Review: When You Stayed by Ashley Munoz

May 15, 2026 by · Leave a Comment

WHEN YOU STAYED
Series: Generations of Rose Ridge #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance 
Author: Ashley Munoz
Release Date: May 15, 2026

was never meant to stay in Rose Ridge.

My father was the president of a notorious motorcycle club, so if something rattled him enough to request that I go, I should have listened.

In my defense, at the time, it seemed more terrifying to give up the only dream I ever had than to leave like everyone else.

I should have known that chasing that dream would lead back to the club, because everything in this town eventually did.

I wasn’t expecting to see a familiar face, glaring as usual, amidst the chaos surrounding the Stone Riders. For years, I had endured scowls, glares, and scoffs from Ford Ryan. However, there was something new and different about his heated stare, and even that oddly protective touch.

Something dangerous and addictive.

I should have left when I had the chance, because my proximity to Ford and the club meant I was close to danger. Even worse would be discovering exactly why Ford chose to stay when, out of all of us, he had every reason not to.

AMAZON

I was only ever falling for her. And I was fucking tired of it.

I love a next gen spinoff, but this one just hit especially good. And suffice it to say, I’m wholly obsessed with this new series from one of my favorites! A next gen MC series? Say less!

Now if there’s one thing about me, it’s that I am a sucker for the male yearning trope. And the way that Ford yearns for Royce? It’s on a whole different level. The man has been obsessed with her since they were young. But she also happens to be his best friend’s ex.

I didn’t care how long it was going to take, I knew that one day we’d be here. With you in my arms, and me confessing how fucking insane I am for you.”

Royce is the daughter of Killian from Where We Belong. I love the overprotective father Killian in this book. But I also wanted to throttle him for the way he goes about doing it at multiple parts. Royce is the MC princess. She’s a free spirit and as fierce as her parents. She also had the biggest crush on Ford when they were kids, but Ford has never treated her as anything more than an inconvenience he has to tolerate. The secret mutual pining was as amazing as it was frustrating, because what do you mean they went for years without this conversation. It did make their coming together that much more satisfying. But I swear, I also wanted to throttle Royce for some choices she made as well.

Ford is rough and gruff but he doesn’t play around when it comes to Royce. And when he finally has the chance, he’s not about to blow it. And oh my god, the mouth on this man. Delicious.

We fuck once, and it’s as good as havin’ a fucking ring on your finger, Rose. You’re mine for always. I won’t ever share you with another.”

See what I mean? This man breathes for Royce. And who doesn’t love a man obsessed? I know I sure do.

Much like the previous series, there is a story arc that continues throughout the books. So while we do get a HEA for Royce and Ford and one piece of the puzzle is figured out, there are still plenty of questions left for the next book.

The threat against the club still exists and there are plenty of appetizing plot twists that are thrown in that we will see reveal themselves in the next books. All I will say without spoiling anything is that the set up for the next books couples is utterly DELICIOUS.

I loved Royce and Ford’s much deserved HEA and their slow but inevitable journey to each other.

I might not know how to tell you everything, Royce, but one thing that has never changed is that I have stayed. Even when you weren’t mine. Even when you were just a dream. When it didn’t make any sense, when it cost me a future. I stayed right the fuck here. I might not always know how to explain shit, baby, but I’d never leave you. I know you better than anyone else, and if you tried to run, I’d find you. Because you’re mine, Royce. You’re always going to be mine.”

If you enjoyed Ashley’s Stone Riders series, you will absolutely love this one! I can’t recommend it enough for any of my fellow MC romance lovers out there.

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Review: Bound by Lies by Lylah James

May 13, 2026 by · Leave a Comment

BOUND BY LIES
Series: Fatal Alliances #1
Genre: Dark Romance 
Author: Lylah James
Release Date: May 13, 2026

From Amazon bestselling author Lylah James comes a new dark, arranged-marriage romance about a mafia princess and the cruel man who did everything to ruin her in an effort to make her…his.

For the longest time, I had been a pawn between two empires built on blood.
I had been promised to Matteo, who was supposed to be my future.

But it was his brother who ruined me.

Adrian Salvatore—reckless, merciless, carved from sin and evil. The brother no one dared to control. The one who looked at me like I was always meant to be…his.

