Jenn + Lana’s Review: The King by @skye_warren

July 5, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

THE KING
Series: The Masterpiece Duet #1
Genre: Dark Romance
Author: Skye Warren
Release Date: June 27, 2017

The highest stakes…

My father gambles every night, falling deeper and deeper into debt. When he hits the bottom, he places a new bet: his daughter.

I’m his entry bet to the biggest underground poker game.

Every kind of danger circles the velvet-covered table, but only one man makes me tremble.

A trailer park princess.

The son of a criminal king.

We don’t belong together, but I’m caught in a twisted game.

His eyes meet mine with dark promise.

And when he puts down his cards, I know I’m going to lose more than my body. I’m going to lose everything.

AMAZON | iBOOKS | NOOK | KOBO


LANA’S REVIEW

Damon Scott traded himself for me. He’s the only reason I’m safe. And I’m the reason he’s not.

Well…holy hell. I mean, damn, people. When Skye Warren first intrigued me with Damon and Penny back in The Castle, never in a million years did I imagine the depths of hell that these two truly go through. I don’t know how I’ll survive the wait until book two, because this book completely ruined me. It’s dark and gritty with barely any ray of hope to it. It builds the foundation to one incredibly powerful backstory and I couldn’t tear myself away until I read the entire book in one sitting.

Frustration flits beneath his calm surface. Even a hint of vulnerability. How many people can see it? I know that not everyone sees the kind side of him. He has weapons and suits and a million kinds of armor, all designed to shield his humanity.

Growing up in poverty to an drug addict mother and a gambling addict father, Penny barely had a chance for a normal life. Her genius mind and her gift for numbers her only hope to escape the meager life and hope for something more, until she catches the eye of one of the most dangerous men, a man that will eventually cost her everything.

The King takes you back years before the events in The Endgame trilogy; when Damon was just a young boy and Penny a seven year old girl. That fateful meeting sets in motion a chain of events that will forever change the course of Penny’s life.

Damon is the son to one of the most ruthless and evil underground criminals. A desperate attempt to escape his fate doesn’t go the way he hoped. To save a young girl from a fate worth than death, he makes the ultimate sacrifice. Now years later, when his father may be the King, he’s now the Prince of the underground crime. Dealing in drugs and women, his name is almost as feared as his father. When fate brings Penny crashing into his life again, nothing will ever be the same again.

There’s this heat coming off him, like he’s a fire and I’m thawing out. I know it’s not safe, being this close. He could burn me. But there’s also a small part of me that feels alive, only when he’s here. Only when he’s on top of me, his warm breath on my forehead.

Don’t expect much light with this book. It’s dark. Penny’s life is not an easy one and her ultimate fate is beyond devastating. The time transitions are smooth and flawless, eventually bringing us to parallel the time line in The Endgame. While you knew from the events in The Castle, that Penny suffered something horrendous, nothing prepares you for the true reality of it.

Admittedly, it was a tough pill to swallow, Penny being only 15 years old (eventually 16) in the present part of the book and Damon being 25. The age difference should be cringeworthy, and yet, it’s not. It’s hard to explain, and not wanting to give away parts of the book, I won’t even attempt. But if you’re worried about the age gap, don’t be. Penny lived a hard life and her 15 would be a sheltered girl’s 25. Skye Warren truly knows how to develop incredibly multi-layered characters full of depth. The King gives us only a hint, a small taste of the story between Damon and Penny. It gives us the backstory that I’ve been desperately craving, but now it leaves me even more desperate for the conclusion.

While this is a spin-off from The Endgame and could technically be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading The Endgame first to truly appreciate everything that is Damon. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to rock myself in a corner somewhere until September.

JENNIFER’S REVIEW


I couldn’t gush enough about Skye Warren. If you know me at all, you know I am a HUGE fan. This series is one of my favorites of hers, after the Stripped and Endgame series. Lol. Ok. I love all her books. Leave me alone!! Her writing is able to capture beauty in the darkness. And there is A LOT of darkness in her books. Just gimme all the darkness.

à la Mode St. » fashion

We have something in common now. We’re both monsters. Not the kind you can see on the outside. He wears a secret smile on his handsome face. Bruises faded back to pale skin on my naked body. It’s only inside that something can never be repaired. Only inside that I never really leave the water. Inside that I learn to need the dark.

à la Mode St. » fashionThere was a turning point in this book that I loved. I could literally FEEL the words turning to a dark place. There is a pivotal before and after to Penny’s story, and to be completely honest, I prefer the AFTER. Skye’s writing just hits me harder when it’s darker and gritty and honest.

Penny. She is young and very smart, like genius with numbers, rain man style. Penny’s father has a gambling addiction, and Penny gets caught in the crossfire of her father’s addiction, and it doesn’t end well. Her body and mind are dragged through the fire, and let me tell you, I am glad that Skye didn’t give us all the details on this because I don’t think I could have handled it. Penny is ruined in this book, and Damon is on the other side to throw his soul off a cliff for her.

Damon. He is a tortured soul….literally. His father tortured his body and his mind when he was young. I am aching for more of him. I really appreciate that Skye included The Prince as part of the prequel to this story because it gives us more little morsels into what makes Damon tick. But I really do need MORE of Damon!!

Damon & Gabriel. Gabriel & Damon. Just put me in the middle of that delicious sandwich, please. I loved the snippets of Gabriel in this book (BECAUSE HE’S MINE!!).
à la Mode St. » fashion

Gabriel Miller is as bold as thunder, rumbling, unmistakable. Damon Scott is lightning, so bright he’ll blind you. They’re both forces of nature but only one will kill you just to touch him. Only one will burn you in a flash.

à la Mode St. » fashionMost of this book is a re-telling of the Endgame series, but from Penny’s pov. It definitely helped to fill in the blanks with Damon and Penny and how they get to where they are at the end of the Endgame series.

