Review: Blacklisted by Jay Crownover

October 27, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

BLACKLISTED
Series: Loveless, Texas #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Small Town
Author: Jay Crownover
Release Date: October 27, 2020

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Marked Men series comes an irresistible and suspenseful romance between a doctor who plays by the rules and the outlaw who breaks them in order to protect her.

Dr. Presley Baskin has always lived a quiet, calm life. Unfortunately, nothing about her life in Loveless, Texas—especially not the wild, rowdy, and impossibly close-knit Lawton family who’ve claimed her—is quiet or calm. Which is how loner Presley finds herself roped into patching up local bad boy Shot Caldwell against her better judgment. Presley wants nothing to do with the dangerous, brooding leader of the local outlaw motorcycle club. But when someone starts stalking her, Shot is the only person she trusts to help. Plus he owes her one…

Palmer ‘Shot’ Caldwell has always known his life isn’t made for relationships. At least until shy, secretive, Presley reluctantly pulled a bullet out of him. He’s oddly protective of the pretty doctor, so when she comes to him for help, hard-hearted Shot suddenly realizes there’s nothing he wouldn’t do to keep her safe.

 AMAZON

I’d never been able to walk away from the search for retribution. My soul was restless until the proper price was paid.

I feel like I’ve been waiting FOREVER to finally have my hands on Shot’s book, and after the ending in Unforgiven, that need went dang near rabid. Now first of all, if you’re reading this as a standalone, you’re doing yourself a huge disservice. Read the first two books. Even though each book focuses on a new couple, there’s a continuing story arc that continues through each series and is concluded here. Everything that was set in motion in Justified finally gets brought to a head here.

If you’ve read the first two books, then you’re already familiar with the suspense of the murder of Lawton patriarch. Presley is the half sister that her three siblings had no idea they had. After finding out that her best friend is a psychopath that’s responsible for making her life a living hell and losing her mother, Presley’s quiet existence imploded in a fiery blaze. Her stalker is still out there and wants her dead, and the Sons of Sorrow are in her debt for saving Shot’s life.

After the peeks we get into SoS and Shot Caldwell, I was dying for more of the MC. However, if you’re expecting a biker book, this is not that. The author made it clear that biker romance is something that she struggles with, so this book is in the same tone as the rest of the series. However, Shot is very much a biker and not a cowboy. He’s the epitome of a bad boy. An outlaw that lives his life on his own terms and answers to no one. Presley is the opposite of him in every way, but he can’t seem to stay away from here. Their chemistry is incendiary. These are two characters that always felt like outsiders in their own life, and their bond on that is strong. I loved the way they were there for each other.

There’s quite a bit of suspense happening here with both Shot and Presley’s life in danger by different people. Presley is still trying to figure out having siblings for the first time in her life and a man that’s pursuing her that is the epitome of everything that she doesn’t go for.

While I had hoped for more time and focus on the MC and the characters there, I still enjoyed this one quite a bit. I may have set my expectations on the MC a bit high, but I can’t say I’m disappointed. This still hit the spot quite nicely and was a satisfying conclusion to a series that I’ve been invested in for some time.

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Review: The Bribe by Willa Nash

October 17, 2020 by ·

THE BRIBE
Series: Calamity Montana #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Willa Nash
Release Date: October 15, 2020

Duke Evans didn’t expect to interrupt a beautiful woman in a staring contest with a bison on his favorite hiking trail. He also didn’t expect to see her again after rescuing her from the surly beast. As the sheriff in Calamity, Montana, he’s had his fair share of surprises but none as pleasant as pulling over a shiny black car and finding his mysterious hiking companion behind the wheel.

Only, she lied to Duke. She gave him a name as fake as her hair color. According to her driver’s license, her real name is Lucy Ross, the famous country music singer whose sudden disappearance has been a hot topic in the media over the past two weeks.

He’s not sure why Lucy lied about her identity or why she’s in Calamity. And she’s not talking. Instead, she offers him a bribe to keep her secret.

