Review: Diamond in the Rough by Skye Warren

July 8, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

Diamond In The Rough
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Suspense
Series: The Diamond Trilogy #1
Author: Skye Warren
Release Date: July 7, 2020

Finding yourself has never been so dangerous…

Diamond in the Rough by New York Times bestselling author, Skye Warren, is available now!

I’m stepping off a nine hour flight when it happens.

A white van.
A dark hood.
Every woman’s worst nightmare.

Now I’m trapped in an abandoned church.

The man who took me says I won’t be hurt.

The man in the cell next to me says that’s a lie.

I’ll fight with every ounce of strength, but there are secrets in these walls.

I’ll need every single one of them to survive.

 

DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH is a new dark romance from New York Times bestselling author Skye Warren.

 

This is a trilogy with cliffhangers.

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The dream comes to me before death.

I’ve seen it before. It comes to soldiers taking their last ragged breaths. They see their mothers kneeling over them in the middle of the godforsaken desert. They see a beloved wife holding their hand. I don’t have a mother or a wife. So it makes sense that the angel would come in the form of a stranger.

Except my angel begs me to let her go.

“I have money. And my family, they’ll pay a ransom.”

I walk through the conversation as if it’s a forest, touching the leaves and searching for animals beneath the foliage. She’s a puzzle, this angel, but she’s mine. I won’t give her up to die alone.

Adam comes downstairs. You can last seven minutes.

That’s when I know this is no strange dream. There is a woman in the cell with me. Christ. “Don’t listen to him,” I tell her, my voice low. The words echo off the damp stone walls. “Don’t fucking listen to a word he says.”

“You don’t want water?” Adam asks, taunting.

It’s painful how badly I need that goddamn water bottle he’s flaunting. But I have no illusions about my injuries. I’m going to die in this old French prison, and the part that pisses me off the most, the only thing that I really regret, is not taking Adam down with me. “He’s fucking with you.”

“I’ll do it,” the woman says, her voice brave and wavering at the same damn time.

I try to sit up, to stop her, to save her, but pain lashes my side. It blinds me. Ludicrous, the idea that I could save anyone in this state. “Don’t trust him. God, don’t let him—”

Don’t let him touch you.

If he kidnapped this woman, he’s going to do more than touch her.

There’s a squeak as the old metal protests its use.

Shuffling. Movement. The sounds filter through my haze of pain and hunger and the never-ending knife of thirst. They filter through with a bolt of goddamn outrage.

How dare he touch her? She’s my angel of death. Mine.

I shake my head against the cold concrete. No, that’s the blood loss speaking. She’s a real woman. Flesh and blood. And she’s going to get hurt.

“Let’s bring you into the light,” Adam says with his flawless, fake French accent.

It’s pitch-fucking-black down here, but somehow he finds a tiny shaft of light. The door is open a crack. Hope surges through me. No matter how unlikely escape, the human spirit won’t give up.

The woman cries out as she stumbles over something. Her back hits the bars with a clang. And then I can actually see her face in more than monochrome shadows. The delicate bridge of her nose, the eyes wide with fear. Blue. They’re blue. Her lips are a full, flawless pout, and my hope rips to shreds.

She’s beautiful. Incandescent, even in this hellhole. How will she ever survive?

“There we are,” Adam says, sounding very pleased with himself. He’s crowding her, one arm holding the bars, the other cupping her jaw. His perfectly tailored suit was made for this moment. It could be the picture of any man flirting with his date after dinner, stealing a kiss outside the restaurant.

Except he didn’t date her. He kidnapped her.

It’s something deeper than affection. Darker than love. She’s mine.

So who’s the idiot that completely missed that this is a trilogy because she didn’t even bother to read the blurb before diving in on a new Skye book?
Yeah.
Suffice it to say, there was a lot of colorful language and feet stomping that happened at the end.
Le sigh.

But guuuuuurl. I haven’t been this invested in one of Skye Warren’s stories since The Pawn. And I loved me some of that trilogy. And I swear to you, this one is even more delicious. There’s a dark thriller element to this that I gobbled right up and was left with a mind f*ck to end all mind f*cks.

Holly grew up in the shadow of her sister’s beauty, if only by her own insecurities. But one time when she’s a young girl, her heart gets stolen by a mysterious boy, only for it to be shattered. The encounter, although brief, leaves an unforgettable imprint on her heart, and a jaded after taste.

Now Holly is no longer the naive young girl she used to be. But the one constant, is her constantly running to her sister’s rescue. And when her sister goes radio silent, Holly’s fear finds her on a plane, and landing straight into hell. Kidnapped. Imprisoned. She has no idea what to believe or who to trust. There’s a man beaten half to death in her cage that tells her she can trust him. And a man keeping her in the cage that says he’s a liar. What begins is a mind game Holly never saw coming and doesn’t know how to get out of.

Now, if you’ve read Sonata, you’ll see quite a few welcome cameos here. And if you haven’t, you MUST.