Yes, this ends in a cliffy. Do I care?

Not.

One.

Bit.

Skye could write cliffhangers all day long, and I wouldn’t stop reading them. It’s her words that matter and her words that I love.

PRE-ORDER THE QUEEN TODAY!

RELEASING SEPTEMBER 19
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Review: Crosshairs by Kate Stewart

July 1, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

CROSSHAIRS
Series: Predator & Prey #2
Genre: Erotic Romance, Suspense
Author: Kate Stewart
Release Date: June 30, 2017

Safe.

It’s a liar’s word. No one is ever truly safe.

Daniello still haunted me—in my bed, in my dreams, in a ridiculous notion of a future we would never have.

I was drawn to darkness, and he was the abyss.

My love for him made me flesh and bone—vulnerable.

I was finally a woman with something to lose and would do anything to keep it.
But when my past caught up with my present, it became clear that safe would forever remain an illusion.

Laz was coming for us, his looming darkness a threat to the life I carefully designed.

Armed with hope, and ready for battle, I never imagined the casualties of the war that came to me.

And then I lost all control.

****This is the conclusion to the Predator and Prey Duet.

Duet reading order
Camouflage
Crosshairs

***If you are not a fan of cursing, erotic and extremely explicit sex, immoral behavior, violence, dysfunction or sexual scenarios that may make you feel uncomfortable this is not the book for you. FILTHY. EROTIC. SUSPENSE.

AMAZON

This Cinderella had no prince waiting, but she didn’t need one and never would. No, this Cinderella had run with the rats, fucked a prince or two, and decided that self-worth was superior to being second to a man’s ego.

Now it’s been a hot minute since I first read Camouflage but it didn’t take me long to be sucked right back into the world of Predator and Prey. Kate Stewart brings a fiery, suspenseful, and heart pounding conclusion to a story that owned me from the very beginning. It’s impossible not to become completely wrapped up in her words and her characters. She truly has a gift for creating some of the most vivid, unapologetically broken and unorthodox characters. And let me tell you, it doesn’t get more unorthodox than Taylor and Daniello.

She was no whore; she was untouchable. A self-made picture of perseverance that drew breath and exhaled fire.
A phoenix.
My phoenix.

It’s rare that I read about a heroine that truly owns her sexuality and Taylor was the epitome of power and sex. This is a woman that didn’t just fight to the top; she almost sold her soul for it. She makes no bones about who she is. She doesn’t feel bad for herself. She knows who she is and she owns it. While her heart was broken by life and lovers past, no one has truly made it beat quite as much as a man that’s even more untouchable to her today as he was before. A threat to everything she holds dear; his secrets may just cost her everything.

He was a threat to all I had built. A fatal blow to the reputation I had carefully crafted. He would tear my castle apart and ruin my kingdom if I let him. Because I loved him. Someone had to love the fucking villain.

Everything truly comes to a head here. I swear I could feel my pulse pounding through my fingers with every page I turned. It was impossible to put down. I was starving for more details of Daniello. Who is he? What does he do? This man is cloaked in danger and oozes sex from his every pore. He’s utterly magnetic and I couldn’t get enough of him.

We clung to each other as he tore me apart piece by piece and fed me for his absence. My body repeatedly shuddered as he commanded it. At his mercy, an ocean of feeling swept between us as he silenced my doubts with every soothing touch of his hands.

As desperate as I was for more information about Daniello, I was just as desperate for more of Taylor’s past. The mysterious Ray, the ultimate devastating destruction of her childhood love, her sister and the danger that follows them into the present. All of it completely sucked me in, leaving me desperately turning the pages well into the night.

Years of living like a savage had forced me to a place where very little light existed, but Taylor’s light forced her way under my skin and into my veins.

This was one of the most satisfying conclusions to a duet I’ve read in a long damn while. It was worth every second of the wait. It was, in a word, perfection. It was gritty and sexy, heart stopping, and unputdownable.

If you’re looking for a romance that’s different, with enigmatic characters that are so vivid you feel like they practically jump off the pages, and a story that’s full of twists and turns, then look no further. Because you just found your next addiction!

DON’T MISS BOOK 1 IN THE DUET

CAMOUFLAGE
READ MY REVIEW | PURCHASE

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Geri’s Review: The Simplicity of Cider by Amy Reichert

May 16, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

THE SIMPLICITY OF CIDER
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Author: Amy Reichert
Release Date: May 16, 2017

Fall in love with The Simplicity of Cider, the charming new novel about a prickly but gifted cider-maker whose quiet life is interrupted by the arrival of a handsome man and his young son at her family’s careworn orchard by the author of The Coincidence of Coconut Cake and Luck, Love & Lemon Pie.

Focused and unassuming fifth generation cider-maker Sanna Lund has one desire: to live a simple, quiet life on her family’s apple orchard in Door County, Wisconsin. Although her business is struggling, Sanna remains fiercely devoted to the orchard, despite her brother’s attempts to convince their aging father to sell the land.

Single dad Isaac Banks has spent years trying to shield his son Sebastian from his troubled mother. Fleeing heartbreak at home, Isaac packed up their lives and the two headed out on an adventure, driving across the country. Chance—or fate—led them straight to Sanna’s orchard.

Isaac’s helping hands are much appreciated at the apple farm, even more when Sanna’s father is injured in an accident. As Sanna’s formerly simple life becomes increasingly complicated, she finds solace in unexpected places—friendship with young Sebastian and something more deliciously complex with Isaac—until an outside threat infiltrates the farm.

AMAZON | iBOOKS

Image result for tangled lanterns gif

You make my heart reckless.”

I had the pleasure of reading my first Amy Reichert book with The Coincidence of Coconut Cake. I fell in love with Lou and Al and with Amy’s writing then. I mean, I love food. And what’s better than reading about romance and food? Nothing! It’s a no-brainer for me.

