistibly handsome Bas. But with the Brotherhood, the enemy of the high-bloods hunting for her, Myst had to stay on the run, to keep her child, and the world, safe. Now, with the most important thing in both their lives at stake, she and Bas must embark on a treacherous journey to save Molly, to confront the truth of Myst’s fate–and to face their fierce desire for one another.


THE DARKEST TORMENT by Gena Showalter

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New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter returns with her most explosive Lords of the Underworld tale to date, about a fierce warrior on the brink of sanity who will stop at nothing to claim the exquisite human with the power to soothe the beast inside him… 

Driven to his death by the demon of Distrust, Baden spent centuries in purgatory. Now he’s back, but at what cost? Bound to the king of the underworld, an even darker force, he’s unable to withstand the touch of another…and he’s quickly devolving into a heartless assassin with an uncontrollable temper. Things only get worse when a mission goes awry and he finds himself saddled with a bride—just not his own.

Famed dog trainer Katarina Joelle is forced to marry a monster to protect her loved ones. When she’s taken hostage by the ruthless, beautiful Baden immediately after the ceremony, she’s plunged into a war between two evils—with a protector more dangerous than the monsters he hunts. They are meant to be enemies, but neither can resist the passion burning between them…and all too soon the biggest threat is to her heart.

But as Baden slips deeper into the abyss, she’ll have to teach him to love…or lose him forever.


TORN by Cynthia Eden

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In New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Eden’s latest novel featuring the Last Option Search Team (LOST), one agent’s investigation entices a killer into making her his prey.

PARTNERS . . . FRIENDS . . .

Forensic anthropologist Victoria Palmer has always been better with the dead than the living. Shutting down her emotions, she lets few people in. But then Victoria’s latest investigation takes her and agent Wade Monroe to Savannah, Georgia. Handsome, dangerous, and more than ready to play dirty on any case, Wade weakens Victoria’s aloofness with just one glance.

. . . LOVERS

Wade knows their recent cases have pushed Victoria beyond her limits. But her skills are crucial to finding a college student who went missing five years ago. Victoria is able to determine she was murdered, and that the killer is still on the loose.

And when the vicious murderer targets Victoria, Wade must do everything in his power to protect her . . . because he refuses to let a woman he loves be torn from him . . . again.


PROTECTING HIS OWN by Cherise Sinclair

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A man protects those given into his care. 

Landscape designer, Beth King survived an abusive husband and built a new life for herself with the help of Master Nolan, the strongest, most protective man she has ever known. She loves him with all her heart, but the one thing he wants, she can’t give him. To her grief, the damage from her abusive first marriage means she can’t bear him children.

As Beth and Nolan change their plans and pursue adoption, they’re already imagining a baby girl in the nursery. But when two boys from the local domestic violence shelter see their mother taken to the hospital, they call Beth in a panic. Agreeing to care for them temporarily, Beth soon falls in love with the two adorable boys.

Now Master Nolan has a new problem. How can he protect the children when their drug-addicted mother is released—and how the hell can he keep his sweet submissive’s heart from being broken when they leave?

Heads-up, my dears: the story is heartwarming…yet heartbreaking due to children in a domestic violence situation.


RANSOM by Callie Hart

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*BOOK THREE IN THE DEAD MAN’S INK SERIES*

SOPHIA

6 Months

A lot can happen in six months. A heart can break and heal countless times. A life can change so dramatically that it’s unrecognizable anymore.

Sophia was a ghost, a made up pseudonym on a fake ID that helped Alexis buy beer. She was never meant to become a real person. She was never meant to live. Breathe. Hurt. Love. It’s funny how one moment can alter the course of a lifetime. Now Alexis is a ghost, and Sophia is all that remains.

But what happens when the threats you’re terrified to acknowledge come true? What happens when your loved ones are in danger, and facing the past is the only way to save them?

The newest prospect of the Widow Makers Motorcycle club is about to find out.

REBEL

Louis James Aubertin III has always been single minded in his goal: bring down the Los Oscuros cartel, and kill Hector Ramirez for ordering the death of his uncle. Over the course of the last 6 months, things don’t seem that cut and dried anymore, though. If chasing down Hector means endangering the woman he loves, is it really worth the risk? If sending his club to war against one of the most dangerous cartels in the world means ruining the one good thing in his life, is the price worth paying?

Jamie will do anything to protect Sophia, but with Hector kidnapping her family members and demanding the greatest of ransoms, keeping her safe is beginning to seem like an impossible task.


DEMAND by Lisa Renee Jones

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The sexy, breathtaking mystery continues in New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones’s stunning second novel in the suspenseful Careless Whispers series–where shocking revelations will reveal themselves and nothing, and no one, will ever be the same.

Still struggling with amnesia, Ella questions everything she’s known about Kayden Wilkens–the alluring stranger who claims to have found her unconscious in an alleyway. But was he truly a stranger–or did Kayden know her before his supposed rescue? Tormented by the potential betrayal he denies, with fleeting memories of a bombshell in her recent past, Ella must face a hard reality. Every action has consequences . . . and trusting Kayden, the one thing she most desires, might result in the direst consequences of all.


 

HOLD YOU AGAINST ME by Skye Warren

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Once upon a time the daughter of a mafia king fell in love with a foot soldier.

This fairy tale didn’t have a happy ending.

My sister and I barely managed to escape alive, and we’ve lived in relative hiding ever since. I’m safe now, but I can never forget the boy who gave his life to save mine.