But Duke doesn’t want her money. He wants to know why this woman is on the run. And as long as the star shines on his badge, he’s going to find out.

 AMAZON 

In public, you’re Jade. But behind closed doors, you’re—”
“Lucy?” she breathed.
I shook my head. “Mine.”

I have a love affair with all things Devney Perry, so when I saw she’s releasing a new series under a pen name, I was beyond thrilled. I live for her small town romances. The Bribe was a sweet romance with a swoony hero and a country singer in hiding set in the charming town of Calamity and plenty of amazing secondary characters.

I was a woman running through a storm, searching for a haven against the onslaught of rain.

Lucy is a famous country singer that left her entire life behind in Nashville to disappear as Jade in Calamity. She first runs into Duke when he rescues her and her BFF on a hiking trail. She never expects to run into the handsome stranger again, especially not as the sheriff in the small town where she’s trying to hide. And this sheriff won’t let her hide and is determined to get her every secret.

Duke was….*swoony sigh*. Gosh. This man was everything. I love me an alphahole, but every now and then a girl needs a dose of a good guy, and Duke hit the spot just right. The man is protective, loyal, and persistent. He’s determined to get all of Jade’s secrets, even if he has to pretend to take a bribe to keep them. The sparks between these two were instant and potent. I loved the tension between them as much as I loved their instant connection. There’s a dash of suspense that’s thrown in that helped spice things up a little which really comes to a head at the end.

Jade and Duke’s romance wasn’t full of angst. It wasn’t easy either but there were no games, no stupid misunderstandings. It was just so immensely satisfying watching these two fall in love. Duke, the quintessential nice guy, and Lucy the famous singer just made sense together. The Bribe was a butterflies in your tummy sort of romance that you finish with a smile on your face. I love me some angst, but I never missed it here. The suspense gave it just the right amount of zing that the story needed. And the preview of the next book? I die for it. DIE FOR IT. I can’t wait for Everly’s book next.

Willa Nash is USA Today Bestselling Author Devney Perry’s alter ego, writing contemporary romance stories for Kindle Unlimited. Lover of Swedish Fish, hater of laundry, she lives in Washington State with her husband and two sons. She was born and raised in Montana and has a passion for writing books in the state she calls home.

Devney loves hearing from her readers. Connect with her on social media!
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Review: Muses & Melodies by Rebecca Yarros

October 7, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

MUSES & MELODIES
Series: Hush Note #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Rebecca Yarros
Release Date: October 6, 2020

If I can keep Hush Note’s leading guitarist, Nixon Winters, on the straight and narrow for the next six months, I’ll finally get my own band to manage—assuming we don’t kill each other first.

The egotistical, irritating rock star is fresh out of rehab, but it’s obvious his demons followed him home—and now I’m sleeping down the hall. I’ve watched him self-destruct every summer, and with album deadlines and tour dates looming, I can’t let it happen again. My career is in his hands.

But tattoos can’t cover every scar, and I’m starting to see through his trademark, irresistible charm to the damage beneath.

Everyone wants the rock star.
I’m falling for the man.

If he doesn’t let me in,
he’ll never break the cycle—
And when these six months are up,
I might be the one left broken.

 AMAZON | iBOOKS | KOBO | NOOK

…he kissed like he played guitar—like nothing else mattered on the planet, and in that moment, nothing else did. He wiped away the rest of the world and altered the universe so it centered around.

An emotional and highly poignant story to end a fantastic series with. Muses & Melodies really closes it out with an emotional bang. Nix’s story was everything I had hoped for and so much more.

I wanted the only woman on the planet I couldn’t have.

The lead guitarist of Hush Notes has been spiraling for years. In and out of rehab, Nix’s favorite brand of self medication is sex, drugs and alcohol. You know that there’s something dark in his past that not even his closest friends know, but it’s not until the layers begin to be peeled back that you realize the full impact of his hidden pain.