The Simplicity of Cider take readers on another journey through Wisconsin’s charming apple orchards.

Sanna Lund is a daughter, hermit, and talented cider maker whose life was scarred by a family betrayal. She’s content with her life making cider and helping her father tend to their family orchard. Things aren’t going well for Sanna and her father though. She’s failing to sell her cider and her family might lose the orchard to developers.

Help came in the form of two strangers, Isaac and his son, Bass. Father and son are running from their own heartbreak at home and found solace and respite in the Lund orchard bringing Sanna and Isaac together. The attraction that sparked between them took Sanna and Isaac by surprise. But Sanna has no time for love especially one that could leave her at any moment.

She couldn’t tell if he was the storm or the rescue boat.”

Love, loyalty, family and betrayal are just some of the themes that are at the heart of this book. Amy Reichert did a phenomenal job with these characters. Sanna was an amazing character. She’s awkward but sure of herself. Confident in her skill but also shows vulnerability which made her such a joy to read.

Isaac and his son Bass straight up stole my heart. Their interaction and banter was given a substantial amount of page time, which I really enjoyed and the tragedy that they both went through tugged at my heart. Isaac was the perfect foil for Sanna. He’s exactly what she needed.

Image result for fireflies gif

Despite its somber theme, there was such a joy to this book. Sanna’s love for cider making, Isaac’s love for Bass, Einar’s patience, Ms. Dibble’s matchmaking—these things saved the book from being depressing. Not to mention, the romance was really strong in this book. Isaac and Sanna’s chemistry sizzled throughout the book.

The toe-curling romance combined with strong family dynamics made this book a winner for me. Simplicity of Cider was simply lovely. And I couldn’t have asked for a better book from Amy Reichert.

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Review & Excerpt Tour: Razr by @larissaione

April 19, 2017 by · 1 Comment

RAZR
Series: Demonica #11.8 | 1,001 Dark Nights
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Author: Larissa Ione
Release Date: April 11, 2017

 

New York Times bestselling author Larissa Ione returns to the Demonica Underworld…

A fallen angel with a secret.

An otherworldly elf with an insatiable hunger she doesn’t understand.

An enchanted gem.

Meet mortal enemies Razr and Jedda…and the priceless diamond that threatens to destroy them both even as it bonds them together with sizzling passion.

Welcome back to the Demonica Underworld, where enemies find love…if they’re strong enough to survive.

 Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Paperback

Shivering, she went back inside and fetched the med kit from the bathroom. Razr was still passed out cold, so gently and carefully she stripped off his slacks.He didn’t wear underwear. Oh, my.

Her mouth went as dry as the sand forest in her elven homeland as she took in his magnificent body. Everything began to burn, parts of her she’d all but forgotten she had in the five years since she’d last been with a man. The fallen angel was about as perfect as anything she’d ever seen. Made sense, she supposed—she’d never thought angels would be anything less than perfection. But seeing one naked and up close? No one could blame her for wanting to take pictures and post to all her friends on Instagram, right?

Cursing her ethics, she arranged him on his belly to allow access to his shredded back. Shame at the fact that she’d just ogled him shrank her skin. Gods, he must have been in so much pain. She’d nearly passed out herself during the beating, unable to stomach the sight of muscle and bone exposed by the deep lacerations.

Making matters worse, Shrike had reveled in the gore, growing angrier with each strike, as if he’d been taking some deep inner pain out on Razr. When it was over, he’d thrown down the cat and fled the office without a word, leaving her to gather Razr’s unconscious body and find her way out of the castle.

At least the wounds had stopped bleeding and were already starting to heal. Still, this was one of the times she wished she’d chosen the garnet Gem of Enoch instead of the diamond. Jedda and her sisters hadn’t known what power each of the gems had possessed at the time they’d chosen and assimilated them, but neither Jedda nor Reina had been completely happy with the outcomes. Manda had embraced the killing power of her stone, but Reina had no desire to heal and had been furious. And while Jedda’s gem had given her an ability to violently repel demons that she actually used sometimes, being able to help now and then would have been cool too.

Very carefully, she cleaned Razr’s wounds and applied bandages, each one drawing an elven curse from her. Such a perfect body, torn to shreds on a regular basis. He had no scars—at least, none that were visible. She’d heard there were species of demons that could see scars no one else could, and she wondered what one of those demons would see if they looked at Razr.

Jedda saw a very fit, very toned male

Twisting, she looked over her shoulder at him, and in the glow of the nightlight from the bathroom, he was incredible. Passion and raw hunger lurked in his half-lidded eyes, his full lips parted on panting breaths, and she suddenly wanted that mouth on her body. Tasting her. Licking her. Kissing her

Have I mentioned how much I love Larissa Ione and her writing? Because man do I. SO HARD. Her world building is incredible. Her stories unfold in front of your eyes with the most stunning of visuals and I can never get enough. I’ve devoured her entire backlist and I love that she keeps giving us a taste of her Demonica world with these novellas.

And while this a somewhat short read at just around 120 pages, it’s as satisfying as a full novel. I don’t know how the woman is able to pack so much into those pages; the romance, the action, the mystery, the character development, all of it, but she does. And she does it WELL. I was hooked from the very first page.

Razr may say he’s a fallen angel, but he hides a secret. A big one. He may be in Azagoth’s service in the underworld, but he’s also a man on the mission. He mistake in his past that cost him everything and the reason for his years of punishment is not just a haunting memory for him. It’s a mistake that he continues to pay for and his salvation seems to be out of his grasp…until it isn’t. Now he just needs to convince a female that may hold a deeper secret than him to help him locate it.

Jedda has a gift for finding precious gems. But her gift isn’t one of luck; as a gem elf, it’s essentially her life calling. When her gift lands her in some hot water with a fallen angel, trusting another one doesn’t seem very smart…but there’s just something about Razr that runs deeper than attraction.