Except there’s a chance that he’s still alive. And he’s fighting a war.

Even knowing the risks, I have to find him. I have to find some way to protect him, the way he protected me. But he isn’t the boy I left behind. He’s a violent man. A criminal. And he’s been waiting for me–the final pawn in a dark game of survival and love.


THE ANATOMY OF JANE by Amelia LeFay

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Jane

I’ve always been on my own. My life used to consist of nothing but work, keeping Allen out of trouble, and if I had time, sleep. Then I became their maid.

Max

Every day more than half a million people tune in to watch my show. They trust me. I know it’s because I’m the only son of the prominent Emerson family. However, I like to believe it because I’m honest no matter what story I report on. I’m honest about everything but the man I’ve been f**king for the last four years… and now her.

Wesley

I want three things: First, Maxwell Emerson and Jane Chapman both in my bed. Second, to be the best bloody chef in the country. Third, to figure out how to simultaneously get the first and second things I want without any of us getting hurt.

THREE PEOPLE.

ONE LOVE STORY….


UNDER THE SURFACE by Anne Calhoun

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Welcome to Eye Candy, the East Side’s hottest nightclub where the bartenders are hot, the cocktails are fancy, and danger lurks just under the surface…

Eve Webber, the gorgeous and savvy owner of Eye Candy, knows better than anyone that growing up on the wrong side of the tracks comes with certain complications. Determined to run a clean business and fix up the East Side, Eve’s plans get temporarily stalled when a potential new hire walks into her bar. The sexual chemistry crackling between them is a potent distraction…even if she refuses to mix business with the promise of pleasure.

Detective Matt Dorchester lives by strict rules that have kept him alive in impossible situations. When his latest undercover assignment has him playing a bartender, his desire for the passionate owner has him breaking every single one. Eve is in danger and her life depends on his secrecy. But once their attraction reaches a climactic conclusion, Matt must make a desperate choice: Tell her the truth about who he really is―or risk a once-in-a-lifetime love to save her life?


DIRTY LOVE by Meghan March

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From USA Today bestselling author Meghan March comes a sexy new spin-off duet from the Dirty Billionaire Trilogy. Are you ready to get dirty again? 

Greer Karas has been mine since the first day I saw her.

I walked away because she deserved better than I could offer, but I always planned to come back and stake my claim when the time was right.

But true to form, Greer wasn’t willing to wait. She threw down a challenge, and I’m meeting her head-on.

I’m not walking away this time because sometimes you have to fight dirty for love.

★DGR’s Ultimate List of Mafia Romance★

DGR-Ultimate list of mafia romance

It’s that time of the month again, dirty birds! You know, the time where I bring you a brand, spanking new Ultimate List with a category of your choosing. Oh yeah. By the way, I post the category choices at the beginning of each month in my Facebook group HERESo if you haven’t yet, make sure you join the inappropriate fun 😉

But I digress…

With all the craziness of last month, I totally missed doing my list and I’m so sorry! I’ve been a bad girl and deserve a spanking (preferably from one of the heroes in the books I’m about to list here…uhem…) But no worries, this will not be repeating itself. I post these lists monthly, and monthly you shall get them.

This month you guys wanted to see Mafia Romance, and since this happens to tickle my particular fancy as well, I was beyond happy to deliver. Now keep in mind, this will be kept specifically to mafia only. I passed over some books that had a similar vibe but weren’t “organized crime” centered in order to stay as true to the category as possible. As always I’ll give you guys my recs of the books I’ve personally read and loved, and I’ll follow that with a list of recs that I’ve received and have purchased the books for.

And if you’re new to my blog, this a monthly feature I do on the last Saturday of each month! Check out the previous features here:

★ULTIMATE LIST OF DIRTY TALKERS★

★ULTIMATE LIST OF ROCK STARS★

★ULTIMATE LIST OF FIGHTERS★

★ULTIMATE LIST OF ANTI-HEROES★

★ULTIMATE LIST OF HATE TO LOVE ROMANCE★

★ULTIMATE LIST OF SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE★

Now without further ado, let’s do this thing.


THE PROFESSIONAL by Kresley Cole

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“When a woman singles me out”—he leaned down to murmur at my ear—“it’s because she wants to get fucked. She looks at the scars and tattoos and knows she’ll get fucked hard.”

I’ve been a HUGE Kresley Cole fan for years. I have her entire IAD series in paperback. I’m slightly obsessed, I admit. The woman is the queen of sassy heroines and uber alphas. I love her PNR.

When I saw that she was coming out with a new erotic romance that just happens to feature some mafia baddies, suffice it to say I was all over it like a stripper on a pole. True story. Now I’ll admit, the first book didn’t quite blow me away, but it’s deliciously dirty and if you’re looking for a super sexy dirty talker, Mafiya enforcer Aleksei “The Siberian” Sevastyan will be RIGHT UP your pervy little alley. Originally released as a 3 part series, THE PROFESSIONAL is now a full novel in a series of 3. Each book is a different couple and may be enjoyed as a standalone though I recommend reading in order 😉

GAME MAKER SERIES ORDER

THE PROFESSIONAL | THE MASTER | THE PLAYER


EVAN ARDEN by Shay Savage

GOODREADS | AMAZON
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How did I get here? I wasn’t stupid. I also wasn’t so far gone to not remember the basics of what happened. After serving my tour of duty as a Marine sniper in the Middle East coupled with eighteen months as a prisoner of war, being exiled to Arizona for screwing up a hit for my mob-boss, spending too much time thinking about the girl I met there, and killing my favorite hooker for betraying me, I’d finally lost it and started shooting up the neighborhood.