Zoe is eager to make a name for herself in the music industry. But where Nix is center stage, she likes to be the talent behind the screen. She loves music and she loves the industry. And now her big break relies on her ability to keep Nix out of trouble. Babysitting a rockstar isn’t quite what she had in mind, but she’ll do it. It’s not just about the job for Zoe. She truly cares for Nix, which truly makes their journey to each other that much more potent.

Zoe has always been in the background of Nix’s world but now their forced proximity is making him deal with an attraction he didn’t even realize was there. The sparks between these two were so deliciously hot. But it was so much more than chemistry. I loved how Zoe gives as good as she gets, and a defensive Nix gives quite a bit. Zoe is always there for him no matter how angry he gets or how he lashes out. But you can see the pain he hides beneath that rockstar exterior and that just makes him that much more endearing no matter how broken he is.

This was a story that was full of passion and emotion. There was so much feeling packed in that just made me that more invested in this. A perfect romance to end the series with.

Rebecca is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of over fifteen novels, and is always ready to bring on the emotions. She’s also the recipient of the Colorado Romance Writer’s Award of Excellence for Eyes Turned Skyward from her Flight and Glory series.

She loves military heroes and has been blissfully married to hers for eighteen years. She’s the mother of six children, ranging from kindergarten to law school, and is currently surviving the teenage years with two of her four hockey-playing sons. When she’s not writing, you can find her at the hockey rink or sneaking in some guitar time. She lives in Colorado with her family, their stubborn English bulldog, and a feisty chinchilla. Having fostered then adopted their youngest daughter, Rebecca is passionate about helping children in the foster system through her nonprofit, One October.

Visit her website at www.RebeccaYarros.com for more!

Connect w/Rebecca: 

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Review: Crowne Rules by CD Reiss

October 5, 2020 by · 2 Comments

CROWNE RULES
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: CD Reiss
Release Date: September 29, 2020

There’s a house in Cambria with no phone, no internet, no connection to the outside world.

Dante and Mandy are stuck there together.

He needs a live-in assistant.

She needs a place to hide.

If she gives him total obedience, he’ll do everything in his power to clean up the mess she made back home. Anything less than unquestioning compliance, and she goes back to LA humiliated.

Those are the rules.

Take them or leave them.

Mandy figures she can do Dante’s menial tasks for awhile. Do what he says until the heat dies down.

She has no idea how hot it’s going to get until he tells her she has to do them on her knees.
—-
This is a STANDALONE.

 AMAZON 

I’m going to ruin you, and you’re going to let me.”

God but I love me a grumpy and domineering men. Make them ooze sexual dominance and depravity and I’m putty in your hands. The second Dante’s energy so much as appeared on the pages of this book, I was already a goner. The man simply has a way with words and I was so here for it.

If you were my whore, you’d be kneeling at my feet, naked with your ass up, offering it up for my pleasure, hoping I’d hurt you. Afraid I wouldn’t. You’d sleep at the foot of my bed to please me. You’d open your legs when I told you and take my cock down your throat to thank me. You’d let them call you a whore if I asked you to, because with every orgasm I let you have, you’d know you were only mine.”

Yeah.
See what I’m saying?

Mandy is dealing with the fallout of a very public and very ugly breakup. Caught in the middle of hollywood’s best kept secret she’s painted as the other woman and a home wrecker. Her heart broken, she’s desperate for a small piece of serenity. When Logan allows her to use his secluded house, the last person she expects to see there is Logan’s older brother, Dante.

Dante doesn’t hide his contempt for Mandy. He sees her as the public does, a vapid little rich girl. And even though they’ve known each other for years, he’s never made much of an effort to see the real woman beneath his assumptions. But forced in close proximity, the sexual tension between them is hard to ignore.