He stole my first kiss beneath the moonlight, right there at my engagement party.
And he never stopped.
Not when I begged.
Not when I threatened.

Until one night…

One mistake. One unforgivable moment that shattered everything I was raised to protect. My modesty, my virtue, my family’s honor.

Somehow I found myself bound to Adrian in ways I never wanted.

But he didn’t believe in love.
Everything he had ever done was driven by vengeance.

Adrian wasn’t going to protect me.
Instead, he had promised to break me.

Somewhere between the hate and fear became a reckless obsession.
And with that obsession came more destruction.
We were both damned, but only one of us would survive the monster we’d become.

BOUND BY LIES is book one in the dark and twisted FATAL ALLIANCES series. Please read the author’s note at the beginning of the book.

AMAZON

Inside, I burned and withered. Outside, I was the flawless pawn. Perfect wife. Perfect lie. Perfect illusion.

Did I finish this book or did it finish me? Because what do you MEAN with this cliffhanger? I AM NOT OK!!!

Our story was forged from shattered bones and built on splintered spines; our pages soaked in blood and stained with death, cursed from the first sentence by a fate neither of us would ever outrun.

Dark mafia romance fans, gather round, because if this book isn’t on your radar, you are seriously missing out.

Now let me tell you something. I love and I mean LOVE this genre. But as of late, stories that truly stick with me are few and hard to come by. Everything sort of feels generic, repetitive and with glorified shock value. Like a whole lot of meh. So for a story to have this level of a chokehold on me? That deserves 4 stars for that alone. But I digress. Let’s talk about this book.

This is book one in the Fatal Alliances series and it is not a standalone. That cliffhanger will hit you with the force of a two by four and I’m still licking my wounds. But the pain is so worth it because I DEVOURED this story.

Do you like your MMCs mean, villainous, and absolutely pitch black? Meet Adrian Salvatore. This man will have you hating him when you’re not lusting after him. And yes, it’s absolutely toxic, but man did I love him as much as I loved to hate him.
Do you like your FMCs fierce, to give as good as they get, and with a spine of steel? Meet Serafina Morelli. She is the Morelli mafia princes and promised to a Salvatore brother to unite the two families. But unbeknownst to her, the brother she’s not engaged has bigger plans, and suddenly she finds herself in the crosshairs of his dangerous game of revenge. Her world turned upside down, she’s suddenly drowning in lies and deadly secrets.

This wasn’t love. It wasn’t even affection. It was something else entirely. It was dark and feral. Obsessive and violent. A desperate need to feel something… anything… besides the horror and the fear and the hatred that consumed us both.

To say that Serafina and Adrian were absolutely toxic together is an understatement. I absolutely hated Adrian for the way he treated her. But I also loved the way she fights against his binds. This is a woman who doesn’t just take her fate lying down.

There is so much to both of their stories that we just scratch the surface with this book. We get a small snippet of understanding of what is driving Adrian. And the more I read, the more I began to understand him. Did I still judge him? Absolutely. But I also loved peeling back all of his many layers.

This was dark and deliciously twisty. Full of secrets and an electric chemistry that is as toxic as it is all consuming.

I have been rocking myself in a corner since I finished and will remain there until I get my hands on book two.

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Review: Falter by Aly Martinez

April 26, 2026 by · Leave a Comment

FALTER
Series: Guardian Protection #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance 
Author: Aly Martinez
Release Date: April 26, 2026

Welcome to Guardian Protection Agency—a sizzling series of interconnected standalones featuring alpha bodyguards and the women who bring them to their knees.

I once made the mistake of falling for a client, and it nearly cost me my career.
Jaded and disgraced, I used my attitude as armor so it could never happen again.

Until I was assigned to protect Lofton Beck.

Hollywood’s golden girl had a stalker on her tail—and two dead bodyguards.

She was a nightmare from the start. Didn’t follow orders. Had no concept of boundaries. Worst of all, she was so damn gorgeous I couldn’t build my walls strong enough to keep her out.

As the threats escalated, we were forced into hiding at her family’s farm. Keeping my distance became impossible with her sleeping in the room next door.

Somewhere between our early mornings together and the quiet moments when the world disappeared, it became clear her stalker wasn’t the most dangerous part of the assignment.