Got your attention now, didn’t I? Don’t lie, you’re intrigued. Well you should be! A former Marine suffering from PTSD and battling his inner demons throughout his life as a hit man for the top Chicago mafia boss, Rinaldo Moretti? It’s as delicious as it sounds. This box set has all 5 books in the series. The first 3 is what I read and has a HEA at the end of book 3. The author later released a novella and a novel which I didn’t read for personal taste reasons, but I hear it was just as good as the first 3. And all of these are in this fantastic box set!


COMPLETE CORRUPTION by CD Reiss

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“I tried to stay away,” he said. “I’ve never wanted a woman this much in my life. I’d burn cities to have you. I’d fight armies. I’d commit murder to take you right now.”

Originally released as a series of 3, this is the full set. Hurrah for no waiting! I was a HUGE fan of CD’s Songs of Submission series. If you haven’t read that, I can’t recommend it enough.

Songs of Corruption focuses on the story of Theresa Drazen (who’s the sister of Jonathan from SoS). But you don’t need to read SoS in order to enjoy SoC. And of course the hero here is the sinfully sexy Mafia capo, Antonio Spinelli.


 

MONSTER IN HER EYES by JM Darhower

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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He’s a whirlpool of darkness, and I feel myself getting sucked deeper and deeper into the depths of his abyss. I’m drowning in him.

Gah. GAH! This book! This series!! I can’t even. First of all, no one writes mafia romance quite like JM Darhower. I’ve loved each and every book I’ve read by her.

Monster In His Eyes is book 1 of 3, and follows the story of Karissa and Naz. Monster in his Eyes is told in Karissa’s POV, Torture To Her Soul follows that with Naz’s POV. The amazing conclusion is Target on Our Backs.

MONSTER IN HIS EYES series order

MONSTER IN HIS EYES | TORTURE TO HER SOUL | TARGET ON OUR BACKS


RUTHLESS PEOPLE by JJ McAvoy

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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She would never convert to what I needed her to be. She was a ruthless savage, and if you cannot break a ruthless savage, you need to figure out how to tame them.

What happens when an arranged marriage puts the head of the Irish mob with the head of the Italian mob? A whole lot of crazy fuckery! Holy fuck, this series is crazy! There is no good guys to be found. Both the hero and heroine are absolutely batshit and bad to their bone, and I freaking loved it! This is a trilogy that must be read in order since the story isn’t complete until the final book.

 

RUTHLESS PEOPLE Series order

RUTHLESS PEOPLE | THE UNTOUCHABLES |AMERICAN SAVAGES


 REAP by Tillie Cole

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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Our desperate gazes met.
He took a deep breath.
Then he whispered, “You are…for me?”

While I didn’t quite love the first book in this series, I have to say I really enjoyed this one. The set up is darkly intriguing; you have ‘slaves’ who are imprisoned and conditioned in captivity to maim, to kill and to slaughter, known only by their numbers. Reap focuses on prisoner818 who raised as a prototype for the Georgian Bratva’s obedience drug, 221. He cannot act or think for himself. Knows only death and bloodshed. The heroine happens to be a mafia princess and the daughter of the Russian Bratva boss.

Reap is book 2 in Tillie Cole’s Scarred Souls series, and while you may read it as a standalone since it focuses on a different main couple and their HEA, I highly recommend you start with book 1. Because while Reap tells the story of Zaal and Talia, it also gives the readers a continuation of Luka through his POV. It builds up on what has begun in Raze and it would connect you to the story that much more having previously read that.

SCARRED SOULS SERIES

RAZE | REAP | RAVAGE (releasing Aug 16, 2016)


FLAWED by Francette Phal

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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Have you ever looked at something so beautiful, so utterly alluring that you just wanted to destroy it? That’s what you are to me. You are this beautiful thing I want to destroy.

Hmmm…how would I describe this book? Basically his it’s like the love child that would result if Seduced In The Dark and Dexter ever had wild monkey sex and then had a baby that was seriously fucked in the head. Like SERIOUSLY fucked in the head.

The hero is utterly fucked up. If you want rainbows and unicorns, fuck right off with that. I’m not even kidding here. The man is basically a hit man. A sociopath on a good day. He gets off on pain and death… and yet I absolutely loved this book. What the fuck does that say about me? Don’t even answer that right now! Flawed is a cliffhanger and book two (CARNAGE) is hopefully coming out end of August this year.


THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT by Katee Robert

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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Whatever she’d expected from this kiss, it certainly hadn’t been desire. Though DESIRE was too tame a word. She’d felt desire before, and this wasn’t it. This was…need. All-consuming need that devoured everything in its path, leaving only destruction in its wake.

As far as grit and darkness, The Marriage Contract is a bit on the lighter side. This one had a case of the insta-love and yet it was still a fabulous read. The series focuses on the O’Malley family; a powerful Irish Boston mafia family. The head of the O’Malley family is intent on marrying off his children in order to solidify powerful mafia alliances with other families, and the result is one intriguing story. I’ve read both The Marriage Contract and The Wedding Pact, and enjoyed both thoroughly. Though I did love the set up of book 2 a bit more with the forbidden romance of two warring families element being the major focus.


THE ENFORCER by Kele Moon

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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I fucking love you, Brianna…
I wouldn’t just bleed for you… I’d bleed motherfuckers out for you.”