As for the story, I simply won’t give you more than that. The blurb is vague AF and there’s a reason for it. You want to go in completely blind to experience the mind f*ck to it’s fullest. Trust me here. I loved Holly’s fierceness and fight. And the hero? Sweet baby jesus! Here! Hold my ovaries! But seriously. The man is intense with a capitol I. My only quibble is I wanted a little more detail with the sex. What? Stop looking at me like that. It was the mother of all sexual tensions and I wanted more, ok? Call me a greedy pervert here, whatever. I am what I am. But I digress. Aside from that one very minor quibble, I was completely invested and addicted to this story. I’m not sure if I’ll survive the wait for book two, but NEED!

Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of dangerous romance such as the Endgame trilogy. Her books have been featured in Jezebel, Buzzfeed, USA Today Happily Ever After, Glamour, and Elle Magazine. She makes her home in Texas with her loving family, sweet dogs, and evil cat.

Connect with Skye

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Review: Pawn by TM Frazier

July 1, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

PAWN
Series: The Pawn Duet #2
Genre: Dark Romance
Author: TM Frazier
Release Date: June 25, 2020

Born into hell. Baptism by betrayal. 


His life revolves around violence.

 

Pawn, the highly-anticipated conclusion to The Pawn Duet from USA Today bestselling author T.M. Frazier, is available now!

 

My life is on the line.

I’m trapped both physically and emotionally. A pawn in a game I didn’t know I was playing.

Until I met him.

Pike acts without emotion, but I know he feels something for me.

I see it in his eyes when he looks at me. I feel it when he’s close.

I know it’s real because I feel it too.

Lust. Desire.

It complicates everything.

I know that I’m part of Pike’s plan for revenge.

He doesn’t know he’s part of mine.

 

Pawn is book two of The Pawn Duet. Pike is book one.

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Start the duet with Pike!

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Pike bends me over the sink. I grip the edge to prevent falling face-first against the porcelain. I glance up at him through the mirror to where he’s standing behind me, appraising my body with fierce heat in his fiery eyes. He molds his body against mine. I close my eyes at the sensation I’ve been dreaming about feeling since the last time I saw him. I relish in his scent, his heat.

“Open your eyes, Mic,” he orders. “I want you to see this. To see us.”

My only response is a whimper. I have no words.

Only need.

As ordered, I open my eyes.

Pike grazes the back of my neck with his lips. “I want to see your reaction in the mirror as you take my cock. I want you to see mine as I give it to you. I’m not just going to fuck you. This is a message. One I want you to hear loud and fucking clear so that there will be no more misunderstandings between us.” He reaches between my legs under my skirt, cupping my pussy over my damp panties.

I push back against him with a loud groan. Pike holds me in place, pushing my panties down my legs before resuming his touch, this time against bare and soaking wet flesh.

He groans when he feels what’s waiting for him. “This belongs to me.” He wraps an arm around my shoulder, closing a hand over my throat, biting at my earlobe. His next words are both a statement and a warning, delivered while the shaft of his thick cock presses against the cleft of my ass.

“You. Belong. To. Me.”

The only person who can hurt me right now, is you. It’s your fucking move, Mic. Make sure you make the right one.”

How does this woman do it? She creates the most damaged and screwed up characters and makes me love them? OK rhetorical question, but still. I was itching to get my hands on the conclusion of Pike and Mickey’s story but dang, I was no expecting all this!

I already fell head over ovaries for Pike in the first book. Mickey, while being a genius, definitely had some screws loose, but in the most endearing of ways. This woman is damaged in every sense of the word. She’s survived what most people would get broken by, and while her coping mechanism isn’t the healthiest, it’s what makes her tick. That comes out in spades in this story as we jump further into the rabbit hole that is her brain.

Pike is just as delicious in this installment as he was in the first, except now he’s come to make peace with his growing feelings for Mic and his protectiveness comes out in full force. And this girl was SO HERE FOR IT.

There’s quite a few revelations and jaw dropping plot twists that I didn’t see coming in a million years. I literally had to pick my jaw off the floor after the first, and the second made me stare at the wall utterly dumbfounded with a holy shit moment. I love a story that can take me by surprise, and this one totally did. It was one revelation after another and this kept me glued to the pages from beginning to finish.

It was fast paced, suspenseful, sexy, and utterly messed up in parts. But I gobbled it up with a spoon. Not to mention the cameos from all of my favorites here, and I can happily say that this totally hit the mark for me.

T.M. (Tracey Marie) Frazier never dreamed that a single person would ever read a word she wrote when she published her first book. Now, she is a five-time USA Today bestselling author and her books have been translated into numerous languages and published all around the world.

T.M. enjoys writing what she calls ‘sexy wrong side of the tracks romance’ with morally corrupt anti-heroes and ballsy heroines.

Her books have been described as raw, dark and gritty. Basically, what that means, is while some authors are great at describing a flower as it blooms, T.M. is better at describing it in the final stages of decay.

She loves meeting her readers, but if you see her at an event please don’t pinch her because she’s not ready to wake up from this amazing dream.