Fans of this series are in for a treat with this one! Ione delivers her signature witty banter and steamy passion all wrapped around a totally addictive story line that’s action packed from beginning to end. I loved the slow sizzle and burn between Razr and Jedda. I love Ione’s heroines, because while having their weaknesses, these are not wilting wallflowers and Jedda was no exception. It was ridiculously cool to get a peek into the elfin world because that’s not a species yet introduced in this super rich world building that the author has crafted. But as always, reading another installment has only whet my appetite and I already can’t wait for more!

 

Larissa Ione - author imageLarissa Ione is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. An Air Force veteran, she traded in a career as a meteorologist to pursue her passion of writing. She now spends her days in pajamas with her computer, strong coffee, and supernatural worlds. She believes in celebrating everything, and would never be caught without a bottle of Champagne chilling in the fridge…just in case. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her U.S. Coast Guard husband, her teenage son, a rescue cat named Vegas, and her very own hellhound, a King Shepherd named Hexe.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | 1001 Dark Nights

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Review & Excerpt: The Thing About Love by @juljames

April 18, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

THE THING ABOUT LOVE
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Julie James
Release Date: April 18, 2017

Two undercover FBI agents can hide who they are from everyone but each other in the latest novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Suddenly One Summer.

FBI agents Jessica Harlow and John Shepherd have a past. The former lawyer and cocky Army ranger clashed during their training at Quantico, gladly going their separate ways after graduating from the Academy. Six years later, the last thing either of them expects is to run into each other again–assigned to work as partners in a high-profile undercover sting.

For both of them, being paired with a former rival couldn’t come at a worse time. Recently divorced from a Hollywood producer and looking for a fresh start, Jessica is eager to prove herself at her new field office. And John is just one case away from his dream assignment to the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team. In order to nail a corrupt Florida politician, they’ll have to find a way to work as a team–a task that becomes even trickier when they’re forced to hole up at a romantic, beachfront resort as part of the investigation. Suddenly, the heat behind their nonstop sparring threatens to make the job a whole lot more complicated. . .

AMAZON | iBOOKS

Steeling himself, John turned around and smiled as Jessica approached. “Yes, Agent Harlow. How can I be of service?”In response to his dry tone, she threw him a glare so cold it could’ve frozen all nine circles of Dante’s Hell. Fittingly, just nine of the many places he would rather be than stuck working with her on this investigation.

“Look, I’m not thrilled about this, either.” Keeping her voice low, she came to a stop next to him at the elevator bank. “I thought you were supposed to be on the Hostage Rescue Team already.”

“And I thought you were supposed to be in L.A.”

There was a quick flash in her eyes before she shrugged off his question. “Change of plans.”

The elevator arrived at their floor, and they both stepped inside. She hit the button for the seventh floor, where the public corruption squad was located. Standing on the opposite side, he pressed the button for floor five.

They faced off as the doors shut. She folded her arms across her chest and studied him with those crystalline blue eyes that could so cleverly mask her emotions.

As he knew well.

“We’re going to have to figure this out,” she said. “We’re supposed to be business partners in this.”

Thank you, yes, being a professional, he was aware of that. He took a step closer. “It’s called “undercover” work, Harlow. If I can pretend to be a gun-buying, murder-for-hire thug, I think I can handle playing some rich investor-type who wants to skirt a few measly zoning laws.” Even a rich investor-type who was apparently masochistic enough to get in bed with the likes of her.

Professionally-speaking.

“Measly zoning laws?” she repeated.

Ooh, now he’d gone and pissed her off. How nice it was, really, that they could pick up like this, right where they’d left off.

She drew in closer, tilting her head back to meet his gaze. He was over a foot taller than her, although he noticed that she was heightening a bit with those expensive-looking three-inch heels she wore.

“Our target in this investigation is the mayor of the thirteenth largest city in the United States. That’s a pretty big deal in my book.” She gestured to his facial scruff and hair. “And while I appreciate that this . . . Sons of Anarchy motif you’ve got going might ingratiate yourself with the gun-buying, murder-for-hire, organized-crime thugs of the world, that’s not quite going to fly with this sting operation.”

“’Thirteenth largest city in the United States?’” he scoffed. “Just how many hours did you spend reviewing the case files last night?”

She smiled sweetly as the elevator arrived at her floor. “Enough to get the jump on you.”

Then the doors sprang open, and she gave him a friendly wave, once again stepping into the role of Ms. Congeniality. “So glad we got to catch up like this, Agent Shepherd. We’ll talk again soon.”

He watched her stride confidently down the hallway as the elevator doors closed between them.

Enough to get the jump on you.

Not for long, sweetheart.

Time for him to get cracking on that case file.

Nearly fifteen thousand special agents in the FBI, spread throughout the United States in fifty-six field offices, and she had to show up in Chicago for what was quite possibly his last undercover assignment. As his new partner.


God but I love this author. She writes stories that are funny, swoony, full of witty banter and humor, and they just keeps getting better and better! First of all, if you haven’t read anything by her yet, you need to rectify it immediately by reading her FBI/US Attorney series. One, because it’s AMAZING. And two, because you’ll definitely appreciate a few of the cameos in this book. But let’s get back to the matter at hand; all of the awesome that was this book.

So let’s see? We already know that enemies to lovers is my catnip, and no one seems to write it better than Julie James.

In response to his dry tone, she threw him a glare so cold it could’ve frozen all nine circles of Dante’s Hell. Fittingly, just nine of the many places he would rather be than stuck working with her on this investigation.