If you were to ask me what my all time favorite mafia romance book was, this book would be it. Bar none. Nothing ever touched me on such a visceral level as this one did. Brutal, powerful, emotional, gut wrenching, all consuming, gritty, and so raw it’ll make your heart bleed.

Yeah. This book is just that good. I’ve been a huge fan of all things Kele Moon for many years now, but she absolutely blew me away with Tino’s story. I’d highly recommend starting this series in order so you can truly appreciate all the character’s backstories. Keep in mind Enforcer is part 1 of a 2 part story. On that note, it ends in a very satisfying place that I wouldn’t quite consider to be a cliffhanger. If you read any book from my list, this one should be at the very top. I simply can’t recommend it enough.

UNTAMED HEARTS SERIES

THE VIPER | THE SLAYER | THE ENFORCER

The Enforcer -Teaser4


That’s it for books that I’ve read an loved, but I have recommendations galore from fellow readers and I’ll include those below. I have all of these books on my kindle already, since you guys know I won’t recommend anything that I wouldn’t personally be interested in reading myself. So here we go…


MADE by JM Darhower

GOODREADS | AMAZON

This is easily the most recommended book I have on my list. Everyone and I mean everyone that read it absolutely loved it!

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Corrado Moretti.

The world knows the notorious Kevlar Killer, but few have ever seen what lies beneath his armor. The abused child. The neglected teenager. The broken man. He always did whatever he had to do in order to survive.

It’s kill or be killed.

Throughout his life, he has been there in the shadows, a witness to everything from beginning to end. Bound by loyalty and honor, there’s only one thing he would sacrifice it all for: family.

Never get close. Never get attached. It’s a lesson that has been brutally pounded into him since childhood, but they’re words the DeMarcos make it difficult for him to follow. Through them he finds love and grieves loss, realizing the world isn’t quite as black and white as it’s made out to be.


A LOVE OF VENGEANCE (Wanted Men #1) by Nancy Haviland

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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Once the most feared member of an Italian Mafia crime family, Gabriel Moretti returns to New York at the request of his mentor, Russian crime boss Vasily Tarasov. Vasily needs someone he can trust in Seattle to protect his estranged daughter, Eva Jacobs, while he avenges the murder of the young woman’s mother. Gabriel is unstoppable in a fight, whether he’s using fists, blades, or bullets; but innocent, onyx-haired Eva may just be the most dangerous—and beautiful—thing he’s come up against.

Intense sparks fly between the two, tempting Gabriel to mix business with pleasure while in the Emerald City. But once word gets around that Gabriel has shown up in New York, Stefano—his vengeful brother and the de facto head of the family—decides that Eva is the key to ending the feud between them…permanently.

In this pulse-pounding romantic thriller set against the backdrop of New York City’s storied underworld, loyalties will be tested, secrets will be told, and mob justice will be served.

WANTED MEN series

A LOVE OF VENGEANCE | THE SALVATION OF VENGEANCE | AN OBSESSION WITH VENGEANCE


LUCIAN (Filthy Marcellos #1) by Bethany-Kris

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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Lucian Marcello is aware of the expectations following him as the oldest son of one of North America’s most infamous Cosa Nostra Dons. Family in his world is more than blood and sharing a last name. It’s the honor, respect, business, and the life. Being a Capo is just a stepping stone until it’s time for him to take on the role of underboss but a chance meeting with her could be the one thing he’d risk it all for.

She is exactly what he didn’t know he was looking for.

Jordyn Reese spends her time trying to stay under the radar of a man who wouldn’t think twice about killing her. Unwillingly affiliated with a dangerous MC gang, her life is dominated by the men surrounding her and her future rests solely in how useful she can be for them. The last thing she needs is some Mafioso gaining her more unwanted attention from the club.

He is everything she should stay away from but can’t.

Notoriously violent when it comes to getting what he wants, Lucian will stop at nothing to make the target on Jordyn’s back disappear. But sometimes the worst threats are the ones you can’t see until it’s too late. The truth behind Lucian’s history is about to take center stage in more ways than one, and it’ll either save him … or kill him.

This world leaves everyone a little filthy.

Filthy Marcellos, Book One

FILTHY MARCELLOS series

LUCIAN | GIOVANNI | DANTE


CROW (Boston Underworld #1) by A. Zaverelli

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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He’s a killer. A mobster.

The last man on earth I’d ever want to be with. I won’t lose my head just because he’s hot, Irish, and has a wicked accent to boot.

He’s one of the only leads in my best friend’s disappearance, and I don’t trust him.

So I’ve got a few rules in mind when it comes to dealing with Lachlan Crow.

1. Keep a clear head and don’t get distracted.
2. Do what’s necessary and never forget why you’re there.
3. Never, and I mean never, fall for him.

Fourth and final rule?

Throw out the book altogether. Because the rules don’t apply when it comes to the Irish mafia.

It was only supposed to be temporary, but now Lachlan thinks he owns me. He says he’s not letting me go.

And I believe him.

***
Lachlan.

I don’t know who she is. I don’t know why she’s here.

But if it’s my attention she wants, she has it.

The Russians want her dead, and now it’s up to me to look out for her. This girl is trouble. A distraction I can’t afford.

So why have I already decided she’s mine?

I’ve claimed her and there’s no going back now.

This is a full-length standalone novel full of hot Irish bad boys with accents. Steamy and dark mafia themes throughout. HEA included.

