Review: Lies Like Love by Eva Simmons

May 10, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

LIES LIKE LOVE
Series: Twisted Roses #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Eva Simmons
Release Date: September 29, 2023

 

I made a mistake.

Hearts are the most fragile part of the body, and I trusted mine with Jude Carlisle.

My villain. My weakness. My stepbrother.

Fairytales have a way of turning the most innocent things wicked.

Jude lied through his teeth, and I fell for every word. Then he burned both our families to the ground in a sick game of revenge and never looked back.

When I see him again years later—tattooed, pierced, as vicious and lethal as ever—I should know better. Except this time, I’m not the girl looking for a hero. And I’m tempted to let Jude eat me alive if it means I’ll finally be his.

I thought I knew the truth.
I thought I unmasked all the monsters.
I thought I understood how our story would end.

But the trouble with wolves is they’re always lying. And what big lies mine told.


Lies Like Love is an emotionally twisted, dark, fairytale inspired romance with a morally grey hero, heavy subject matter, mature content, and explicit scenes. Content/TWs (which contain spoilers) can be found on author’s website. 18+ only.

AMAZON

Hearts aren’t born broken. They’re carved in the hands of those who aren’t careful with fragile things. And Jude is an expert at ripping holes in mine. He’s ruthless. Brutal.

This was my second Eva Simmons book, and y’all! I. Am. Shooketh. First of all, if you haven’t read this author yet, take my advice and have this one be the first one. Especially if you love suspenseful twisty plots with sassy MFCs and obsessed dirty talking MMCs.

Oh, god,” she moans, as I shove a finger inside, and her p*ssy tightens. “Cute.” I shove another finger in and appreciate how she loses her breath with my touch. “But I promise no one hears you like I do. So if you want your prayers answered, you better fucking pray to me, Red.”

Indeed. But I digress.

Jude and Felicity have a convoluted history. When they were teens, Felicity had a crush on Jude until she discovered he’ll be her new stepbrother and became the ultimate forbidden. But then Fel’s life tilted on its axis. Now eleven years later, Fel is trying to make a life for herself outside the influence of her wealthy family. In the hopes of selling her body jewelry, she allows her best friend to talk her to take a meeting with a popular tattoo parlor. But the last thing she expects is to see the blast from her past, only he’s not the same 17 year old boy she once knew. Jude is harder, darker, and he’s no longer her stepbrother.

This was such a deliciously entertaining story, told primarily in the present with glimpses into the past that are intricately woven in to peel back the layers of the mystery of why Fel hates Jude and what he’s ultimately hiding from her. The story definitely is true to its title and that’s all I’ll say because I don’t want to ruin it for you. Jude is a part owner in the successful Twisted Rose tattoo parlor along with his friends and he happens to get his kicks by fighting in an underground club. So obviously I was obsessed with him. Felicity may seem like a princess who was born with everything, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. And the more you learn about their past, the more you fall for these characters. Their romance was absolutely sizzling and their chemistry was incendiary. I loved the two of them together.

And that ending?! Holy wow! I love when a story manages to catch me by surprise and boy did it. I am officially obsessed and diving immediately into Crew’s book now!

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Review: A Vengeful Occasion by Kristy Marie

April 27, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

A VENGEFUL OCCASION
Series: The Fallen Kings of Eden #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Kristy Marie
Release Date: April 26, 2024

Urban legend.
Ruthless Attorney.
Hateful Billionaire.

Tobias Hale is surrounded by rumors, most of which are true. Underneath that three-piece suit is a cold, callous man who rules the courtroom with an iron tongue. Judges hate him with the same passion he hates me.
He hasn’t always been that way, though.
We were once star-crossed lovers who sat by the water’s edge—me wearing his jacket and him dreaming about a future far away from my family—a place where I wasn’t American royalty, only his queen.
I never thought I would see him again.
Years later, a chance encounter brings us face to face.
The sweet and compassionate man I once knew is long gone. The man before me now is a vicious and calculated billionaire.
Once upon a time, he was my fairytale prince.
Now, he has become the legend everyone knows as Tennyson—my husband, my killer.