What makes it good is not just the humor interlaced flawlessly throughout the story, but the wit and sarcasm. Her characters are perfectly balanced and equals of each other. I love how James has a knack for writing incredibly endearing and strong female leads. They’re just the right amount of witty sarcasm and strength and Jessica Harlow was no exception. After her dedication to her job cost her her marriage, she’s looking to dive in further into her work and forget men. She doesn’t need them. She certainly doesn’t need an incredibly cocky, smart mouthed, Thor lookalike that made her months at Quantico training a living hell. Too bad it appears that he’s her new partner for an undercover sting and she’s stuck with him. He may know how to start a fire with two sticks and the ass end of a lightning bug, but he’s a royal pain in her butt and she won’t let him forget it. Digs and sarcasm galore, you guys!

John Shepher is on the track to make the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team. He has one final assignment before he finds out, and it may be the longest assignment of his life because his new partner is as equally infuriating as she is sexy. The sparks flew between them when they first met but a simply misunderstanding of intentions turned them into rivals. Now they’re older, at a different point in their lives, but the spark hasn’t diminished even a little.

Feeling her body tremble, he leaned down and reached between her legs, the words pouring out of him in a low, possessive growl. “I love when you’re on the edge like this. You’re so goddamn sweet. So mine.”

The chemistry between theses two was through the roof hot. What I especially loved was how balanced to each other they both were. John didn’t come charging in and unermine Jessica’s ability as an agent. She was fully capable and he knew it. They were perfect equals and that’s so rare to find in today’s romance.

As per usual James fashion there was plenty of sexual tension and humor to keep you glued to the pages. The Thing About Love was a laugh out loud, swoon till you melt, keep you turning the pages well into the night sort of read. I adored it. I simply adored it. I will never get enough of this author and I can’t recommend her enough if you love smart contemporary romance with swoony heroes and capable, strong heroines. It was perfection!

Okay,” he repeated. She knew that look. “You’re going to kiss me, aren’t you?” He pretended to consider this. “Well, with all the emotions flying around, it just feels … expected.”

MEET JULIE JAMES

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Review Blitz: Twist by Kylie Scott

April 14, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

TWIST
Series: Dive Bar, #2
Author: Kylie Scott
On Sale: April 11, 2017
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

 

From New York Times bestselling author Kylie Scott comes the second sizzling stand-alone novel in the Dive Bar series!

When his younger brother loses interest in online dating, hot bearded bartender Joe Collins only intends to log into his account and shut it down.

Until he reads about her.

Alex Parks is funny, fascinating, and pretty much everything he’s been looking for in a woman—except that she lives across the country.

Soon they’re emailing up a storm and telling each other their deepest, darkest secrets…except the one that really matters.

When Alex pays Joe a surprise visit, however, they both discover that when it comes to love, it’s always better with a twist.

 

 

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AUS | Amazon CA | iBooks | B&N | Kobo | Google Play

“Worst internet friend ever…”

When Joe Collins answered an email from a certain woman named Alex Parks using his brother’s dating profile, he never thought anything would come of it. And yet many months later, they’re still communicating and unbeknownst to him, she’s coming to Idaho to meet him in person. There’s one huge problem though. Alex thought she was talking to Eric, Joe’s brother who owned the profile. So imagine her surprise when she goes to Dive Bar and sees the guy she’s been pouring her heart out to, only to find out he doesn’t know her.

“Because the same as any man, women were entitled to a fuss-free sex life should they so choose. And it didn’t make us sluts, or whores, or any of the other nasty, misogynistic, double-standard bullshit that got thrown a woman’s way when she didn’t fit with the traditional ideals of who and what a female should be.”

There’s something about Kylie Scott’s heroines that really appeal to me, and Alex is no exception. She’s beautiful, funny, exasperating but also totally real and adorable. Her character just comes to life in these pages and I just enjoyed reading her thoughts no matter how crazy and sometimes exasperating it is.

But there’s more to like about Twist aside from Alex. I mean, hello? Joe Collins is H-O-T and good with his hands. Despite the initial douchecanoe move of letting Alex go on believing he’s someone else and totally flaking out on meeting her many times, he got his act together rather quickly.

“Because the same as any man, women were entitled to a fuss-free sex life should they so choose. And it didn’t make us sluts, or whores, or any of the other nasty, misogynistic, double-standard bullshit that got thrown a woman’s way when she didn’t fit with the traditional ideals of who and what a female should be.”

Despite Joe’s obvious enthusiasm for Alex’s company, their road to HEA hit some major bumps along the way. And I just loved it. I loved the drama, the unpredictability. I didn’t even mind it too much when these characters just became oblivious to logic because their feelings were involved. And there were a lot of FEELINGS…from Joe’s guilt to Alex’s jealousy to mine. Yes, mine. I wanted to step into the book and hit them both upside in the head. I felt like doing that sometimes. But ugh, I love their characters that it felt natural for me to root for them even though they annoyed me at one point because it was all worth it in the end.

My only teeny-tiny complaint is that Joe should have made the big gesture near the end!!! Although I understood where he’s coming from but still…

Anyway, that’s just a very minor blip to an another enjoyable read. I’m looking forward to more Dive Bar shenanigans in the future especially with Eric. Also, can we have a Pat and Nell novella? I really want to know more about them. We only get to see their story through other characters’ eyes. I want them to tell it themselves.

“No more hiding or denying, sticking to the sidelines of life. It was my time to step forward and be brave. When it came to Joe Collins, I was more than ready to say yes.”

Kylie is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. She was voted Australian Romance Writer of the year, 2013 & 2014, by the Australian Romance Writer’s Association and her books have been translated into eleven different languages. She is a long time fan of romance, rock music, and B-grade horror films. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet. You can learn more about Kylie from http://www.kylie-scott.com/

 

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Review: Twist by Kylie Scott

April 10, 2017 by ·

TWIST
Series: Dive Bar #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy
Author: Kylie Scott
Release Date: April 11, 2017

From New York Times bestselling author Kylie Scott comes the second sizzling stand-alone novel in the Dive Bar series!

When his younger brother loses interest in online dating, hot, bearded, bartender extraordinaire, Joe Collins, only intends to log into his account and shut it down. Until he reads about her.