BOSTON UNDERGROUND series

CROW | REAPER


HIGH STAKES (Vittorio Crime Family #1) by Vanessa Waltz

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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There are a million reasons why I should stay away from Vincent Cesare.

This was supposed to be temporary. I was supposed to deal for his illegal card games and get some quick cash. That was it. I wasn’t supposed to fall for him.

Little by little, I see the monster grinning at me through the cracks in his pretty suit. He won’t tell me what he does, and I’m not sure I want to know. The darkness in his eyes terrifies me. He’s seduced me into his web of lies with his charm, and now I’m trapped in his life. He’s taken control over me without me even realizing…or resisting.

I’m in way over my head.

He promised that nothing would ever happen to me. The Vittorio family wants me dead and there’s only one person I can turn to. But what scares me is what I’ll have to do.

I’ll need to become his.

VITTORIO CRIME FAMILY series

HIGH STAKES | DOUBLE BLIND | END GAME | HIS WITNESS


FOOTSTEPS (The Pagano Family #1) by Susan Fanetti 

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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Carlo Pagano Jr. is the eldest son of a large Italian-American family in Quiet Cove, Rhode Island. He’s a disappointment to his father but a hero to the young son he is raising alone, after his wife abandoned them.

Sabina Alonzo-Auberon is a beautiful Argentine native married to one of the most powerful and wealthy men in New England. Though James Auberon is highly esteemed, the power and glamour the world sees hide a darker reality that exists within the walls of their home. Sabina is trapped in a life of control and abasement, living with a man too powerful and vengeful to escape.

Sabina doesn’t wish to be rescued and whisked away on a white horse. She’s not looking for a fairy tale hero; she knows the fairy tale is a lie. She’s waiting for the chance to save herself. But she won’t turn down help if it comes.

A fateful meeting with Carlo brings Sabina the chance to break free and make a life on her own terms. If any name demands respect and strikes fear more than Auberon, it’s Pagano. Carlo’s uncles head one of the most powerful ‘families’ in the Northeast, and they will offer their help—for a price.

What begins as an offer of assistance deepens into an intense bond, but before Carlo and Sabina can be together, they must overcome the obstacles in their path.

Together Carlo and Sabina seek true and honest love, and freedom from the demons of their pasts, but no quest was ever without its trials.

THE PAGANO FAMILY SERIES

FOOTSTEPS | TOUCH | ROOTED | DEEP | PRAYER


MAFIA CAPTIVE by Kitty Thomas

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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Faith Jacobson was in the wrong place at the wrong time. After witnessing a mob hit, she’s only moments from death when Angelo Raspallo decides to give his brother an unlikely gift. Leo has avoided involvement with the family business, but it doesn’t make him a saint. He’s troubled and ashamed by his darker sexual desires, one of which is to own a slave. But when his brother throws Faith at his feet, repainting the scenario to make Leo the hero rescuing her from certain death, his moral fortitude will be tested. If Faith were kinky, it would be easy to live out his fantasy, but she’s not. Not even a little bit. Even the mildest spanking sparks terror in her that Leo can’t bear. The gift soon becomes a burden as he fights with himself over how to handle the addition to his home. He could release her, but his brother doesn’t do loose ends. The only thing keeping her out of the bottom of the harbor is Leo’s mercy. She’s like a beautiful piece of art he keeps in a glass case but can never touch. Is possessing her enough?


ROUGH (Chicago Underground #1) by Skye Warren

GOODREADS | AMAZON (Currently FREE on Amazon)

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I’m a cautionary tale. A statistic. A victim. A single teenage mother from the poor part of town. Most of the time I’m too busy working and struggling to care what people think. Survival doesn’t come easy.

I have a dark secret, a pressure valve, a rare moment just for myself. On these nights I visit a club. There I find men who give me what I need. Men who aren’t afraid to take what they want.

Men like Colin.

But he takes more than a few stolen hours. He demands more than my body. He wants my heart and soul–my happily ever after. I never thought I’d be Cinderella. I never thought a man that rough could be my prince.

THE CHICAGO UNDERGROUND SERIES

ROUGH | HARD | FIERCE | WILD | DIRTY | SECRET | DEEP


BOUND BY HONOR (Born In Blood Mafia Chronicles #1) by Cora Reilly 

GOODREADS | AMAZON (Currently FREE on Amazon)

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Born into one of the leading Mob families in Chicago, Aria Scuderi struggles to find her own path in a world where no choices are given. Aria was only fifteen when her parents betrothed her to Luca – The Vice – Vitiello, the oldest son of the head of the New York Cosa Nostra to ensure peace between the two families.
Now with eighteen, the day Aria has been dreading for years is looming dangerously: her wedding to Luca.
Aria is terrified of marrying a man she hardly knows, especially someone like Luca who got his nickname ‘the Vice’ for crushing a man’s throat with his bare hands. Luca might be one of the most sought after men in New York thanks to his good looks, wealth and predator-like charisma that radiates power, but the society girls throwing themselves at him don’t know what Aria does: that the bad boy aura isn’t just a game; blood and death lurk beneath Luca’s striking gray eyes and arrogant smile.
In her world a handsome exterior often hides the monster within; a monster who can just as easily kill as kiss you.
The only way to escape the marriage to Luca would be to run away and leave everything she’s ever known behind but Aria can’t bear the thought of never seeing her family again.
Despite her fear, she decides to go through with the marriage; Aria has grown up among predators like Luca and knows that even most cold-hearted bastards have a heart and she has every intention of working her way into Luca’s.