A Vengeful Occasion is a second chance, romantic suspense standalone.

AMAZON 

They say the sins of the father are the debt of his children. For Spencer Pemberton, that’s exactly the case—plus more.

I was immediately intrigued by these brothers in A Vicious Proposal but when we got a sneak peek into Tobias Hale, suffice it to say I was feral for his book. This series just keeps getting better with each book! I live for a second chance romance trope, and when you throw in suspense, revenge, and a lovers to enemies to lovers vibe? I am SOLD.

I’m sorry, what? Did you say that your wife is in your trunk?” Maybe calling Van—or Alistair, as most people know him—wasn’t such a great idea.
“Don’t get all righteous on me, brother. As I recall, you kidnapped your wife, as well.”
“Blackmailed,” he corrects. “I blackmailed her into marrying me. I didn’t toss her in my trunk the second I saw her.”
“I didn’t take her the minute I saw her,” I retort. “I grabbed her after I stalked her for a week!”

This is the story of Tobias and Spenser, and as much as I loved Tobias, I was absolutely obsessed with Spencer and her sassy fierceness. Twelve years ago, Tobias was her escape and love of her life. But when her life tilted on its axis because of her dangerous family, the last thing Spencer expected is to see the man again. Even though she never stopped loving him.

Spenser was a firecracker. This is a woman who survived hell at the hands of her family and never stopped fighting. She also never stopped trying to escape her circumstances and the life that she never wanted. But when the latest attempt suddenly lands her in front of the only man who ever meant anything to her, it’s not exactly a happy reunion. Spencer has secrets she can’t share and an agenda that is life or death for her. And Tobias is determined to make her pay for what he thinks was her role in ruining his life all those years ago.

We were a cliché poem, fighting for the past we had lost in a future we didn’t trust.

The chemistry between these two was incendiary. Theirs is a slow burn but when it fires up, it crackles!

I’m going to fuck you out of my system,” I warn. “I’m going to fuck you how you make me feel: unhinged.”

I absolutely loved this book. It brought a bit of everything; suspense, action, a fiery romance, and so much hate lust. And you know that I love me some hate lust. My only quibble is that the ending felt a bit rushed after all the build up and I would have loved to see the impact on the pages rather than off. But it was still seriously satisfying and was an absolute page turner of a read.

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Review: The Wildflower by JL Beck

April 26, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

THE WILDFLOWER
Series: Oakmount Elite Book 2
Author: JL Beck
Genre: Dark, New Adult Romance
Release Date: April 26, 2024

Lies. Betrayal. Loss.

They’re all I know, see, and feel.

I don’t know what is true, or a lie. I don’t know who to believe or who what is real.

Broken and grieving I find refuge in an unlikely foe.

A man who claims to be my brother, who vows to protect me, and destroy those that hurt me.

But not even he can’t protect me from the nightmare that is Drew Marshall.

Deranged. Psychotic. Immoral.

He broke my heart, and publicly humiliated me. Leaving me shattered and broken when I needed him most.

I should hate him, and I do, but a sick twisted part of me craves him as well.

The harder I fight to escape him, the deeper he digs his claws into me.

They say the truth will set you free, but ours didn’t do that.

It locked us inside the cage, and tossed away the key.

AMAZON

Hard-edged and cutting, or soft and sensual, it doesn’t matter… I’m always his willing victim somehow. His voice ignites the embers of desire deep in my gut.

After the jaw dropping cliffhanger in book one, I was chomping at the bit to get my hands on the conclusion. And it did not disappoint! Because even groveling Drew is still in top form and while he may have caught feelings, he didn’t lose any of his edge.