Protecting her was never the problem.
Falling for her could cost me everything.

AMAZON

There was nothing professional about this. Not even a little. But dear God, it felt incredible.

Devon is the one character whose book I didn’t even know I wanted, but now that I have it, It’s one of the most deserved HEAs that I could have asked for. And if you don’t know who Devon Grant is, do yourself a favor and read The Fall Up and The Spiral Down. First, they’re phenomenal books. But also, it will give you a good snippet into Devon’s origin story. And it was a hot mess. Hence me having no idea that I wanted his book. But man oh man did he win me over in this book!!!

Fuck me. Fuck my life. And fuck good deeds that led to an ungodly beautiful woman kissing me. I might have been the first man in all of history to say that last part. I didn’t suspect many men would’ve gone into full panic mode after a kiss from Lofton Beck. Honest to God, I didn’t know I had a panic mode before her lips touched mine.

The last thing Devon is looking for is to return to being a bodyguard for a famous client. The first time he did, it ended in disaster. And now his assignment is to protect the beautiful actress, Lofton Beck, who is in the crosshairs of a dangerous stalker who has recently turned lethally violent. She needs to hide and Devon is assigned to ensure nothing gets to her. But the woman will also be the end of him because the instant hit of attraction that sizzles between them is unwanted at best and dangerous at worse. So what’s an elite bodyguard to do? Be a complete and total a*hole to her, obviously.

The man who could clear a room, read a threat, and talk me off a ledge without breaking a sweat stood at the foot of my bed with absolutely no idea what to do with his hands.

I love a confident FMC, and Lofton won me over immediately. I loved the way that she relentlessly pursues Devon but not in a brash or overly zealous way. Just a woman who knows what she wants and also understands her own appeal. And Devon, poor Devon, didn’t stand a chance.

I dragged in a breath that did nothing to quell the storm brewing inside me as I stared at the woman who I had no doubt was going to ruin me. “Jesus Christ,” I breathed. It wasn’t a prayer. But it was definitely a surrender.

This is a romantic suspense that was the perfect balance of action and romance. I love the way that Aly weaves both together so seamlessly that tone just amplifies the other. I also love the way she packs an emotional punch that never fails to hit all the feels. And I’m not sure whose story did that more; Devon or Lofton’s. The pacing was fantastic, the chemistry was sizzling, and the character development was so satisfying that I couldn’t get enough.

I was hoping that Aly would write more in this series and she seriously delivered with this book. It may have been my favorite in this series and I hope she continues because I need more!

If you’re looking for a bodyguard romance that has suspense, a little splash of hate to love, and one heck of an emotional punch, then do yourself a favor and read this one immediately!

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Review: Love Overboard by Kandi Steiner

April 21, 2026 by · Leave a Comment

LOVE OVERBOARD
Genre: Contemporary Romance 
Author: Kandi Steiner
Release Date: April 21, 2026

From USA Today, #1 Amazon, and BookTok bestselling author Kandi Steiner comes a sizzling, second-chance romance set on the high seas—perfect for fans of Below Deck and readers who crave angsty, high-stakes love stories.

Ember Reed is finally living her dream: chief stew on a Mediterranean superyacht, sun-kissed days at sea, and the star of Close Quarters, the hottest new reality TV show. But just as she finds her stride, the producers throw her a curveball—by hiring the one man who nearly sank her.

Finn Pearson was the one that got away. The boy who kissed her like they had forever, then left without a word. But now he’s the chef in her new crew, and the cameras are watching their every move, innocent, or not.

Even on a superyacht, there’s nowhere to hide from the past. Every stolen glance, every whispered argument, every lingering memory threatens to ignite what never fully burned out. And as the tension spills into their day jobs, even the dinner service is spiralling into disaster.

They’ve crashed before… but could eight weeks at sea be their second chance to get it right? Or will it be the storm that finally sinks them for good?

————————————————-

TROPES:

  • second chance
  • reality tv
  • forced proximity
  • forbidden
  • high stakes
  • angsty
  • Below Deck vibes

AMAZON

One touch, one look, one breath from him had me ready to risk it all.

There’s just something about angst written by Kandi Steiner that just hits different. And boy did this one hit. Hit in all the feels.