If there’s one thing I love, is watching men like Dante fall and fall hard. Mandy came off as a bit of a love crazy female in the previous books, but I really connected with her in this one. You can see her spine of steel really come out here and I loved the way she gave back as hard as she got. And Dante didn’t really spare his venom at times. Admittedly, he was almost hard to like in the beginning. And when his anger would unleash with Mandy, even more so. But the more the layers get peeled back on his past, the more I found myself connecting more and more.

You’re fearless,” he continued. “And I’ve lived in fear. You’re everything I’ve been too afraid to become, and without you, I’ll never be more than I am.”

This was deliciously dirty with just the right amount of steam to make it addictive. I do wish we got a little more fleshing out on the things from Dante’s past, but it was still satisfying. I love a man that can grovel, and Dante definitely worked for it here. This was probably my favorite Crown brother so far.

CD Reiss is a New York Times bestseller. She still has to chop wood and carry water, which was buried in the fine print. Her lawyer is working it out with God but in the meantime, if you call and she doesn’t pick up she’s at the well hauling buckets.

Born in New York City, she moved to Hollywood, California to get her master’s degree in screenwriting from USC. In case you want to know, that went nowhere but it did give her a big enough ego to write novels.

She’s frequently referred to as the Shakespeare of Smut which is flattering but hasn’t ever gotten her out of chopping that cord of wood.

If you meet her in person, you should call her Christine.

Connect with Christine

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Review: Falling Into You by A.L. Jackson

September 21, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

FALLING INTO YOU
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Falling Stars #3
Author: A.L. Jackson
Release Date: September 21, 2020

Richard Ramsey is the guitarist for the world’s hottest new band.
Gifted. Charismatic. Hot as sin.
Lend your ear, and he’ll steal your heart.
Nah, you can’t have his considering he left it in his hometown years ago.

He knows better than going back. But it’s his younger sister’s wedding, and there’s no way he can say no to that.

He should have known she would be there, invading his senses and making him thirst and hunger for what he wants most.

Violet Marin hates him for what he’s done. He left her emptyhanded with their wreckage strewn all around. She’s picked up the pieces and is living her life the best way that she can.

But their connection is fierce.
Their attraction unending.
It only takes one glance for their worlds to collide.
One touch to set them on fire.

But she doesn’t know the dark secrets he keeps. If he had understood the true price of fame, he would have known he’d sold his soul and this debt is something he cannot repay.

Letting her go is impossible, but will loving her cost it all?

A sensuous, captivating contemporary stand-alone romance in the Falling Stars series from NYT & USA Today Bestselling Author, A.L. Jackson . . .

 AMAZON 

Why are you here?”
“Because I don’t know how to be where you are not”

GOD. Rip my heart right out of my chest why don’t ya, AL Jackson. I’ve been in my feels for days over this and I still can’t stop.

Now if you’ve read literally any book by this author, then you already know she has the ability to reach into the depths of your soul and wring havoc on all your emotions. But this book? This book was simply on a whole other level. Not only for the very relevant and poignant subject it covers but all of the feels of a second chance romance.

You are every song I have ever written…
You are every lyric. Every riff. Every strum. Every echo. You are the song of my heart.”

Violet was once Richard Ramsey’s entire world, until his world got tilted on its axis. Richard harbors plenty of dark secrets and demons that plague his every waking moment. Demons of what could have been and the reality of what truly was. He’s an immensely complex yet oh so tortured character that I simply couldn’t get enough of. This is a man with so many layers, and each time you peel back one, you only realize you’re still not even close to the true core of him.

Now a rock star, circumstance brings him back to Violet but their reunion is not a sweet one. It’s turbulent and full of dark secrets that can break them both. Neither got over the other, but while Richard says he walked away for Violet’s own good, neither her or the reader knows that that reason is. But when it does come to the light? Holy plot twist!

This was an incredibly poignant and emotional book. I have so much respect for the author for not only touching such a relevant and sensitive subject matter, but also not just glossing over it. She does it justice. She brings light to it and she makes you feel it. And boy do you feel it. It’s one emotional rollercoaster of a book full of twists, turmoil and heartbreak.