Connect with T.M. Frazier

Facebook | Amazon | GoodReads | Join Frazierland | Instagram | BookBub 

Twitter: @TM_Frazier

Stay up to date with T.M. by signing up for her mailing list: http://bit.ly/TMFrazier Website: http://www.tmfrazierbooks.com

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Review: Seducing The Enemy by Shayla Black

June 29, 2020 by ·

SEDUCING THE ENEMY
Series: Forbidden Confessions #4
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Shayla Black
Release Date: June 25, 2020

Seducing the Enemy, an all-new sexy, must-read forbidden romance from New York Times bestselling author Shayla Black is available now.

Once he takes his pound of flesh from her, will she steal his heart?

I’m Jett, self-made billionaire.
I have everything I could ever want—except revenge.
Eight years ago, my best friend and I planned to start a business together…
Until I fell for his little sister.
After he found out, he stole my idea and made a fortune.
She took his side and stabbed me in the back.
Now he’s in financial straits, while I’m richer than I ever dreamed.
So I made Whitney a bargain: forty million dollars in exchange for a week of her body.
But now that she’s in my bed, what if it’s not animosity I feel?
What if I fall for her again?

Enjoy this Forbidden Confession. HEA Guaranteed!

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Dallas
4 p.m.
Jett

She’s late.

Maybe she’s not coming, a$$*#!%.

That’s a distinct possibility.

What did you expect? You’re the enemy.

I am, and she’s too smart not to realize I’m springing a trap. She also knows I’m powerful enough to destroy her and all she holds dear.

But I’d rather not. Does she know that, too?

I shove the thought away. What’s in Whitney Chancellor’s mind—and heart—now shouldn’t matter. She made a choice, and I’m going to make her regret it.

You made a choice, too. And she probably hates your guts for it.

But that doesn’t change anything. If she doesn’t show today, I’ll keep coming at her. I have ways to bend her to my will.

She will give me what I want.

I tap an impatient thumb on the charred wood of the handscraped bar. The faux-rustic room is designed to be a “laid-back” watering hole, but since it sits in the middle of a horribly pretentious hotel in an exclusive, five-star part of town, I’m calling bullsh!t.

I’ve been here ten minutes, and I already despise this place.

You’re just nervous.

No sh!t. But this site is less than two miles from her house, so I’m here.

It’s been eight years, and I traveled halfway around the world for this. For her.

That doesn’t mean she’ll come, especially since you ordered her to.

In hindsight, that may not have been my best strategy, but cushioning my approach would have been counterproductive. It’s best if she understands I’m a world-class bastard, and nothing—not even her—will soften me.

Whitney has probably discerned that. After all, I’ve put her in a terrible position. One of two things will happen next: she’ll sweetly capitulate like she seemingly did all those years ago…or she’ll tell me to go f*ck myself. With her, I’ve got a fifty-fifty shot.

I’m almost hoping she chooses the latter.

At the sound of heels clicking across the tile floors in the otherwise empty bar, I snap around.

And I nearly drop my jaw.

I’ll send a car to pick you up at precisely nine o’clock. Bring nothing with you. Anything you need, I’ll provide. When you arrive, the front door will be unlocked. Once inside, you will strip. And you will kneel. Then you will wait for me. You will be completely mine. While you’re with me, you will forget two things: any other man who’s ever fucked you and the word no. You will do anything I desire with, to, or for me during our week together. Am I clear?”

*dirty shiver*

Well, then. Wasn’t this just utterly delicious? Dare I say, this was one of the most satisfying novellas I’ve read in a while. Is it a little cliche? Sure! Did I care? Not in the least. Shayla Black is my go to for yummy uber alphas and the heroines that give them hell. What can make it better? A second chance romance with a deliciously dirty revenge plot.

Whitney has just made a deal with the devil. When Jett was 21 years old, he fell fast and hard for the beautiful younger woman. They shared a stolen kiss that ultimately cost him everything. Now, years later, he’s back to exact his pound of flesh. Whitney’s brother betrayal is still a fresh wound. And when he can use the woman that he used to love to exact revenge on the man that cost him everything? Well that’s even better. He offers Whitney a deal; a week submitting to him, and in exchange he’ll bail out her brothers $40 MIL mistake.

Whitney is not about to give in so easy and is content to give him hell. Jett thinks that his feeling are long ago buried, but everything floats back to the surface the second they’re back in each others orbit. This was sexy and oh so fun. It was quick paced and oh so satisfying. I devoured it with a giddy little smile on my face.

Shayla Black is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of nearly eighty novels. For over twenty years, she’s written contemporary, erotic, paranormal, and historical romances via traditional, independent, foreign, and audio publishers. Her books have sold millions of copies and been published in a dozen languages.

Raised an only child, Shayla occupied herself with lots of daydreaming, much to the chagrin of her teachers. In college, she found her love for reading and realized that she could have a career publishing the stories spinning in her imagination. Though she graduated with a degree in Marketing/Advertising and embarked on a stint in corporate America to pay the bills, her heart has always been with her characters. She’s thrilled that she’s been living her dream as a full-time author for the past eight years.