If cutting him out meant bleeding for a while, I’d take the pain.

Picture this. You’ve worked for your dream for years and finally landed a dream job as a chief stew on a reality TV show. But now you’re stuck on the boat with your ex that you never got over who is working on the boat as the chef. Oh and you’re also stuck rooming with his girlfriend. Sounds messy, right? Oh but it was. DELICIOUSLY messy.

The tension between Finn and Ember is absolutely palpable the second these two see each other again. Their romance was fast and fiery> it burned hot and then it fell apart in the most painful way. It may have been two years, but it becomes very clear than neither is over the other and time didn’t heal wounds. Ember’s anger and pain over how they fell apart felt like a living thing between them. Even though her own ambition was as much to blame for their end as Finn’s choices. But Ember didn’t know all the why’s of it, so I don’t blame her for the anger she carries. With each fiery fight they have on the boat, more details about their past revealed, you get to understand each of them in a way that you can’t help but root for them all while knowing it will end in disaster.

I loved the way the story is written primarily in Ember’s POV, but you also get to get a preview during the cast production interviews. You get to understand each of the secondary characters that much better. The pacing was perfect, the angst was angsting, and the romance once it finally lights up…is sizzling.

Sit that pretty c*nt on my face. Let me taste you, love. I want to drown in your next orgasm before I fuck you into your third.

If you’re looking for an agnsty second chance romance with reality TV drama and all the feels, look no further. Because this one hit every spot I didn’t even know I had!

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Review: Darkest Destiny by Pepper Winters

January 28, 2026 by · Leave a Comment

DARKEST DESTINY
Series: Darkest Destiny Trilogy #1
Genre: Dark Romance Fantasy Fusion
Author: Pepper Winters
Release Date: January  28, 2026

From New York Times Bestselling Pepper Winters comes a Dark Romance with a twist…

For twenty years, Lucien Ashfall has been caged by the very men who profit from his blood.
He’s dangerous, uncontrollable, and deadly.
He’s also the only one carrying his bloodline and they need another.
Every six months, thirty girls are sent into his prison and tasked with one goal: Make him create an heir by any means necessary.
But everyone who goes in, never comes out.
Until Rook Snowdon is thrown into Cinderkeep by mistake.
She isn’t a seductress.
And she certainly isn’t there to save anyone.
In fact, she only has three goals in life:
One, hide her true identity for as long as possible.
Two, nap and self-medicate with wine.
Three (and most problematic) ignore the fact that stress is slowly killing her.
Lucien only has one goal: escape and burn everything to the ground.
Unfortunately, everyone has their secrets and these two have many.
They just don’t know it yet.
Because she might be the key to getting him free.
But if he gets out, it’s not the world that will burn.
It’s him.

This isn’t just a Dark Romance.
It’s fated, feral, and dangerous—until it becomes something else entirely.

Tropes:
morally grey, caged & tortured antihero
chronically ill heroine with a twist
emotional support pet (unalives for fun)
captive / captor tension
touch-her-and-die energy
her touch terrifies him for a good reason
luxury palace built to cage a monster
slow-burn obsession → forbidden, fated bond
modern dark romance that mutates into fantasy

AMAZON

I’d never seen someone who could suffocate a room with his very arrival. Never seen someone as beautiful as him—but just like beauty could make people commit awful mistakes, his beauty promised cold-blooded murder.

Holy…wow. How do I even begin to review this without spoiling the smallest detail? Because this is a story that you have to go into absolutely blind. Just trust me on this.

This was unlike anything I’ve read in a long while and I loved that about it. It wasn’t quite modern fiction, not quite fantasy. Yet it was this dark and gritty mix of both with a twist. It also had some vibes of beauty and the beast mixed with cinderella.

Rook thinks she’s going to an exclusive spa and instead gets thrown into a game of survival that she’s not even remotely prepared for. She ends up at Cinderkeep in the crosshairs of the elusive Lucien, who’s more legend than man. He’s also more feral than human, with a panther for his only companion. He’s been caged within the confines of Cinderkeep for over 20 years. His blood a currency he’s forced to give, while he dreams of escape and bloody revenge.