My only quibble is the overly flowery prose. As much as I adore Jackson’s talent and emotional romance, the prose was just too much for me here. I’m not a reader that gravitates towards overly lyrical prose, and this book has it in spades. Now this is entirely a personal bias, and the book is beautifully written. It just so happens that the prose is not my particular cuppa.

That aside, this was an incredibly poignant and unforgettable second chance romance.

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Review: Dirty Empire by Nina West

September 15, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

DIRTY EMPIRE Genre: Contemporary Romance, Dark Series: Dirty Empire #3 Author: Nina West Release Date: September 15, 2020

From internationally bestselling author K.A. Tucker, writing as Nina West, comes the dark and sexy Dirty Empire series   Mercy Wheeler and Gabriel Easton’s sordid tale continues in Dirty Empire as Mercy finds her loyalties tested and Gabriel’s attempt to break free of his family’s legacy comes with unexpected consequences.         Dirty Empire is the third book in the Dirty Empire series and should be read after Sweet Mercy and Gabriel Fallen.

 AMAZON

Sweet Mercy (#1 Dirty Empire) is also FREE!

AMAZON

You fucking own me, Mercy.” He presses his forehead to mine. “I never expected to feel about anyone like I do about you.”
Actual footage of unsuspecting me thinking I’m reading the conclusion of what I thought was a trilogy Talk about your jaw dropping cliffhanger. Good lord! I’m not even mad here since this means I get one more book with Gabriel. Bring it on, Nina West. Bring. It. On. The third installment in this addictive series brought plenty of action and so many twists and turns, my head was spinning when I finished. We finally get to see the softer side of Gabriel come out in this book and I was so here for it. Watching this man fall hard for Mercy was one of the most delicious experiences. He’s the ultimate bad boy. And considering he essentially bribes Mercy into being with him, it’s almost poetic justice to see him fall so hard for her. Mercy is still coming to grips with her feelings for him. Here’s a man on the wrong side of the law, a playboy that doesn’t even say the word commitment, let alone live it, and he can’t seem to get enough of her. With each day, she sees a different side of him. But this installment was so much more than the blooming romance. Everything comes to a head for the two brothers here and the plot twists that happen? Mind. Blown. Holy cow! I didn’t see any of them coming but I don’t think I’ve ever been so invested in a story. I’m absolutely dying to see how everything ends after that jaw dropping ending. On a side note, am I the only one feeling the vibes between Merrick and Caleb? Because holy mother of ovaries, I’m going to need a book for them. I was already invested in all things Caleb. You know I love me a bad boy manwhore. But add Merrick into the mix and I’m done. DONE. I need this to happen. But back to business for this book. This was another unputdownable installment of a sinfully sizzling series and I absolutely cannot wait for the conclusion!
Nina West is the author of the sinfully sexy and highly addictive The Wolf Hotel series and Dirty Empire series. She lives in the city but spends her summers in the wilderness.

Connect with Nina

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Review: Not My Romeo by Ilsa Madden-Mills

September 5, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

NOT MY ROMEO
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: The Game Changers #1
Author: Ilsa Madden-Mills
Release Date: August 18, 2020

Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills delivers a smart and sexy contemporary romance about a smoking-hot professional football player and the small-town girl he can’t resist.

We start off with a lie on Valentine’s Day.

My blind date isn’t the studious guy I expected: he’s a drop-dead gorgeous player with sinful amber eyes. Somehow we end up at his penthouse. I blame the gin and tonic.

The next day I learn he’s Jack Hawke—bad-boy professional quarterback with a murky past. The NDA he has me sign should be a warning that he isn’t a regular person. Please. I sign it Juliet Capulet, so goodbye, famous football player with abs of steel, and good luck tracking down this small-town librarian.