Alex Parks is funny, friendly, and pretty much everything he’s been looking for in a woman. And in no time at all they’re emailing up a storm, telling each other their deepest darkest secrets… apart from the one that really matters.

And when it comes to love, serving it straight up works better than with a twist.

 

AMAZON | iBOOKS

My starved libido was well beyond the rough-and-tumble stage. No more hiding or denying, sticking to the sidelines of life. It was my time to step forward and be brave. When it came to Joe Collins, I was more than ready to say yes.

It’s official. Kylie Scott has another winning series. And here I thought nothing will ever beat her Stage Dive series. Well, move over Mal, because I have another blonde beast that I’m crushing on. He’s big, he’s bearded, he’s broody, and he makes my ovaries sing. Joe. *Happy sigh*

His golden mane flowed down over his wide shoulders, a beard covering the bottom half of his face. I guess it kept him warm in the winter, but seriously. Who needed that much hair?

With her signature witty banter and humor, Kylie Scott delvers another swoony and addicting read that will have readers hooked from cover to cover. Just when I thought I loved Vaughan, in comes Joe with his silent intensity and beard, and totally wins me over. Alex Parks fared no better. She was a goner at first sarcasm.

Alex has never had a serious relationship. As a matter of fact, just the thought of commitment gives her hives. Boyfriend? No thanks. They’ll only lie and betray you. A hot one night stand to scratch an itch? Sign her up! But then she meets a man on a dating site that makes her rethink her stance. She’s never met him, but their email exchanges are more intimate then she’s ever been with any other. When he stop responding to her emails, she figures why not surprise him…only to get the surprise of a lifetime. Because, Eric, the man she thought she was talking with, has no idea who she is. And the man that she’s actually been spilling her guts to is his brother, Joe.

What begins as a trade of snark and sarcasm, soon turns into an unlikely friendship, that soon turns into something much more and something neither of them expected.

Joe, the man formerly known as just my friend, was some kind of fucking sex god.

Joe was such a refreshing change of pace. This is not a player or a cocky alphahole. This man exudes stability and dependability. He’s sweet, supportive, hard working, and he knows exactly how to break down all of Alex’s walls. He does it so unassumingly too, that she never sees it coming.

Kylie Scott created such multilayered characters with these two. I adored Alex and all her quirks. She wasn’t perfect and she knew her faults, but she owned them. I loved her friendship with her best friend and the way they had each other’s back. I also loved Joe’s quiet intensity. He wasn’t a man of many words, but the few that he did have were always meaningful and they never failed to affect Alex on every level.

Butterflies didn’t cover it. There were pterodactyls inside my stomach, swooping and screeching and flying around. Not even they, however, could compete with the throbbing ache in my pussy.

Twist is a story that isn’t all wit, humor and steam. There’s also an serious undercurrent to it that I absolutely adored. It dips into acceptance and strength and perserverence. It really delves deep into embracing our differences and moving past the cruelty of others. It was such an emotional part of the book for me to read and I seriously love that Kylie wove that into the story.

As for the romance? Well you already know that I loved it. I also loved catching up with the rest of the gang. If it’s possible, I can dare say that even Eric is starting to grow on me. Which is good, considering his book is next. I can’t wait to meet the woman that will bring this manwhore to his knees.

I’m also willing to beg for a book for Nell. Not that the part we got for her wasn’t satisfying, but I’d seriously kill for more.

But ultimate, Twist was another winner for me. I loved it just as much as the first book and can’t recommend it enough for readers that love their romance with a splash of witty humor.

Once my guard was down, due to complete and utter exhaustion, Joe had cuddled me. It was terrible, disgusting. Fingers caressing me, lips pressing soft kisses to my shoulder and the back of my neck. Normally I’d never allow it, but it felt so good.

START THE SERIES WITH DIRTY!AMAZON | GOODREADS | MY REVIEW

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New Release & Review: Incentive by @pamgodwinbooks

March 23, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

INCENTIVE
Series: Infidelity World
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Author: Pam Godwin
Release Date: March 23, 2017

Desperate men do desperate things.

When Decker Gabrielli hits rock bottom, he accepts a job as a hired companion at Infidelity.

Surrendering a year of his life to a woman he’s never met might be the worst idea ever. But money, prestige, and sex are powerful incentives. That is, until the job becomes more than a contractual agreement.

Hard limits are breached, panties are shredded, and rules are broken.

In the end, his secret to getting ahead is…her.

AMAZON

He’s a feeling I’ve never felt. An emotion without limits. An agreement that doesn’t expire. He’s the only place I want to be.

Whether it’s a suspenseful dark romance or an erotically charged contemporary romance, Pam Godwin never disappoints with delivering one unputdownable read. Incentive was a deeply emotional, poignant, and absolutely, positively toe curling. It was a delicious combination of feeling and eroticism with characters that will claw their way into your heart and stay there. Like every other book I’ve read by this incredibly talented author, it won’t be one I ever forget. I admire her skill in creating unique, broken and endearing characters that are unlike any I’ve read before.

Whatever your incentive is—”
“You.” I shove my face in hers. “Your smile. Your body. Rigorous, mutually-pleasurable, savage sex. You are my incentive.”

What would you do when you’re at the end of your rope and staring at rock bottom without a hope to claw your way back up? Would you be desperate enough to agree to a contract giving a year of your life to a person you haven’t met if the price is high enough? Decker Gabrielli never thought he’d be agreeing to a a laughable proposal that would tie him to a faceless and nameless woman for a year. But after losing everything and finding himself slinging drinks at a hole in the wall bar, his last straw is getting fired for turning down his boss’s sexual advances. When a bar patron offers him a way out, he wants to say no, but the incentive proves to be too much to deny. Then he realizes that the one that owns his contract is not some desperate woman seeking attention she couldn’t find elsewhere but a stunning creature with a closet full of baggage that brings out all his protective instincts. He wants her immediately. She challenges him, she makes him chase her, and she intrigues him enough to want to break down all her walls and fight for her heart.