Women are thrown into his fortress in the hopes of being his mistress and bearing an heir….or killing him. But Rook doesn’t fall into any of those categories. But how do you convince a man who’s only know pain and betrayal his whole life that you want nothing from him? You don’t. You survive him.

This was very much a slow burn romance, and I loved every agonizing moment of it. It took me a little bit to get fully immersed in this world, but right around the 30% mark, I couldn’t stop reading. And that cliffhanger? DESPERATELY NEED the next book!

 

 

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Review: A Vow of Shadow and Blood by Charlene Antrobus

November 15, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

A VOW OF SHADOW AND BLOOD
Series: Blood Vows #1
Author: Charlene Antrobus
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Release Date: October 15, 2025

An enemies-to-lovers romantic fantasy perfect for fans of Penn Cole, Sable Sorensen, and Rebecca Yarros.

In the Kingdom of Kalyn, humans are good for two things. Hunting and owning.

Adina Barron was bred to serve the ruling-class vampires. Owned from birth by Blackwood House, her only desire has been to keep herself and her sister safe. But Adina harbors a dark secret. She possesses the power to turn her blood into a deadly poison that kills vampires. An ability she swore never to use until she learned that her sister was dying. After discovering that vampire venom can extend life, Adina has spent the last year risking exposure and execution to hunt and kill the creatures she was born to obey.

But desperation leads to foolish mistakes, and when she accidentally reveals her power to a mysterious stranger, she is forced to make a difficult choice. Use her ability to assassinate the Crown Prince or watch her sister die.

The decision is easy, and it’s not long before Adina manages to use her wits and cunning to embed herself into the prince’s life. But making the kill is not as simple as she anticipates, especially when fate seems hell-bent on drawing the pair together. And when whispers of a war start to arise, Adina realizes that there may be bigger issues than just saving her sister.

But time is closing in, and soon she will be forced to make a choice. Her sister? Her kingdom? Or her heart? Because one thing is clear, she cannot save them all.

This is book one in Charlene’s slowburn, romantic fantasy series, Blood Vows.

AMAZON

You can either go there of your own volition, or I will drag you there myself.” “You lay a hand on me and I wi—” “You will what?” he asks before dropping his voice down low. “Moan like you have all the other times my hands have touched you. I’m not really seeing a downside for you here.”

Holy WOW. When I tell you that this book had me in a complete chokehold for the 3 days that it took me to read it, I mean I was obsessed. It’s been a hot minute since I read a fantasy romance, but this reminded me exactly what made me fall in love with the genre to begin with.

The world building? Immaculate.
The characters? multifaceted and vivid.
The story? Absolutely addictive.

This is a true enemies to lovers with a slow burn so slow, it hurts so good. But what ultimately hooked me was the premise of the story.

Adina, the FMC, is a pureblood. A human bred to serve the ruling-class vampire with the potency of their blood. Year ago, a fierce battle took place between humans and vampires. And now, the humans are living with the reality of existing for two things only; to be owned or to be hunted down like the prey they’ve become. But Adina hides a dark secret and an ability that can either be her salvation or get her killed. When her sister is in trouble, she’s forced to make a deal for her life; kill the vampire prince and one of the most dangerous and powerful vampires to exist. And to do that and get close to him, she needs to become the prince’s main blood donor.

Careful, little witch, if you keep looking at me like that, it might just make me believe that you enjoy me feeding on you just as much as I like the taste of your blood.”

I spent the first 30% of the book just trying to figure out who the true villain was and who the MMC was and you know what? I loved that! The world building had me so wrapped up that I could see it like a movie reel behind my eyes as I read.

Adina is such a fierce heroine, though at times a bit too much so that I wanted to shake her. I loved her warrior heart but I wished that she would stop to see reason at times and found her approach to things could be inconsistent at times. But this did nothing to lessen my enjoyment.

The story itself is gritty and spares no feelings. If you like a book that will hurt you in the best and worst of ways, look no further. Because I felt eviscerated in many a parts. Some of it hurt so good and some of it just plain HURT. Like scream at the ceiling and have to stare at a wall for an hour kind of bad.

And then that ending? Holy cliffhanger! I’m honestly not sure how I’m going to survive the wait for book two, but Charlene has a new rabid fan in me and I am FERAL for more in this series.