But Jack keeps showing up in places I least expect him. Just when I’m sure he’s gone, he waltzes into my community theater and wins the part of Romeo to my Juliet. How’s a plain, mostly innocent girl like me supposed to resist a man like him?

Is Jack my real Romeo… or will this gorgeous football player only break my heart?

 AMAZON 

He’s going to crawl inside my heart. He’s going to break it into a million pieces.

Ummm….excuse me? How and why is this my first Ilsa Madden-Mills book? I am shooketh! SHOOKETH! I’m now immediately rectifying my mistake by purchasing the woman’s entire backlist. True story. But I digress.

I totally misjudged this book based on the blurb. I was expecting just another famous jock meets nobody heroine fluffy romance. But this was so much more than that. It was packed full of feels and laugh out loud moments. It was adorably quirky and layered with plenty of emotion.

It’s a case of mistaken identity when Elena meets Jack. Elena is searching for her blind date, and thinks Jack is the weatherman that she’s been set up with. Elena is also a little bumbling, a touch awkward, but full of sass and fire. She’s impossible not to love from the very first page.

Jack is the bad boy of football. With a reputation that precedes him, he’s used to being eviscerated by the media. He’s also extremely misunderstood and the readers learns this as layers begin to peel back on him. Jack prefers to lay low but when a quirky beauty rushes to his table and questions him like she knows him, he plays along. And when he realizes he’s not quite who she thinks he is, it’s too late to turn back. He’s already riveted by her.

What’s supposed to be just one steamy night turns into something much more when their worlds collide shortly after.

Now usually I’m not as invested in the romance when the characters sleep together so early in the story, but the author pulls this off flawlessly. She does it so well, in fact, that the following slow burn just about killed me. If these two didn’t come together soon, I thought my head would explode.

They dance around each other for weeks. When Jack lands in Elena’s small town by pure happenstance, he knows he has to go after his chance even though Elena is not thrilled to see him. I loved the way that Elena makes him work for it. She may be quirky and awkward at times, but the girl has sass for days.

I loved all of the secondary characters, Jack’s best friend especially. The chemistry between Jack and Elena was incendiary, but their inability to communicate about their feelings until the end drove me a little batty. But I also understood why each of them struggled with this, as they both had their trust issues. Jack especially, coming off of the ex that he had. But I also appreciated that there really wasn’t any female drama with that, except for the issues it caused his image and career.

Ultimately, this was a fun, sweet and steamy read that I enjoyed immensely and can’t wait for Elena’s sister to get her story next.

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Review: Gabriel Fallen by Nina West

September 3, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

GABRIEL FALLEN
Genre: Erotic Romance, Mafia
Series: Dirty Empire #2
Author: Nina West
Release Date: May 23, 2019

From internationally bestselling author K.A. Tucker, writing as Nina West, comes the dark and steamy Dirty Empire trilogy.

Mercy Wheeler and Gabriel Easton’s sordid tale continues in Gabriel Fallen as Mercy finds herself heading down a dangerous path.

Gabriel has made an art of dangling what I’m most desperate for in front of me, what he knows I can’t refuse, no matter the cost. In this case, that cost continues to be me.

He is still a scoundrel, but I’m starting to see something more.

And while our bargain is proving advantageous in ways I never anticipated, the risks that come with being associated with a man like him are becoming painfully clear.

But how much longer before this arrangement with Gabriel costs me everything I am?

This is the second book in the Dirty Empire series and should be read after Sweet Mercy.

 AMAZON 

I’m falling for this woman, and I’m falling hard.

This trilogy is the best sort of book crack. I can’t get enough of Gabriel and Mercy.

You know that saying about the bigger they are? Well nothing is more satisfying than watching the biggest bad boy fall hard for a woman, especially when that woman is a spitfire that gives as hard as she gets.

The dominoes continue to fall in Gabriel’s world in this second installment. More secrets are revealed about his family and they’re jaw dropping. Gabriel went into his affair with Mercy hoping to work her out of his system but he definitely got a lot more than he bargained with her. He finds himself falling for her, even if he doesn’t quite realize that’s what’s happening.