Laynee is hollywood royalty. But beneath the gorgeous exterior are dark secrets that she’s buried deep and won’t allow anyone to find. A contract for a relationship may be a cold way of doing things, but it’s the only thing guaranteed to protect her heart and her past. A man contractually obligated to be with her with no risk of something deeper. But the last thing she saw coming was a man like Decker.

The petrified excitement he instills in me makes my thighs wet. The deep confidence in his timbre tempts me to beg to be used and owned. His mere presence urges me to rush toward the same snare that has caught me again and again.

Set in Aleatha Romig’s Infidelity world, this sizzling erotic romance brought the perfect blend of feels and sexy in a way that only Pam can deliver.

Both of these characters are broken in their own way, but together they find the sort of healing neither thought themselves capable of. It was sizzling hot, it was deeply emotional, and it was all too satisfying. I devoured this book from cover to cover and loved every page. If you’ve been wanting to try this author but was hesitant to start with her darker books, this is the perfect one to dip your toes in with. But don’t think it’s a walk in the park either. It will have you squirming in places. Decker is a man that will make ovaries quiver with his presence alone. And when he opens that dirty mouth of his? FORGET ABOUT IT! So. Good.

He tastes like recklessness, smells like leather and testosterone, and feels like a whipping storm of passion. I’ve never been with a man so emotionally and vehemently expressive with his body.

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Review: Black Sheep (Dark Desires book 2) by @ZCoxBooks

March 17, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

BLACK SHEEP
Series: Dark Desires #2
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Author: Zara Cox
Release Date: March 14, 2017

In a family of cold-hearted black sheep, 
I, Axel Rutherford, am the blackest.

My father has hated me since the day I was born. The feeling was mutual. In the shady underworld that was my legacy, Cleo McCarthy became my light. She was beautiful, passionate, and my whole world. So naturally my father had to destroy us. First he sent me away. Next he claimed Cleo as his own. But now I’ve returned, and nothing will stop me from taking back everything that is rightfully mine.

He was the love of my life – when my life was still my own.

We were young enough to believe we would last forever, Axel and I. But neither of us realized how cruel life – and our families – could be. Now I’m trapped in a gilded cage: desired by Axel, who must never know the full truth, and controlled by his father, who would sooner see me dead than free. And I wouldn’t even care, except that it’s no longer only my life at stake

AMAZON | iBOOKS

In a family of cold-hearted black sheep, I, Axel Rutherford, am the blackest. Abundantly despised by my three brothers, actively hated by my father. She was the golden princess. Put on earth to test every single one of my hardened edges. And I happily burned away every last one for her.

If I said that I was an insta-fan of this author after I finished I, Porn Star, this book solidified it. Damn. Just damn. Zara Cox knows how to weave one complex and erotic tale that’s equally spine tingling and toe curling. It’s addicting and twisty and downright intense.

Her eyes tell me she hates me. Her body beckons me with the promise of transcendental lust.

If you like a good second chance romance with a healthy dose of hate lust mixed in to blur the edges, all wrapped in a story with dark undertones and enough twists and suspense to keep you glued to the pages from start to finish, you’ve found your next read.

Whatever twisted roles fate may have chosen to star us in, the savage power of our mutual feelings for each other will never diminish.

Being born to a cruel and abusive father intent on hardening his sons enough to help run his mafia empire has hardened Axel. He’s the black sheep of the family, the son that wants nothing of his father; not his name and not his infamy in the dark underbelly of organized crime. He dreams of escaping the life with the only person that makes his heart beat and gives him hope. But that hope gets ripped away from him with a jarring betrayal that now years later still continues to haunt him. Losing everything and the one person he always thought he could trust is enough to change a man and change the course of his life forever. Now Axel lives and breathes vengeance. His father will pay, and if the woman that’s now back in his life after costing him everything is the pawn that he’ll have to use in this brutal game, so be it.

Once upon a time, when my addled state didn’t know better, I stupidly believed the phenomenon of our gazes connecting had the power to stop the world from spinning. That view has altered significantly.

As a young girl, Cleo loved Axel with everything she was worth. He was her everything…until he wasn’t. Forced back into his orbit by an arrangement in which she’s nothing but a puppet on a string of a cruel master that dangles the one thing she wants in exchange for her cooperation isn’t what she wants, but she’ll do it. Even if it forces her to own up that while she hates the man he is now and doesn’t see a remainder of the boy she once loved in him, the carnal effect his mere presence has on her hasn’t changed even a little.

You may have condemned my decayed soul and closed your heart to me, but in some respects, nothing has changed. Your body will always sing the perfect tune for me.”

Black Sheep delivers on another twisty story full of betrayal and revenge. Zara Cox is truly a master of her craft and I’m absolutely captivated by her writing style and the characters she creates. I couldn’t put this book down for even a second. I walked the edge between hating and loving Axel. But between all the secrets and twists that kept unearthing, my mind was too busy spinning to focus on any singular emotion.

She never needed a gentle knight in shining armor. So I become her marauder.

Axel was perfection. He was a dirty talking, angsty, domineering and deliciously sexy perfection. My heart broke for him and what he’d been through. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for all the secrets to finally get revealed so the puzzle pieces can click together. And let me just tell you, when they did? Mind. Blowing. Yet another addicting installment in what’s now become a favorite series of mine. I absolutely can’t wait for more!

I want to roar with rage. I want to fuck until I explode into a million pieces. This is what she does to me. What she’s always done.

Each book in the Dark Desires series is a standalone in an interconnecting world. So if you’ve read the first book, you’ll appreciate Quinn’s cameo in this one 🙂

DON’T MISS THE FIST BOOK IN THIS SIZZLING SERIES!