Gods, Adina, do you have any idea the power you have over me? I would destroy realms to have you. To kneel before you and worship you with my tongue.”
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Review: What is Love by Ashley N. Rostek

November 13, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

WHAT IS LOVE
Series: The Bridge Series #1
Author: Ashley N. Rostek
Genre: Dark, Why Choose Romance
Release Date: November 8, 2025

I can’t remember a time my skin was not blemished with black, purple, and blue.

I don’t know what it’s like to breathe without the weight of fear on my chest.

From a young age, I mastered how to lie and how to hide my pain behind a practiced smile. I was never told, but I’ve always known that I need to cover my punishments beneath pretty, pastel clothes and white pearls.

I must always appear perfect. The perfect student. The perfect girlfriend. The perfect daughter.

Some days, I meet those expectations. Some days, they change to something unachievable, and pain and fear become my whole reality.

I wish I could run away, but with my family’s money and connections, I know they would find me.

My past, present, and future have already been decided without my consent and it seems like death would be my only escape. So I don’t have any choice but to continue on with my perfect façade that grows harder and harder to bear when there’s no end to my misery in sight.

That is, until someone unexpected offers me his hand in a moment I need it—a moment I can’t hold my practiced smile. Despite so much risk of being caught, I take it, and I follow him and his friends into their world of worn black leather, ripped jeans, and dangerous men on motorcycles. A world, as my mother would say, on the wrong side of the bridge.


*** Warning ***
This is a why choose romance.
This story contains triggering content. For more details, please read the Know Before You Readpage located in the beginning of the book.

AMAZON

I was a willing victim for him. One who waited and watched with held breath.

This was my first book of Ashley’s and what an intro. I’m hooked. Line and sinker.

The second I read the blurb to this book, I knew I had to read it immediately. Rich abused FMC and sons of MC members MMCs? Yes please. But nothing could prepare me to the abuse that Charlotte (Lottie) was surviving.

The story is set in high school at prestigious school where only the most privileged of the rich attend. On the outside, Lottie has the perfect life. The Kendry family is the cornerstone Kendry academy that Lottie attends. But behind closed doors lives a hell that Lottie hides from everyone. A hell that exists at the hands of her abusive (OMG I loathed her) mother. Lottie longs for a different life but knows that can never be her reality.

Monroe (Roe) is a scholarship kid from the wrong side of the tracks. He’s everything that Kottie knows she needs to steer clear from. But he’s also the only one that seems to see her and able to give her a small life raft in the hell that is her life. Then there Roe’s two best friends; Reid and Wyatt. Wyatt being the easy going flirt and Reid the one who fights any connection he feels to Lottie.

The entirety of this book is from Lottie’s POV and I longed for a peek into the guys’ POV. I’m hoping that we get that in the future books because I’m already half in love with them. This book laid the foundation to Lottie and really spares no details into the hell she has lived in. The author throws you right into the darkest depths of her emotional turmoil, insecurities and fears. It was a visceral experience.

The romance is a slow burn, which was paced perfectly with the story. The cliffhanger was an absolute killer though, and I’m not sure how I’m going to survive the wait for the next book. THE WAY I NEED IT.

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Review: The Broken Queen by Ashley Munoz

November 8, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

THE BROKEN QUEEN
Series: Rake Forge Royals #2
Author: Ashley Munoz
Genre: Dark, Mafia Romance
Release Date: November 7, 2025

The final book in the Royals of Rake Forge duet is now here!

She was always ours.

Ours to protect.

Ours to love.

Yet, we were forced to watch as she stepped into another’s arms, completely out of reach.

We didn’t have any regrets in choosing to revive our father’s deadly legacy…we knew what threat faced this family and how much danger Presley was in.

Regardless of what our family thinks, it was worth it.

She was worth it.

We’d still burn down the entire world if it meant Presley was finally free of her burden.
We’d made amends by allowing her to remain free of us in the process.

But when someone is sent to the manor in a body bag, things begin to take a different shape.

The distance between our worlds shrinks, with it comes an opportunity to right our wrongs.

But if there’s only one chance to have Presley’s forgiveness, I’ll make sure she gives it to my brother.

Whatever it takes to heal my broken queen.
*This is a duet, and is encouraged to be read in order.*

AMAZON

Frenzied hearts often did reckless things, and once ours lacked the tether to the only person who ever made our worlds make sense, we indeed became reckless.