Shayla currently lives in North Texas with her wonderfully supportive husband, her daughter, and two spoiled tabbies. In her “free” time, she enjoys reality TV, reading, and listening to an eclectic blend of music.

Connect with Shayla

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Review: Darkest Sin by J. Saman

June 23, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

DARKEST SIN
Series: Las Vegas Sin #3
Genre: Dark, Romantic Suspense
Author: J. Saman
Release Date: June 22, 2020

Everyone has an ex who haunts them.

Mine shot me in the arm and told me to run or he’d kill everyone I ever loved. And then he’d kill me.

Years later, he’s made good on that promise. I’m the only one left.

He’s got his sights set on finding me, and my options on places to hide are quickly running out.

Until I meet a gorgeous assassin with an agenda of his own…putting not only my life, but my heart in danger.

With piercing green eyes and irresistible confidence, Gavin tells me not to be afraid. Promises he’s on my side. Swears he’s here to protect me instead of doing what he does best…kill.

The desire to trust him is tempting. The passion between us, even more so.

But when everything I thought I knew is suddenly flipped upside down, and all that’s dangerous and forbidden comes to light, I have to make a choice.

Continue to run and hide…

Or risk it all, including the man who somehow captured my heart.

AMAZON

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His mere presence is a threat. A weapon I’d bet he wields meticulously yet unapologetically. He’s sinisterly beautiful. An intoxicating poison.

I told myself that 2020 will be the year that I try more new to me authors, and J Saman has been on my radar for way too long. So of course the second I saw the blurb to Darkest Sin, I knew this would be my first book by her. And after finishing, I can happily report that I’m hooked! And before you jump down my throat, yes, I started this series with book 3. If you’ve followed my reviews for even a hot minute, you should already know that I like to do things a bit backasswards. Quit judging. And while this novel certainly stands on it’s own and I had no trouble at all immediately diving into this world, I could definitely tell there were some story arcs that carried over from the previous two books. So I’ll definitely be going back to read those.

As for this book, I seriously enjoyed it. It was suspenseful, sexy, and totally addicting. I will warn you to suspend your disbelief here. There are some things that happen that are a bit out there and don’t get fully fleshed out and somewhat glossed over on the procedural side of things. But I also couldn’t find it in me to care. I was that sucked in. And this is coming from someone that reads a ton of suspense and is usually a stickler for these sort of details.

Gavin Moore…
Professional killer.
White knight and darkest sin.

Emma is on the run. The man she fell in love with is not at all the man she thought he was and has turned into her perfect nightmare. She’s lost everyone she’s ever loved and doesn’t spend long in any one place. used to constantly looking over her shoulder, she finds herself in Vegas, and in the crosshairs of someone else.

Gavin is not who he seems. While he wants Emma to believe he’s a perfect stranger that’s merely hitting on her for a date, he’s so much more. A professional killer and a man on a mission, he’s there for her but she doesn’t know why.

I won’t go too far into the story since you can get that from the blurb. But I will tell you that I was immediately hooked on Gavin. The man was sinfully delicious with an aura of danger that oozed from his every pore. GAH. And considering how much I dislike weak heroines, I was even more hooked on Emma. The woman is a fighter through and through. She’s not quite what she appears to be herself, and the more the layers were peeled back with her, the more intrigued I became. This is a woman that can fight her own battles and isn’t afraid to give as good as she gets. And considering that there’s a hit on her life, she doesn’t let the fear guide her. She takes everything head on, and I seriously loved that about her.

I had one minor quibble with the way that the dialogue is written, it was difficult to understand who was speaking in certain parts. But aside from that, I seriously enjoyed the writing. The story, was completely addicting. The mystery, the suspense, the non stop action made it a fast paced read that I couldn’t get enough of. And the romance? SIZZLING.

Suffice it to say, I’ve definitely found me a new author to add to my never ending TBR and plan on reading pretty much everything this woman writes (including the rest of this series).

To celebrate the release of Darkest Sin, J. Saman has a giveaway for you! Head here to enter: http://jsamanbooks.com/updates

J. Saman is a USA Today bestselling author who is addicted to Diet Coke, sour candy, and indie rock. She swears way too much (especially after a glass of wine) and has penchant for sarcasm (or so her husband and children like to tell her).

She’s an admitted lover of second chance romances, love triangles, and the perfect amount of angst. She is best known for writing contemporary romance filled with smart, strong women, and sexy alphas who have a softer side – especially for their women.

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Review: Healing of the Wolf by Cherise Sinclair

June 21, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

THE HEALING OF THE WOLF
Series: The Wild Hunt Legacy #5
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Author: Cherise Sinclair
Release Date: June 23, 2020

A decade in captivity tore away all hope.

But Margery never lost her resolve to help the sick. The village she’d hoped to serve as banfasa, caring for the ill and injured, is long gone. Humans captured the young shifters and killed the adults. Finally rescued, she has a chance at her dreams—at least for meaningful work. With her leg crippled and her face scarred, she knows she has no hope of ever finding love.

Tynan is ready to find their mate.