Born In Blood Mafia Chronicles series

BOUND BY HONOR | BOUND BY DUTY | BOUND BY HATRED | BOUND BY TEMPTATION


HOLD YOU AGAINST ME (Stripped #4) by Skye Warren

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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Once upon a time the daughter of a mafia king fell in love with a foot soldier.

This fairy tale didn’t have a happy ending.

My sister and I barely managed to escape alive, and we’ve lived in relative hiding ever since. I’m safe now, but I can never forget the boy who gave his life to save mine.

Except there’s a chance that he’s still alive. And he’s fighting a war.

Even knowing the risks, I have to find him. I have to find some way to protect him, the way he protected me. But he isn’t the boy I left behind. He’s a violent man. A criminal. And he’s been waiting for me—the final pawn in a dark game of survival and love.

Review: ★The Ending I Want★ by Samantha Towle

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Standalone
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Samantha Towle
Release Date: May 10, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

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Taylor Shaw had the perfect life—until she was sixteen. That was when everything changed. From that moment on, life went from bad to worse…to the worst.
After recovering from a brain tumor, months later, she suffers the tragic loss of her whole family.
Since that fateful day, she’s been coasting through life.

Now, the brain tumor has returned, and Taylor decides she’s had enough. She’s going to take her fate into her own hands.
No more hospitals. No more surgeries. No more anything.
She’s going to join her family.
It’s her decision.
What she longs for.
The ending she wants.

She just has a list of things to do before she goes.
First, go to England.
Second, kiss a stranger…

Only, Taylor didn’t expect Liam Hunter, the stranger—with his handsome face, his six-foot-three of gorgeousness, and his oh-so-hot English accent—to change things.
To change her.
To change the ending she wanted.

What is a girl, who is standing on the edge of nothing, to do when offered the chance of everything?

Buy LinksAmazon US | Amazon UK | B&N | iTunes |KoboReview2.5 starsThe Ending I want-DGR

Recently, I’ve found myself wishing for a lot of things. Things I have no right to wish for. But the heart can be a selfish and foolish thing. And mine is certainly both.

I have been sitting here for days trying to figure out how to rate this book. I adore Samantha Towle’s books. The Mighty Storm is still one of my all times favorites. When I first read the blurb to The Ending I Want, I knew I had to read it. It sounded like exactly the highly emotional reads I love that would tug at every heartstring. Unfortunately, that’s not quite what I got and what I had to sit and think on is expectation vs. reality. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it wasn’t just reality not living up to expectations for me, it was my lack of connection with the characters and their story that ultimately brought my rating down. So what do I rate it? Ultimately I had to go with a 2.5 because it just didn’t feel like a full 3 stars for me because aside from the first 15% and final 20%, I felt no emotional connection to the story whatsoever. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate it. Not by any means. But I didn’t quite like it either. I had to push myself to finish, and that’s what my rating reflects.

You’re mine, Boston, in every way that matters,” he whispers.

I loved the first 15%. The buildup, the chemistry between the characters, and then it progressively began to lose steam for me. The H and h connection was super quick, but still believable. I applaud the author in pulling that off because it’s not easy considering they get together pretty much right away.

I struggled with my connection to both Taylor and unfortunately even Liam. Taylor just never clicked for me. I didn’t buy her reason for choosing to die. I wanted to feel her reasons and never did. This holds especially true with the decision she made at the end because it just didn’t add up with what she kept saying for the entire book. I didn’t buy it. It felt….dare I say…shallow. There’s quite a bit of sex that happens in the book and ultimately it began to take away from the possible emotion it could have had. 15-20% the characters spend going on dates and having sex and I just wanted more. I wanted to feel Taylor’s plight. I wanted the emotion, the angst. And yet it never came. Not really.

Liam was incredibly sexy and enigmatic, but I struggled even with him. As much as I hate to use the word cliche, at times that’s what he read like. A billionaire with a tragic past. Nothing really new for me here. I wanted more. (view spoiler). It was all too much. I’d almost rather he was an average Joe. I simply didn’t need all that.

I also found some of the dialogue, especially the sex talk, to be forced and stilted at times. It almost felt like those parts were written by someone else. I don’t even know how to explain it, but it just felt…off.

You’re a little exhibitionist. I fucking love it. Just as much as I love your tight little pussy.

One of these days, I’m going to fuck you where everyone can see. Where they can watch me fuck your hot, tight pussy.”

Don’t get me wrong, it was really hot at times, but at other times it was almost cheesy in an OTT way.

That’s it, babe. Fuck my finger. Just like I’m going to fuck you with my cock. God, I want to fuck you now- so bad.

….

I think we we both know that you and I are more than friends. I think my thumb up your arse while I was fucking you with my cock earlier on should have confirmed that fact to you.

I spent the majority of the book waiting to be hit with the emotion that the blurb promises, and I barely got that in the last 20%. Unfortunately for me, by then it was simply too little too late.

Now to be fair, the author does an amazing job with Liam. I truly felt for him and I loved getting his POV.

I’ll beg if I have to. If that’s what you need to change your mind. I’ll get down on my fucking knees and beg.”

I may not have fully connected with him in the story, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy him. Because I really did.

Don’t let my rating deter you from reading this and judging for yourself. Sometimes you click with a book and sometimes you don’t, and sadly this fell into the latter category for me. Many people loved it; I’m simply getting too picky for my own good. I will without a doubt read any and all future books from this wonderful author. You can’t love every book, even from your favorites, and this was my one fluke. I look forward to what miss Towle will write in the future.