It’s been almost a week since I finished this book and I still find myself thinking about it. It kept me at the edge of my seat with a hand around my throat the entire time I read it and I swear, I think some parts of it just outright broke me. BROKE ME.

My sky fell, Gio. You were always supposed to hold it up.”

This book doesn’t take off immediately after the end of book one. It’s been almost a year and GOD that hurt. Presley’s pain was a visceral thing in this story, and there are parts of it that I fear I will just never get over.

I don’t want to have to tell you to fix what’s broken. I just want you to find the pieces and put them back together.”

If you haven’t read book one yet, don’t read reviews of book two. Go in absolutely blind. Trust me on this. I also recommend you read the first book prior to reading my review. You can’t say I didn’t warn you. Here we go.

Presley’s heart is shattered into pieces by the two men who have always owned her heart. Being able to compartmentalize her life and her duty to protect her family is what keeps her going. And of course, Adrian’s quiet and unobtrusive understanding also helps. When I tell you that I ended up falling for this man even though I know he was hiding something huge, I mean I fell. And I’m still not over it. But I digress.

The twins never stopped looking out for Presley, even though they have very different outlooks on things. Gio pines for the girl he’s never stopped loving, while Kingston doesn’t think he deserves and has made piece with the fact that he wants to do everything in his power to help his brother get her back, and walk away himself. But we all know what they say about the best laid plans, right.

When danger comes to Presley’s door stop, the twins are the only ones with the ability to not only get her out of the mouth of danger but keep her safe. And so they come crashing back together, with all the regressed pain and unresolved hurt, they’re back in each other’s orbit. And oh but it hurt so good.

All I do is care. I care so much, I can’t sleep. I can’t think. I am eternally frozen in this place where I broke you. It was the worst thing I could have ever done, and I’m sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am. I know I can’t fix it. I can’t go back.

I was not prepared for the roller coaster of emotion that this book will put me through. I raged, I cried, I swooned, and then I cried some more. I fear parts of this book just broke me irreparably.

I absolutely LOVED Presley and her fierce nature. I love a woman who can rescue herself and Presley is a force to be reckoned with. I loved that the twins amplified her fierceness and didn’t try to run over her.

The story was a high octane and action packed ride of betrayals and buried secrets. And woven into it was a romance full of pain and redemption. This book had me in a completely chokehold from beginning to the jaw dropping finish.

If you love a gritty mafia romance with a fierce FMC and two brothers who will give up everything for the woman they love, look no further.

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Review: The Pawn by Natasha Knight

October 31, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

THE PAWN
Series: War of Hearts #2
Genre: Dark Romance
Author: Natasha Knight
Release Date: October 29, 2025

I rule a kingdom built on blood.

Brutality is my legacy.

The moment I saw Allegra Moretti, I knew I had to have her.

The night I planned to make her my wife, my enemies attacked.

They took her from me.

They did not know the monster they unleashed.

I burned the world down to bring her home.

Now, I’ll go to war for her.

I will tear our families apart and I will deliver her enemies to her in pieces.

Allegra is my queen and I will destroy any man who dares hurt her.

AMAZON

I still hate you,” I tell him what I’ve told him before although it’s not true. I know that now. “You can hate me all you want. It won’t make you any less mine.”

The heart pounding conclusion to the War of Hearts is here and WOWZA. What an ending. I think I may have spent the entire book with my jaw on the floor.

Angry kissing. Angry fucking. It’s our love language.

Cassian was impossible not to love as a villain in book one. But as a man desperate to rescue the woman he realizes means more to him than revenge? BE. STILL. MY. HEART.

If you haven’t yet read book one, don’t read my review, because it will reveal some mild spoilers of the first book. I’ll try to limit it to the bare minimum, though. Allegra is violently kidnapped and wakes up in her waking nightmare, facing the depths of a betrayal she had assumed but never realized the full extent of. And oh how deep it goes. This woman survives hell a second time over and my heart broke for everything she goes through. But her fierce warrior heart shines through every moment and I loved her character arc and her growth. Because she goes from surviving in her world to really being her own hero and I loved that. This is not a woman afraid of death and violence and doesn’t shy away from making her enemies pay.