After years away from his littermate as a police officer among humans, Tynan is finally home, a beta in the wolf pack, and serving his people as a law officer. Assigned as Margery’s mentor in the pack, he patiently works to earn the skittish little wolf’s trust. Her captivity has left her with problems, including a fear of uniforms. But he’s a fixer at heart—and he’s starting to want more from the gentle female than just friendship.

Donal has no intention of making a family.

Separated from his littermate for years, Donal has remained unmated, devoting his energies to healing. Believing ugly rumors about their new neighbor—a banfasa—he won’t have her in his clinic or his life—no matter what his newly returned brother wants.

But a feral shifter’s attack on Tynan shows Margery in a whole different light. She’s levelheaded, compassionate, sweet—and far too appealing. What male could resist her?

But even as the brothers work to win their mate, cruel forces move to crush their entire clan.

AMAZON

It had taken him far too long, but he saw her in return. And liked everything he saw.

Cherise Sinclair books are my happy place. Whether she’s writing emotionally charged BDSM romance or just as emotionally charged MFM PNR, one thing is guaranteed; I’ll be glued to the pages.

If you haven’t read her Wild Hunt Legacy series, you, my friend, are seriously missing out. If you’re a fan of sexy PNR, I can guarantee this series is as unique as they come. Aside from the sizzle factor of each female getting not one but two alpha male mates, this series also packs one hell of an emotional punch which I’ve come addicted to.

Margery is a survivor. She’s spent years in captivity, surviving unspeakable brutalities and watching her fellow prisoners die at the hands of the vicious shifter hunters, Scythe. When she’s finally rescued, she’s experiencing a whole new world. She’s basically grown up in captivity, so the shifter life and traditions are a foreign concept to her. Margery is so easy to love. There’s just something so fierce about her. She’s a warrior in her own right. She’s survived horrors, but none of it has damaged her caring heart. She’s one of the most endearing heroines I’ve read. She’s just impossible not to love. Your heart breaks for her and you can’t help but yearn for her HEA.

Tynan is easy to love, too. He’s a cop in the human world, and the PTSD of her captivity with the Scythe soldiers makes Margery skittish around men in uniform. Tynan immediately puts her on edge. What I loved about him is just how patient and sweet he was with her. He recognizes her sweet soul right away and a woman that he needs to be with. He patiently waits her out and works through all of her fear and walls. This man was EVERYTHING.

Donal was a bit of a different story. The healer has some misconceptions of Margery that take him some time to work through. These misconceptions make him give her a bit of a cool reception and had me wanting to shake him in parts. However, when he finally sees the errors or his ways, he’s one determined man.

I loved the three of them together and I love how Sinclair manages to combine emotion and passion with a sizzling touch. I love this series, and can’t recommend it enough for all of my fellow PNR fans out there.

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Review: Welcome To The Dark Side by Giana Darling

June 18, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

WELCOME TO THE DARK SIDE
Series: FALLEN MEN #2
Genre: Dark, MC Romance
Author: Giana Darling
Release Date: April 18, 2018

 

I was a good girl.

I ate my vegetables, volunteered at the local autism centre and sat in the front pew of church every Sunday.

Then, I got cancer.

What the hell kind of reward was that for a boring life well lived?

I was a seventeen-year-old paradigm of virtue and I was tired of it.

So, when I finally ran into the man I’d been writing to since he saved my life as a little girl and he offered to show me the dark side of life before I left it for good, I said yes.

Only, I didn’t know that Zeus Garro was the President of The Fallen MC and when you made a deal with a man who is worse than the devil, there was no going back…

This is Daddy Zeus Garro’s story from Lessons In Corruption. A standalone in The Fallen Men series.

AMAZON

I was sick. Sick with lust for a girl nineteen years younger than me and morally sick because of it.

I’ve been eyeing this series for forever it feels like. But I was somewhat burned out on MC romance, or at least on the poorly written ones masquerading as MC romance, that I was a little trigger shy. What? I’m judgy! This shouldn’t be news to you here. But the allure of a taboo romance with a dirty talking MC prez proved to be too much, so I finally bit the bullet and dove in. And I am so glad I did!!!

He was breathtaking in every sense. Terrifying beyond comprehension and so gorgeous, it was a physical blow to the senses.

This book was everything I didn’t know I wanted. If you’re a fan of a good age gap, this one delivers in spades. It was like a love child of Undeniable and Motorcycle Man. Or as I call it, my catnip. Me-Ow! *purrs contentedly*

Now before all of you pearl clutchers come after me for liking a book between a 17 year old and a man 19 years her senior, I’d like to say that this is set in BC where the age of consent is 16. The heroine is also wise and mature well beyond her years as a product of her circumstance. That was probably one thing that worried me with starting this. Naive, immature heroines are my kryptonite. I can’t deal with it. Louise was great! She definitely had her teenage moments, which just made it believable. But she wasn’t an immature brat. Being the daughter of a corrupt mayor and parents who barely pay attention, and surviving leukemia has forced her to grow up quick. She first meets Zeus Garro in a hail of bullets as a young girl, when he saves her life. And the rest, as they say is history. They’re reunited again when Zeus gets out of jail and Louise is now a teenager with an entirely different form of hero worship for the dangerously lethal biker.