You want me to take it from you so you don’t have to admit how much you wanted me in the first place, and that’s fine. You can hate me for it, hate me as you come all over my cock, because to me, your hate and love taste the same.”

There is quite a bit that happens in this book and I found myself falling even harder for Sebastian, seeing him as the uber protective older brother. I also really enjoyed Bel’s growth in this book. She went from unassuming and shy to fierce and fiery with a backbone and a mouth to go along with it. It felt like a switch was flipped for her and I was totally here for it.

The story itself was fun, steamy and entertaining. The ending, while I thought I knew what was coming, managed to catch me by surprise, which I really appreciate.

And the set up for the next book? Utterly delicious.

If you read and enjoyed the first book, you’ll definitely appreciate the fiery conclusion. Bel and Drew are incendiary together and while their romance is all kinds of toxic, that’s what I loved most about them.

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Review: Puck Block by SJ Sylvis

April 25, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

PUCK BLOCK
Series: Bexley U #3
Author: SJ Sylvis
Genre: New Adult, Sports Romance
Release Date: April 25, 2024

Ford Collins is my brother’s best friend and Bexley U’s favorite defender on the ice. Unfortunately, he feels the need to block much more than the puck.

Namely, ME and any chance I have with a guy.

Encouraged by my older brother, Ford has ruined every single date I’ve ever had. With his hot smirk and sly maneuvers, he has made it his mission to make me the most unattainable female college student in the world—that is, until I have a brush with death, and I beg him to help me.

After all, he owes me. And I’ve come to collect.

Determined to rid himself of the guilt, Ford promises to help me score a boyfriend—or two—and swears he won’t interfere.

But the more time I spend learning from one of Bexley U’s most desirable playboys, the more I start to question the real reason why he’s been sabotaging my dates over the years.

With the lingering touches, heated stares, and sizzling chemistry between us, we both know we’re playing with fire. What happens when our game of “practice” and Ford’s spicy lessons become something real that we not only need to hide from my older brother, but from each other?

Puck Block is book #3 in the Bexley U series and CAN be read as a standalone in this interconnected series.

AMAZON

because tonight you’re not my best friend’s little sister.” Her wrists are trapped in my hand, and I pin them to the pillow. “Tonight, you’re mine.”

Best friend’s little sister trope is one of my favorites. And when you combine that with a steamy hockey romance? I. Am. PUTTEH.
This was Ford and Taytum’s story, Taytum being Emory’s sister. And when I tell you that Ford was impossible not to fall in love with, I mean I was obsessed with this man.

She has me in the palm of her little hand, and I’m not even sure she knows it.

The way he cares for Taytum and the way he takes care of her even when she fights him tooth and nail on it was perfection. But Taytum took me a minute to warm up to admittedly. While I understood her struggle with the Type 1 diabetes diagnosis, I couldn’t understand her petulant and almost blasé attitude to it at first. She does everything, it seems, to not take it seriously at first. Until a hospital visit forces a much needed dose of reality. And Ford comes to the rescue.

What begins as Ford helping Taytum experience college dating outside of her brother’s strict sheltering, soon turns to something much more. But boy did I love their fumbling through this experience. Taytum is desperate to get out from the shadow of her big brother’s overprotectiveness that has foiled all male interest and dating prospects in high school. She doesn’t want her diabetes to stop her life and she wants to experience going out and getting guys and hooking up. Her brother’s best friend is her unlikely partner in crime. The only problem? The chemistry that just so happens to brew between these two.

Why her? Why now?” I peer over my shoulder at my best friend. “How could there be anyone else when she exists?”

And while I’m not usually a fan of seeing the MCs dating others, it just worked for me here. Yes Tay had some chemistry with a certain secondary character who I hope will get a book later in the series, but it was nothing in comparison to what sizzles between her and Ford. And the more each of them fought it, the more invested I became.