Now Cassian. Man. I didn’t think it was possible to love this man even more than I did in book one when he was mean and pushing Allegra away. But Cassian who has comes to terms with his feelings and will protect his woman at any cost? SWOON.

It’s not often that a book takes me by surprise with a plot twist but this one managed to completely blind side me. When I tell you I was reeling, I mean jaw on the floor and completely blown away. I didn’t see that coming at all and I love that it took me by surprise that way.

This was an epic conclusion to a deliciously dark and gritty duet and I sincerely hope we’ll get more in this world because I NEED Jet’s book desperately. 

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Review: Stand Your Ground by Kandi Steiner

October 24, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

STAND YOUR GROUND
Series: Kings of the Ice #5
Genre: Contemporary, Sports Romance
Author: Kandi Steiner
Release Date: October 24, 2025

I wrote up the contract myself.
Legally binding. Crystal clear.
No strings. No feelings.
Just sex — and two million dollars in exchange for my time and expertise.

Carter Fabri may be Tampa Bay’s newest rising star, but off the ice, he’s all Bambi eyes and inexperience. He’s a virgin in desperate need of lessons in dominance, seduction, and everything in between.

And I happen to be just the woman to teach him.

I don’t need his money.
But I do need what it can give me.

I’m thirty-two, cut off from my family, and one bill away from drowning in student debt. The fantasy I’ve built around my lifestyle is getting harder to maintain. This pay day would secure the lifestyle I’ve worked too hard to let slip through my fingers and finally give me the chance to save for something I’ve always wanted — something I’ve never told anyone about.

So, I take Carter on as my student. I lay out every rule, every boundary, every carefully controlled term of our arrangement.

What I don’t plan for is how quickly he’d catch on — or how much I’d enjoy letting him take the reins.

This was supposed to be a lesson in power.
But somewhere along the way, I stopped being the one in charge.

I thought I could keep my heart out of it.
I thought I’d accounted for every risk.
But some consequences you can’t predict — no matter how carefully you draft the terms.

AMAZON

We were exact opposites; her dominant and me submissive, her confident and me insecure, her living carefree while I struggled to feel adequate every day I woke up.

My whole heart right now. Carter Fabri stole it and I never want it back!

Livia Young was elite in every way, and I’d been ruined from the first sight of her.

Would you believe me when I tell you that this was the book I was least looking forward and almost decided to skip on? I know, I’m judging my own self right now. But in my defense, my fictional tastes tend to gravitate towards dominant men. I love them possessive, dominant, cocky, and a little mean. And Carter? He’s the golden retriever that I never saw coming. So while a Domme FMC with a submissive MMC isn’t usually my cuppa, something about this blurb just called to me. And I am so glad that I gave it a shot because it just became one of my favorite books in the series.

Livia Young was impossible not to love. I. love a strong and fierce FMC, and this woman was a true bad b*tch. A woman who made an amazing career for herself, was confident, and had no qualms about taking what she wants when it came to her sexuality. So was it any wonder that inexperienced and bumbling Carter was infatuated with her.

Haven’t you figured it out yet?” I leaned in, my voice low and steady. “I’ll give you anything you ask for.”

And while golden retriever MMCs aren’t usually my thing, I fell so hard for Carter and his insecurities. And there’s just something about an eager to please virgin MMCs, especially when said MMC is the rising star in the NHL. I loved his quirkiness, his insecurities, his honesty, and his pining. GOD did I love his pining.

Carter goes to Liv with an unorthodox proposal; to teach him how to be confident and to be a rockstar in the bedroom. Enter a mutually beneficial contract for them both that doesn’t quite stay as emotionless as Liv hopes.

The more I learned about Livia, the more I realized that still waters run deep with her. My heart broke for her in parts but I absolutely loved the way that Carter was there for her. He’s so supportive of her and notices her every quirk, even those that her closest friends may miss. I loved the way that he knew her.

I was in love with Livia Young. And I had no fucking clue how to survive it.

Their chemistry was absolutely incendiary and this may have been one of the spiciest books in the series. Because those spicy lessons of theirs? HOLY OVARIES on fire batman!

I adored this book. And the preview into the next one? I AM FERAL. FERAL. I need it!

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