Zeus was perfection. The man is a dirty talking god. He’s utterly electric on the pages. I swear I got tingles just reading about him. He’s an MC Prez that doesn’t shy away from blood shed, but he’s also a devoted father. And he’s so dirty. I mean DURTY. GOD but it was delicious.

Now look, I’d be lying if I said this book was perfect. There were pacing issues. Quite a few of them. This messed a little with the flow of the story. However, I was so invested that I barely batted an eye lash at it. What did get me, though, were the KA-isms. And by KA-isms, I mean it was almost too much with the similarities at times. Now considering I had just finished a Kristen Ashley book right before this, clearly this was very fresh on my mind. I’ve read plenty of books that emulate her style, and I don’t usually mind it. However, this author clearly has writing chops, and her work can stand on its own and I would have loved if it resonated here. But the characters all sound like KA men with their aversion to any words ending with a consonant, amongst other things, yeah? What frustrated me was this was not just in dialogue but with inner monologue as well. I get that a character should stay consistent, but it was just too much. Then there’s the chapters that start in the middle of a sex scene, much like KA. What I’m saying is, the similarities were there, and it’s worth a mention.

Now, aside from that, this book was SOLID. I’m talking page-turner. Full of action, hot romance, and all of the grit. It read like a good MC book should. It felt authentic. These men were not innocent by any means, but you can’t help but love them. Zeus is just a god amongst men. This is a character that I won’t be forgetting any time soon. There’s just something about him that sticks with you.

If you’re a fan of gritty MC romance, this is an absolute must read. Take it from this cynic, you want to meet daddy Zeus. Do it and thank me later.

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Review: Hard Pass by Sara Ney

June 16, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

HARD PASS
Series: Trophy Boyfriends #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Sara Ney
Release Date: June 16, 2020

“Hard pass.”

That’s what the last girl I slept with said when she got her first sober glimpse of me. She laughed, walked out of my penthouse—and I never saw her again. It doesn’t matter that I’m a rich, professional athlete; what mattered was my face.

Beauty might only be skin deep for some—but I know better.

“Pay up.”

That’s what the last girl I spoke to said over the phone when I made her an offer she couldn’t refuse.

Desperate to sell a set of rare baseball cards, she’s clever and entertaining. I’m instantly smitten, but nowhere ready to reveal myself. Thank god she has no idea who I am—or what I look like.
I’m a professional athlete–how hard can playing the love game be?

AMAZON

There’s nothing wrong with being a nice guy! Why do guys hate that so much?”
“Because, Miranda, nice guys usually only finish first in the movies. They are not the trophy boyfriends every girl wants.”

A new series from Sara Ney and with some baseball thrown in? SIGN ME THE H*LL UP, I SAY! To say that I’ve been eagerly anticipating this book may be a mild understatement. Rabid may be an apt description of my need. I’ve been chomping at the bit to get my hands on this book, so the second it landed on my kindle, I jumped on it faster than you can say “gimme”.

As much as I love reading about those sexy alpha males, I do love a good underdog story. And when it comes to Noah, he was one of the most endearing underdogs. As a matter of fact, he reminded me so much of Rhett from The Learning Hours. And y’all, I loved Rhett from The Learning Hours. Noah is a professional baseball player and a total recluse. Being a shortstop for the Chicago Steam means he gets plenty of attention for his skill and money. But he’s not exactly raking it in with the ladies. He’s a genuinely nice guy but with plenty of insecurities when it comes to his looks. So when he sees a woman selling a rare baseball card on the internet that he’s desperate for, he’s too shy to go himself, and sends his womanizing teammate to pretend to be him. Suffice it to say the meeting doesn’t go as planned and hilarity ensues.

Miranda has had it with the womanizing and cocky a-holes. And she’s definitely not impressed with Noah’s teammate. Especially when she can’t reconcile the nice guy she’s been talking to on the phone with the cocky jerk that shows up. She wants nothing to do with that guy, but the one on the texts still draws her interest.

I absolutely devoured this book. It was ridiculously cute with a touch of sizzle and plenty of laughs. I loved Noah. This is a guy that you can’t help but to root for. He’s adorably awkward but he’s still all alpha male when it comes to pleasing his woman. GOD but I loved him. Miranda was the perfect balance to his quirks and insecurities and I absolutely loved the two of them together. Add in the quirky secondary characters like Buzz and I blinked and realized I was done with the book. I’m so hooked on this new series and seriously can’t wait for the next one. As much as I love the nice guys, I hope we’ll get a few a-holes out of this series too.

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Review: Dream Maker by Kristen Ashley

May 26, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

DREAM MAKER
Series: Dream Team #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Kristen Ashley
Release Date: May 26, 2020

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Dream Man and Rock Chick series comes a brand new story about love, friendship, and the bonds of sisterhood.