This was a slow burn that had me wanting to shake both Ford and Tay at times, but when it finally happened, WOWZA. It was worth every agonizing minute of the wait. I’m seriously so obsessed with this series and can’t wait for the next book!

 

S.J. Sylvis is an Amazon top 50 and USA Today bestselling author who is best known for her angsty new adult romances. She currently resides in Arizona with her husband, two small kiddos, and dog.

She is obsessed with coffee, becomes easily attached to fictional characters, and spends most of her evenings buried in a book! 

 

Connect with SJ

Website | https://www.sjsylvis.com/

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Review: Slay King by Abbi Glines

April 14, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

SLAY KING
Series: Georgia Smoke #2
Author: Abbi Gaines
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 14, 2024

This world I live in isn’t one that builds strong relationships. It rips them apart.”

Perhaps that was true, but nonetheless, I had fallen in love with him anyway. The man who had lied to me, the man I couldn’t trust, the man who would never love me back, yet even knowing all that, I loved him still. His smile could make me forget all the reasons why I shouldn’t. I was so easily blinded by the charm that was King Salazar.

He used it like a weapon, and I was one of the many who fell under his spell. Accepting that I had nowhere else to go and running from the southern mafia was impossible, I gave in to my feelings for him. All the while knowing he would eventually break me in a way that my abusive husband he had killed had not.

While he kept me locked away, safe from the gang bent on finding me, I had to sit back and watch him live out a fake relationship with the next Governor of Georgia’s only daughter. We all know how that story goes. I’d read enough of those tropes in books to prepare myself for the end. When he would fall for her and, I would, once again, be left alone. Shattered beyond repair.

This is the second book in the Slay duet in the Georgia Smoke Series.

AMAZON

Love is weak,” I said, taking another step toward her. “It fades.” She looked stricken. Reaching up, I cupped her face in my hand. “So, it’s a fucking good thing that you possess my soul, sweets. You’re under my skin, in my blood, locked so damn deep inside of me that I could never let you go.”

Lately, it takes me days to finish a book because my attention span is that of a squirrel on the best of days. But when it comes to Abbi Gaines books? I’m not capable of not devouring them in one sitting. I don’t know what the woman laces her books with, but they’re absolute book crack. BOOK CRACK I tell you. And Slay King was no exception.

This is the conclusion to King and Rumor’s story and the start of a brand new spinoff from the Smoke series. There’s new characters introduced with some favorites from the Smoke series who make cameos. While I prefer my heroines a bit more on the ball busting variety, I couldn’t help but love Rumor and her quiet strength. The woman is a survivor and I loved watching her put her broken pieces together. While I wanted her to make King work for it more, she wasn’t a pushover and she spoke her mind. But of course his sexual magnetism was impossible for her to resist.

If you like uber alphas who are slightly psychotic, irrationally possessive and fiercely protective with a splash of dirty talk, you would love King. I do wish we got to see a bit more of his kinks play out in this book, but considering Rumor’s past, it also made sense that he tame that part of himself down for her.

While the ending felt a little abrupt it was immensely satisfying all the same. I binge read this in one sitting and enjoyed it from cover to cover. I can’t wait for my next hit of this addictive new series.

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Review: Moonlit Thorns by P. Rayne

February 29, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

MOONLIT THORNS
Series: Midnight Manor #1
Author: P. Rayne
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 29, 2024

No one knows what happens up at Midnight Manor.

The home of the Voss brothers sits like a sentinel looking down on our small town, remaining a mystery. The four brooding billionaires rarely leave the confines of the iron gates, fueling rumors that have existed for decades.

When my father dies, all the security I’ve known is ripped away, forcing me to come face to face with the eldest brother, Asher Voss. His outward beauty is just as I’d heard—it belies a predatory nature, irresistibly drawing me in.

A bargain is made, and I have no choice but to live in the shadowy confines of his gothic manor to save my family. As time passes, it becomes harder and harder to deny our attraction.