New & Upcoming Releases: May 16-17

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Can you all believe it’s yet another new week ahead of us? Is it just me or do the weekends seem to pass by quicker and quicker? Maybe it’s because I spend most of it with my nose in a book? Ah well. Here’s some prettehs releasing this week to tempt those slutty one-clickers of yours 😉


MAY 16 RELEASES


SHOWMANCE by L.H. Cosway

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Damon Atwood was Hollywood’s golden boy. Having won an Oscar at the tender age of thirteen, he had the life many could only dream about. But his success came at a price, and after a short but fruitful film career, he chose to live a life of obscurity on a remote Scottish island. Almost a decade later he’s finally ready to make his return, starting with a lead role in a musical on London’s West End.

As a choreographer’s assistant, Rose Taylor has always faded into the background. She watches shows come to life from the side lines, but has never craved the attention of stardom. When rumours begin circulating of Damon’s involvement in her latest gig, she doesn’t predict how she will be thrust into the limelight, nor how the mysterious and strangely introverted man will need her to teach him how to be a star again.

Rose knows that show crushes don’t last. Actors fall for each other during the intensity of a production, often losing themselves in their roles. These kinds of affairs burn bright and then they fade. The question is, should Rose let herself shine with Damon, or guard her heart from being broken after the final curtain call?


SMUT by Karina Halle (buy link TBA)

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What happens when the kink between the pages leads to heat between the sheets?

All Blake Crawford wants is to pass his creative writing course, get his university degree, and take over his dad’s ailing family business. What Amanda Newland wants is to graduate at the top of her class, as well as finally finish her novel and prove to her family that writing is a respectful career.

What Blake and Amanda don’t want is to be paired up with each other for their final project, but that’s exactly what they both get when they’re forced to collaborate on a writing piece. Since Amanda thinks Blake is a pushy asshole (with a panty-melting smirk and British accent) and Blake thinks Amanda has a stick up her ass (though it’s a brilliant ass), they fight tooth and nail until they discover they write well together. They also may find each other really attractive, but that’s neither here nor there.

When their writing project turns out to be a success, the two of them decide to start up a secret partnership using a pen name, infiltrating the self-publishing market in the lucrative genre of erotica. Naturally, with so much heat and passion between the pages, it’s not long before their dirty words become a dirty reality. Sure, they still fight a lot, but at least there’s make-up sex now.

But even as they start to fall hard for each other, will their burgeoning relationship survive if their scandalous secret is exposed? Or are happily-ever-afters just a work of fiction?


TURN IT UP by Kim Karr

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Follow Jasper Storm and Charlotte Lane as their epic love story continues to heat up the pages in this childhood friends to lovers romance that began in Set the Pace

Charlotte Lane was the tomboy who lived next door.
Eyes the color of the summer sky.
Mounds of curly blond hair.
A little bit of sassy and a whole lot of sweet.
She was my best friend. My confidant. My salvation.

But when circumstances tore us apart, it put more than just miles between us. I hated her. Blamed her for my worst nightmare. And I never wanted to see her again.

Then one wrong turn brought her back into my life and now she’s under my skin. In the midst of all the chaos surrounding us, she’s what’s changing me. Practically bringing me to my knees. Driving me to want to be a better man.

But nothing is ever easy.

And as our worlds begin to crumble…so do we.

Our bond withstood the test of time, but when the future brings the unexpected, it will either draw us closer or tear us apart.

Can we weather the storm?


MAY 17 RELEASES


WICKED HEART by Leisa Rayven

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The one guy she can’t have is the one she can’t forget.

Liam Quinn is one of the biggest movie stars in the world…and the only man Elissa Holt has ever truly loved.

After being out of her life for six years, he and his gorgeous fiancé are set to star in the new Broadway show Elissa is stage managing. The only trouble is, when late night rehearsals bring Elissa and Liam together, the line between what is and what could have been gets blurred. Now one moment of weakness is about to create a scandal that will echo around the world.

Elissa knows that falling for Liam again would be a tragedy in the making, but as any good romantic knows, love doesn’t always follow the script.

 


THE SPIRAL DOWN by Aly Martinez

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Standalone M/M romance novel.

I was afraid to fly.
He made me soar.

After years of climbing the ladder of success in the music industry, I finally had everything I could want. Yet I still found myself wandering through life alone.

Captain Evan Roth was the one man I never saw coming.
Tall, dark, mysterious… Straight.

We were both damaged beyond repair and searching for something so elusive we weren’t sure it even existed.

But, when two broken souls collide in midair, falling is a given.

I just never expected to crave the spiral down.


TOO HOT TO HANDLE by Tessa Bailey

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When rescue looks like a whole lot of trouble . . . 

The road trip was definitely a bad idea. Having already flambéed her culinary career beyond recognition, Rita Clarkson is now stranded in God-Knows-Where, New Mexico, with a busted-ass car and her three temperamental siblings, who she hasn’t seen in years. When rescue shows up—six-feet-plus of hot, charming sex on a motorcycle—Rita’s pretty certain she’s gone from the frying pan right into the fire . . .

Jasper Ellis has a bad boy reputation in this town, and he loathes it. The moment he sees Rita, though, Jasper knows he’s about to be sorely tempted. There’s something real between them. Something raw. And Jasper has only a few days to show Rita that he isn’t just for tonight—he’s forever.