Evie is a bonafide nerd and a hyper-intelligent chick who has worked her whole life to get what she wants. Growing up, she had no support from her family and has only ever been able to rely on herself. So when Evie decides she wants to earn her engineering degree, she realizes she needs to take an alternative path to get there. She takes a job dancing at Smithie’s club thinking this would be a quick side gig, where she can make the money she needs. But with her lack of dancing skills and an alpha bad boy who becomes overly protective, Evie realizes this might not be as easy as she thought.

Daniel “Mag” Magnusson knows a thing or two about pain, but the mask he wears is excellent. No one can tell that this good-looking, quick-witted, and roguish guy has deep-seated issues. Mag puts on a funny-guy routine so he can hide his broken heart and PTSD. But when Evie dances her way into Mag’s life, he realizes that he needs to come face-to-face with the demons of his past if he wants a future with her.

AMAZON

All my life, you know?”
“All your life what, baby?”
“Until you.”
He curved both arms around me and his voice was growly when he asked, “Until me, what?”
“The people I loved made loving them hard. Until you.”

*giddy wiggle*

Hey! Pssst! You there! You listening to this? Because this cynic just read a KA book and loved it! No but seriously. Guys. I seriously got my KA mojo back with this book and I’m so thrilled because now I’m also seriously hooked on this series!

So here’s the tea. It had the following:

1. A heroine that’s dorky, somewhat a klutz, but beautiful with hair up to THERE and curves in the right places.
2. A hero that can probably hold a conversation using only “yeah”, “babe”, and grunts
3. A heroine that’s down on her luck but has a vagina spun from gold because everyone and I mean EVERYONE falls for her. Even the bad guys.
4. A lot of action
5. Plenty of secondary characters hilarious antics, including a cross over with Rock Chicks and Dream Man.
6. A ‘comando’ hero
7. Hot shmexy loving
8. A new cast of characters in the form of gorgeous but down on their luck women who turn to stripping but the strip club owner is THE BEST
9. Male characters that will never pronounce a hard consonant at the end of their words.
10. Girlfriends that get into crazy situations but stay tight through all of it.

And this girl is giddy with excitement!!! Why? Because this is the vintage KA I love and missed.

Now look, if you’ve read ANY KA book in the past, you know exactly what I’m talking about. It may sound crazy to any who haven’t read her, but for me, this tried and true formula of hers just does it for me. And if the chemistry is there for the MCs, then I’m putty in your hands.

Evie and Danny were so good together. Their chemistry was undeniable. And what I really loved was that the action kept going well beyond the 50% mark of the book. In the last few KA books, I’ve admittedly grown bored by the halfway mark and felt like the rest was filler, but not here. There was a lot of book here, and all of it was GOOD.

It’s not everyday you meet a cast of strippers that you just absolutely fall in love with and are dying to read their stories. And can we just talk about the set up for the second book? Because GAH! But let me not get ahead of myself here and focus on this one.

Evie was fantastic. Of course everyone, their mother, and their uncle Harry loved her. But she’s impossible not to love. Except, unfortunately for some deadbeat members of her family that get her in life threatening danger.

Danny is a guy she gets set up on a date with by her friend and coworker, and they have instant sparks. And of course when he finds out she’s in danger, he immediately moves her in with him and will move heaven and earth to protect her. And this girl gobbled it right up.

Yes, it’s a tried and true formula but with a cast of new faces, and it just worked, you guy. It worked so well. This was like a combination of Rock Chicks and Dream Man and it was delicious! I was immediately hooked and I’m already desperate for more!

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New Release & Review: Black Knight by Rina Kent

May 21, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

BLACK KNIGHT
Series: Royal Elite #4
Genre: New Adult, Mature YA
Author: Rina Kent
Release Date: May 21, 2020

Love is impossible. Hate is an open game.

Kimberly

He was once my best friend, now he’s my worst enemy.

Xander Knight is heartbreakingly beautiful.

Ridiculously popular.

Brutally cruel.

He’s a knight but won’t do any saving.

 

Xander

We started as a dream, now we’re a nightmare.

Kimberly Reed is pathetically fake.

Terribly innocent.

Secretly black.

She can hide but never from me.

AMAZON

BINGE THE SERIES

CRUEL KING | DEVIANT KING | STEEL PRINCESS | TWISTED KINGDOM

 

I can’t have her, but that doesn’t mean I can’t play with her. Love is impossible, but hate is an open game.

This was my sort of book crack! Full of angst, crazy drama, plot twists, and did I mention the angst? ALL OF THE ANGST. Now if you follow my reviews, you already know I love my heroes mean. Like MEAN. I want to hate them while simultaneously wanting to have their babies. Not that I want to have Xander’s babies. The guy is in high school. That’s illegal, dammit! What? It’s fiction, stop judging me. GOD. But I digress. I’ve been waiting for this book since being introduced to Kim and Xander in the beginning of the series. And dare I say, I think this may have been my favorite book in the series so far!

Xander is the fire and I’m the gasoline waiting to burn.

I knew going into this and from the author’s foreward that this wouldn’t be a light read. Still waters run deep, as they say, and Kim definitely had a lot more layers to her than first meets the eye. This girl is so broken. My heart hurt for her. And at the same time, kudos for Rina for daring to go there and spare no detail.