BEAUTIFUL LIAR (Previously published as I, Porn Star)

I may be Quinn Blackwood, occasional user of prescribed meds to keep the demons in check, who moonlights as Q, porn star to an exclusive few who pay millions for my work. And I may be an unhinged asshole with serious daddy issues. But no one said I wasn’t a giver.

PURCHASE | READ MY REVIEW

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Review: Beautiful Liar by @ZCoxBooks

March 11, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

BEAUTIFUL LIAR (Previously published as I, Porn Star)
Series: Dark Desires, #1
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Author: Zara Cox
Release Date: September 13, 2016

“An exotically filthy, devastatingly beautiful story that will captivate and tease you long after the book is finished.” -Audrey Carlan, New York Times bestselling author
Previously published as I, Porn Star.

People call me many things: CEO, billionaire, bastard. Q.

I love women. I love sex. I love money. I love hot, wild nights with no promise of a future, because a future is one thing I don’t have. I’m twenty-eight years old. I won’t live to see thirty, and I don’t care. Or I didn’t, until her.

Nobody plans for a life like this. Some of us just end up here.

They call me Lucky, though luck has never been on my side. Before I met Q, my life was a big, twisted mess. Never enough money, never anyone to trust. No way out. With Q, the shame and fear disappear. Instead I feel pure pleasure, and that’s something I’ve never had before. But if what I’ve just learned is true, we’d better enjoy every second together while we can…before our time runs out.

AMAZON | iBOOKS

The hate, the vengeance and sex are instruments that oil my existence and keep my compass true.

HOLY. SHIT.

I did NOT see this book coming. I’m so happy it got a title and cover change because the old one didn’t do it justice AT ALL. I’m serious. If you think this is yet another run of the mill smut filled romance read, think again. The writing. The story. It was hauntingly captivating. I’m absolutely blown away and got myself a new author to stalk.

I may be Quinn Blackwood, occasional user of prescribed meds to keep the demons in check, who moonlights as Q, porn star to an exclusive few who pay millions for my work. And I may be an unhinged asshole with serious daddy issues. But no one said I wasn’t a giver.

Q is a man of wealth and power. He’s a man skirting the fine edge of revenge and depravity and he makes no excuses or apologies. Every single move is calculated to achieve his end goal. His revenge. To right a wrong of years past, to punish those responsible, even if he doesn’t survive to bask in the glory of the fallout. It’s not time to make his most calculated move yet. Everything he’s been doing has been leading up to this…his grand plan. And the key to it is a woman with haunted eyes and a closet full of skeletons who may be hiding more baggage then even him. Lucky.

I want to take a scalpel to all her secrets, bleed them and soil my hands with the viscera. I also want to fuck her until her body gives out. Right in this moment, I’m not sure what I want more.

The writing in this story is absolute perfection. It’s haunting and lyrical. The characters are so well developed, they practically have an energy that you can feel through the pages. The sheer power of Q’s presence is enough to captivate even the most cynical reader.

Quinn Blackwood’s eyes are soulless pools. Staring into them is like staring into a bottomless abyss in the middle of a post-apocalyptic nightmare.

Every word has a purpose. Every description leading to a new revelation. It was dark and hypnotic. Erotic and captivating. I was glued to every single page, practically salivating for more.

While Q was an erotic enigma full of sex appeal and secrets, Lucky was an interesting blend of cracked glass about to shatter but with a hidden steel reinforcement. This is a woman that survived her own hell and will do anything to escape it…even sell her body and her dignity for a million dollars.

We’re caught in a cycle of wrath and cruelty and sex. He’s unleashed his darkness, and I’m the sex-hypnotized recipient of all of it. Even after he roars his climax, he keeps going, keeps flaying me.

A voice cleverly disguised by state of the art technology and a face hidden behind a steel mask is all she sees of Q. The rest is a veil of blindfolds, mind games, and sex so mind-blowing that she struggles to hold on to the fact that none of it is real…and it doesn’t take long for the lines to begin to blur… for both of them.

God, I want to fuck you till you break. I may not be the right person to put you back together, but I want to do it anyway.”

This story is so much more than a romance. It’s a story of survival and revenge. It’s a sizzling romance wrapped around a captivating mystery. It’s a splash of dark and suspense. And while the book is long, the pacing was perfect.

If you’re looking for a new author to check out and a read that’s totally different from the norm, this is the one book I can’t recommend enough. Zara Cox now has a forever fan in this girl. I will gleefully pick up anything this woman writes. No questions asked. She’s a talent that I wish I discovered sooner and am kicking myself for not reading this book when it first hit my radar. But better late then never, if you ask me.

Maybe my cracks aren’t so bad. Maybe the chasm isn’t as deep as I thought. Maybe she’ll take the leap with me. Maybe with her, I’ll survive the fall. Maybe she’ll even save me. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe…it’s too late.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to immediately dive into book 2!

Pre-Order BLACK SHEEP, book 2 in this sizzling series releasing March 14!

In a family of cold-hearted black sheep, 

I, Axel Rutherford, am the blackest.
My father has hated me since the day I was born. The feeling was mutual. In the shady underworld that was my legacy, Cleo McCarthy became my light. She was beautiful, passionate, and my whole world. So naturally my father had to destroy us. First he sent me away. Next he claimed Cleo as his own. But now I’ve returned, and nothing will stop me from taking back everything that is rightfully mine.

He was the love of my life – when my life was still my own.
We were young enough to believe we would last forever, Axel and I. But neither of us realized how cruel life – and our families – could be. Now I’m trapped in a gilded cage: desired by Axel, who must never know the full truth, and controlled by his father, who would sooner see me dead than free. And I wouldn’t even care, except that it’s no longer only my life at stake.

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance, Dirty Talkers, Erotic Rom · Tagged With: ,
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