Mercy is one of my favorite heroines. The woman has all of the odds stacked against her and still she fights. She essentially sold her soul to the devil to help her father. She can’t possibly fall for Gabriel when he’s the antithesis to everything she should want, right? I gotta say I absolutely love the live wire dynamic between these two. Their chemistry is incendiary. But the progression of their relationship is absolutely magnetic. I can’t get enough of them.

I’m salivating for the conclusion. I needs it. If you’re looking for a sexy, fast paced trilogy, you need this one in your life. Gabriel is an antihero that needs to be experienced.

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Review: Sicko by Amo Jones

September 1, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

SICKO
Genre: Dark Romance
Author: Amo Jones
Release Date: September 1, 2020

He was my foster brother.

He swore to protect me.

He failed.

They all failed.

I’m an open box of passé photographs, snapped in chaste daylight, but filtered in sepia. I’m the past that he tried to forget, and he was the future I needed. When he left six years ago, I screamed for him every night. But then it all stopped. My screams were suddenly muffled by cruelty, and further coaxed by pain.

But he has come back. He’s not the cute big brother I had a furtive crush on, or the bad boy, rich brat that I hated to love.

He’s the ruthless vice president of Wolf Pack MC, and he doesn’t answer to Royce Kane anymore.

He answers to Sicko.

 AMAZON

Heaven won’t take me, and Hell won’t welcome my demons back. I’ll be left in purgatory again, only this time for real.

This was one of my most anticipated September releases. The second I read the blurb to this book, I’ve been salivating for it. And I think this may have been my favorite Amo Jones book I’ve read to date. The woman sure knows how to write a kickass heroine and an antihero that will make your ovaries quiver. And this story brought that in spades.

Jade is one of the most fierce heroines I’ve ever read from Amo and I couldn’t get enough. We first meet Jade as a 15 year old girl, reeling with her budding feelings for her foster brother. Though there’s no ice factor here. The author did a phenomenal job layering their foundation with just enough chemistry when we first meet them that shows that Royce’s overprotective brother routine is so much more. Royce has been Jade’s everything, ever since she landed with Kane family as an infant. He’s her protector, her confidant, and her dirtiest secret in her mind. But just as she begins to come to terms that her feelings for him are no longer that of an innocent young girl, he disappears. And leaves her in hell.

It’s been four years since Royce left and now everything is different. Jade has been stuck in a hell that no one knows about. And when her foster brother makes a sudden reappearance, it turns her world upside down one more time. Royce is no longer the wild boy she knew. He’s darker at the edges and the VP of an MC. He also seems to almost hate her.

The chemistry between these two was incendiary. I couldn’t get enough of them. They were volatile and erotic and it hurt so good. They almost get off on tormenting the other in their own different ways. But both harbor secrets that can destroy everything.

What made this book all the more intriguing to me, was the author’s warning in the beginning of this book being DARK. Like spare no details sort of dark. So of course I began to brace myself from the very first page. Now perhaps I’m a bit desensitized when it comes to my dark reads, but while this book certainly skated on the edges of dark, it never fully plummeted into that icy water for me. I spent the entire book waiting for the other shoe to drop, and while it did, it wasn’t as dark as I expected. Now what it does touch on is a very relevant subject. One I have mad respect for the author having touched on. However, I also expected this to be a little darker than it was or what it promised to be.

Now don’t get me wrong, a walk in the park it was not. It was gritty, depraved, and with plenty of dark edges. I suppose I just expected a bit more.

That aside, I practically inhaled this book. There were so many twists and turns, and I love it when a book can manage to take me by surprise so completely. There’s so much that’s unraveled, that I’m desperately hoping this will be a series, or that we’ll at least get Wicked’s story. Because GAH.