Xander and Kim used to be each others everything. Until they weren’t. And when they weren’t, it wasn’t just bad. It was borderline toxic. He hates her for something that happened in their childhood and he punishes her for it every chance he gets. And while Kim may have been the super quiet and introverted in the previous books, she truly grows into herself here. She begins to slowly come out of her shell and doesn’t just take things lying down anymore.

This book reminded me quite a bit of Broken Knight, so if you loved that one, you’ll definitely enjoy this one. It’s similar but still different enough to stand on it’s own. So when I say it reminded me, I mean in a ‘if you liked that, you’d like this’ sort of way. But I digress again.

There’s a lot of drama that happens here, so if that’s not your thing, this may not be for you. I gobbled it up with a spoon. It was crazy, OTT, and borderline ridiculous, but it was SO GODDAMN DELICIOUS that I didn’t even care. It fit. Like everything just fit, you know? It didn’t feel excessive but fit the story, which I definitely appreciate.

There’s one particular plot twist that made me scratch my head a little bit and is the reason for the lower rating here, but I’m also a picky beoch. So don’t mind me. This was entirely personal preference here.

The deliciousness of the angst. The finger-licking drama. The sizzling and oh so dirty romance. All of it hit every box for me. Rina Kent knows how to write an asshole, and this girl is so here for it. I cannot wait for more in this series!

Rina Kent is an international bestselling author of everything enemies to lovers romance.

Darkness is her playground, suspense is her best friend, and twists are her brain’s food. However, she likes to think she’s a romantic at heart in some way, so don’t kill her hopes just yet.

Her heroes are anti-heroes and villains because she was always the weirdo who fell in love with the guys no one roots for. Her books are sprinkled with a touch of mystery, a healthy dose of angst, a pinch of violence, and lots of intense passion.

Rina spends her private days in a peaceful town in North Africa daydreaming about the next plot idea or laughing like an evil mastermind when those ideas come together.

Don’t forget to Sign up to Rina Kent’s Newsletter for news about future releases and an exclusive gift.

AUTHOR LINKS

Website | Newsletter | Bookbub | Instagram |
 Facebook | Exclusive Facebook Group | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

To celebrate the release of Black Knight, Rina Kent is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card. Head to her Facebook page to enter: https://www.facebook.com/rinaakent/

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Review: Hell Hath No Fury by RC Boldt

May 21, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

HELL HATH NO FURY
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Author: RC Boldt
Release Date: May 19, 2020

In Hell Hath No Fury, RC Boldt brings us an unforgettable tale of loss, betrayal, and revenge in this new romantic suspense standalone…

Seven years ago, they took everything from me.

My father. My husband. My child.

When they stole my chance at justice, I vowed to get revenge.

Then I met him.

He tempts that long-lost part of me, but his presence is a reminder that betrayal lurks around every corner.

Their biggest mistake is underestimating my commitment for vengeance.

They don’t realize that when it comes to a woman like me, hell hath no fury.

AMAZON

This story is about a woman who had everything taken from her. And how she took it all back.

The second I read this synopsis, I knew this would be my first RC Boldt book. Heck, the cover didn’t exactly talk me out of it either. A revenge plot AND a badass heroine all in one? Sign me the hell up!

Hell Hath No Fury was a non-stop thrill ride full of grit, vengeance, plot twists, and a sizzling romance in the backdrop of a heart-pounding suspense. In a word, it was DELICIOUS.

Now I love me a good revenge plot, but there’s something so much more delicious when the one wreaking the vengeance is a female. A female that lost her entire world in one heartbreaking and violent moment, and never recovered. A female that had all of the odds stacked against her, who tried to go up against an organization that has everyone in their pocket and it cost her even more. When she couldn’t get justice the legal way, she turned to a different way. A way that turned her into judge, jury, and executioner. And I was SO HERE FOR IT.

There was something equally vulnerable and badass about Caitlin that I couldn’t get enough of. She goes after her revenge knowing full well that she doesn’t walk out of it in the end. She wants justice for her family and the only way to get it is to go after those that took it from her and make them pay.

Now as for the hero? GAH. This man. GAH. I don’t even know what to tell you without spoiling it. But let’s just say he was the perfect balance to Caitlin’s badass, because he was just as big of one himself. He gives intense a new meaning. He was mysterious, enigmatic, secretive, and I fell hard and fast.

Now in all fairness, if you don’t read a lot of suspense, this book is dang near perfect. As a reader that reads a ton in this genre, there were a few plot…things that didn’t quite add up for me. Not plot holes, necessarily, but things that came together a little too perfectly without much explanation, that I wish we got a little more of. Like the seven years that Caitlin spent away and how she got there. We get most of it off the pages, but I would have loved more. I also didn’t quite love the twist at the end.

Now all that aside, I still devoured this book. It was addictive. The story was quick-paced and full of action and with a sizzling romance that I couldn’t get enough of. It was different, and unique, and I seriously loved it. I’m definitely a new RC Boldt fan and highly recommend this book if you’re looking for something that will keep you on your toes and reading well into the night.

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