DIRTY GIRL by Meghan March

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From USA Today bestselling author Meghan March comes a sexy new spin-off duet from The Dirty Billionaire Trilogy. Are you ready to get dirty again?

Desperately seeking rich, famous, single guy with a giant cock to make my lying, cheating, should’ve-been-born-dickless ex-boyfriend realize what he’s just lost.
Oh, and I give great head. Just sayin’. 

No man in his right mind would answer that ad.
Except thousands did.
My name is Greer Karas, and I should never be allowed near another bottle of booze again. Because when I drink, my friend and I do stupid things. Like take a page out of my older brother Creighton’s playbook and post something completely asinine on the Internet. Waking up with a giant hangover to find my humiliating personal ad has gone viral is not my finest moment.
Cue my look of shock when one of Hollywood’s hottest new bad boys, Cavanaugh Westman, comes knocking at my door and drops his pants to prove that he does indeed have a giant cock.
What he doesn’t have is an explanation for why he disappeared from my life without a word three years ago, only to show up on the big screen two years later, killing bad guys in action flicks.
And now he wants me again.
What the hell do I do now?

Greer and Cav’s story will conclude in Dirty Love, releasing 5/31/16.


MAKE ME REMEMBER by Beth Kerry

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Part Seven of the Make Me Serial

The riveting serial novel from New York Times bestseller Beth Kery continues, as the truth of Jacob and Harper’s terrible past begins to come to light—threatening to destroy Harper’s safety and make her never look at Jacob the same way again…

During sun-drenched, passionate days spent on Jacob’s yacht, Harper and Jacob fall deeper in love, taking risks not only with their bodies but their hearts. The only thing standing between Jacob and pure bliss is the suspicion that Harper’s memories are returning. If they do, she may never see him the same way again—or let him keep her safe from the horror that she faced as a young girl…

The sense of security and trust Harper feels with Jacob has her finally abandoning herself to sensual decadence along with the truth that she’s hopelessly in love with this dark, daring man. With her submission to her feelings, sad memories and dreams begin to rise to the surface of her conciousness-and hers isn’t the only past being unburied. When one of her reporters reveals a startling revolation about Jacob’s history, their shared experiences crash together in a way that will change her forever.

Don’t miss the jaw-dropping conclusion in Make Me Forever

Includes a bonus excerpt of Beth Kery’s Exposed to You.


THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER by Jennifer Armentrout

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From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes a riveting new story about friendship, survival and finding your voice 

For some people, silence is a weapon. For Mallory “Mouse” Dodge, it’s a shield. Growing up, she learned that the best way to survive was to say nothing. And even though it’s been four years since her nightmare ended, she’s beginning to worry that the fear that holds her back will last a lifetime.
Now, after years of homeschooling with loving adoptive parents, Mallory must face a new milestone–spending her senior year at public high school. But of all the terrifying and exhilarating scenarios she’s imagined, there’s one she never dreamed of–that she’d run into Rider Stark, the friend and protector she hasn’t seen since childhood, on her very first day.
It doesn’t take long for Mallory to realize that the connection she shared with Rider never really faded. Yet the deeper their bond grows, the more it becomes apparent that she’s not the only one grappling with lingering scars from the past. And as she watches Rider’s life spiral out of control, Mallory must make a choice between staying silent and speaking out–for the people she loves, the life she wants and the truths that need to be heard.


GOOD GIRL by Lauren Layne

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Lauren Layne brings all the unpredictable heat of her USA Today bestseller Blurred Lines to an all-new cast of characters! Country music’s favorite good girl is hiding away from the world—only to find herself bunking with a guy who makes her want to be a little bad.

Jenny Dawson moved to Nashville to write music, not get famous. But when her latest record goes double platinum, Jenny’s suddenly one of the town’s biggest stars—and the center of a tabloid scandal connecting her with a pop star she’s barely even met. With paparazzi tracking her every move, Jenny flees to a remote mansion in Louisiana to write her next album. The only hiccup is the unexpected presence of a brooding young caretaker named Noah, whose foul mouth and snap judgments lead to constant bickering—and serious heat.

Noah really should tell Jenny that he’s Preston Noah Maxwell Walcott, the owner of the estate where the feisty country singer has made her spoiled self at home. But the charade gives Noah a much-needed break from his own troubles, and before long, their verbal sparring is indistinguishable from foreplay. But as sizzling nights give way to quiet pillow talk, Noah begins to realize that Jenny’s almost as complicated as he is. To fit into each other’s lives, they’ll need the courage to face their problems together—before the outside world catches up to them.


MY ONE AND ONLY by Terri Osburn

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As far as Dr. Haleigh Rae Mitchner is concerned, Cooper Ridgeway is more suited to a superhero cape than mechanic’s overalls. It’s just like Ardent Springs’s most upstanding resident to rescue a pregnant, homeless teenager and bring her to Haleigh’s delivery room. When they team up to help the new mother and baby, Haleigh is determined not to cross the line with Cooper. Not only is he her best friend’s brother, he’s a guy who deserves more than Haleigh’s checkered past could ever offer.

At first glance, Haleigh is no longer the girl Cooper pined for in school. The sleek, professional OB-GYN seems more out of reach than ever for this small-town mechanic. But the more time he spends with the complicated woman, the more he wants her. Who better than Cooper to prove to her that nothing is beyond fixing? Especially in Ardent Springs, a town that’s tailor-made for second chances.

Copyright © 2015 · Dirty Girl Romance

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