Sicko and Jade’s relationship was anything but traditional. It’s full of turbulence, pain, and secrets. It was utterly delicious. Jones brought her A game when it came to creating their brand of emotional punishment, because DAMN. It hurt so good.

There were a few pieces that felt unresolved for me in the end, but they were pretty minor and felt insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Ultimately, I devoured this book and couldn’t put it down for even a second. If dark, dirty, and deliciously erotic romance is your crack, welcome to your next addiction. Jade and Sicko’s story will grab you by the throat from the beginning and own your heart at the end.

Amo Jones is a USA Today & Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author, totally winging this author thing (she’s probably doing it all wrong). She likes cake, loves wine, and her religion is magic (Slytherin). She’s a profound work-a-holic, but when she’s not writing, you can find her chilling with her kids & Husband at the nearest beach, with a cocktail in her hand.

 

New Zealand is not a state of Australia and rugby is the best sport ever played.

Connect w/Amo:

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

Review: Show Stopper by BJ Harvey

August 31, 2020 by ·

SHOW STOPPER
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Chicago First Responders #1
Author: BJ Harvey
Release Date: August 31, 2020

The first time they meet it’s by chance.

The second is surely a coincidence.

The third…it’s either destiny or he’s a stalker.

Renee Hamilton has a thing against men in uniform. In her experience, they play hard, lie harder. Marco Rossi has a thing for feisty brunette women with a backbone and a smart mouth, especially one in particular who’s playing hard to get.

She’s fiercely independent and wants better for herself.
He loves helping people so much it’s literally his job.

Worst case scenario, they crash and burn.

Lucky for Renee, Marco has a hose, he knows how to use it, and he happens to love putting out all kinds of fires; real or otherwise.
***
USA Today Bestselling Author BJ Harvey brings you Showstopper – Book 1 in a new spin-off to the Cook Brothers rom com series featuring Chicago first responders fighting the good fight and also finding love at the same time. Set in the same world as the Bliss, Game, and Cook Brothers series before it.

 AMAZON 

I always said I wanted a show stopper. Something tells me, I may have just found one.

Who is this person that just melted in a swooning pile of goo over a sweet and angst-free romance? I have no idea who this bitch is. I don’t know her. I’m seriously questioning my entire existence right now and I am not ok, okay?! I. Am. Not. OK.

You guys. This book. *happy wiggle* It was just so stinking cute.

Now if you know me or follow my reviews, you know I don’t gravitate towards sweet romances. But sometimes a girl just needs a good hit of sweet and steamy. And when that happens, who better than BJ Harvey to serve it up. Because let me just tell you, fellow angst whores, once you meet Marco Rossi, you’ll be converters too.

Do you come to ladies’ night and try to use your big muscles and suave moves often? Or maybe you just say “I’m a firefighter; I’ve got a big hose and I know how to use it’ and wait for women to swoon and fall at your feet?”
My lips curve into an amused smirk. “Would it work on you? Because my next move is to take them to the firehouse and show them my big truck. Then, if they’re really good, I’ll let them slide down my long fireman’s pole.”

I want to clarify that while it was a light-hearted and easy read, it was not even a little cheesy. Which is always my fear when reading romance like this and why I gravitate to all of the angst. It was full of depth and wonderful characters and set the foundation for a fantastic series that I’m already craving my next hit of.

Renee is exactly the kind of heroine I love to read about it. She’s a take no prisoners professional. Independent to a fault and she don’t need no man, okay? She’s got some baggage from her previous relationship but she also doesn’t let it define her. She’s focused on her career and never sees Marco coming.

Marco is….*swoon*. GOD. This man was sheer perfection. He knows what he wants and he goes after it. He’s a gentleman. He’s a sweet talker that means what he says and says what he means and I couldn’t get enough of his woo. And ladies, his woo game is STRONG.

This was a cute, sweet and steamy read that I devoured in one sitting. It has just the right splash of conflict to keep things interesting and full of swoon and romance that will put a smile on your face and keep it there.

· Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: ,
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