Asher Voss might be too old for me, and he’s definitely cursed by his own demons, but an inferno of passion between us threatens to either consume or destroy us both.

MOONLIT THORNS is a dark contemporary romance Beauty and the Beast retelling.

AMAZON

…she’s a motherfucking flame, and I’m the moth who doesn’t care if my wings get burned.

A modern day Beauty and the Beast retelling with a broody hero, some D/s, gothic vibes, and an exclusive sex club? Sign me up immediately!

Am I fully obsessed with the Voss brothers after finishing this book? You bet, I am. But before I gush about the broody brothers who live in the dark manor with a dark history shrouded in secrets and murder, let me talk about this book. Moonlit Thorns is the story of Asher Voss and Annabelle; an age gap romance with some D/s, good girl meets tortured bad boy vibe. In true Beauty and the Beast fashion, Asher is a dark and broody man who doesn’t let anyone close besides his brothers. After the sudden death of her father, Annabelle is still picking up the pieces of her life and trying to keep her family in one piece. So when a notice shows up on her door that her family is about to lose their home, she’s desperate. So desperate, that she agrees to a deal with the devil. The devil being Asher Voss, the man who her father owes a debt to that he never repaid before his death. And the deal? Work for him for a year. Whatever he says, whenever he says it.

I loved that the story mirrored many elements of the fairy tale, including characters, scenarios, and vibes. I loved Annabelle’s mix of innocence and resilience. She’s 22 to Asher’s 36 but she’s no naive girl. She is drawn to Asher’s broodiness like a flame. But I don’t blame her. I love the mean ones myself and Asher was so hot and cold, I didn’t know if I wanted to kill him or hump him. Mostly both at the same time.

And while I loved Asher, I’m already dying to get my hands on Kol’s book. And after that set up at the end of this book, I’m absolutely ravenous for it. 

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Review: Where’s Molly by H.D. Carlton

February 17, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

WHERE’S MOLLY
Author: H.D. Carlton
Genre: Dark Romance
Release Date: February 16, 2024

A spinoff of the Cat & Mouse Duet…

“Molly Devereaux has been missing for more than two weeks, and police are still searching for the girl who seemed to vanish out of thin air. The world still wants to know… Where’s Molly?”

In my dreams, I never escaped the Oregon woods.

Life after death isn’t easy to accept, especially when I still feel like a ghost.

Now, I live deep in the mountains of Montana—the paradigm of beauty. But they are also the home of horrors.

Horrors that I only unleash at night.

When my pigs are allowed to feast.

It is strongly recommended to read Haunting Adeline and Hunting Adeline before reading Where’s Molly.

Important Note: This is a dark romance that contains dark subject matter. Please refer to the author’s website for content warnings

AMAZON

She escaped me once, and I let her go.
I won’t allow it a second time.

If you’ve read the Cat & Mouse duet, then you know the name Molly. The girl who got away and whose journals became Addie’s balm and sanity in that house of horrors. When H.D. Carlton announced the character of this book, I was equally excited and terrified. Excited because I will eagerly devour everything this woman writes. But also terrified because I wasn’t sure I could survive a reminder of the first half of Hunting Adeline. I still have PTSD from that. Luckily, while there are flashbacks to what happened with Milly, mostly all details are off the pages and I was grateful. This was a short read that was more gray than dark and I devoured it in one sitting.

Molly was a character that I immediately connected with.

My human interaction is very limited.
Especially because that’s what my pets like to eat for dinner.

A woman who’s been through hell and back. She now lives off the grid on a farm with her pigs and a unique job that is oh so fitting. She never expected to run back into a man who gave her a nigh to remember for years to come before she disappeared.

Cage. OH CAGE. God but this man was perfection. His undivided attention and single minded obsession made me fall hard and fast.

Because as long as I was inside her, her sadness would be powerless to my obsession.

I mean, the things he say. HARD SWOON.

I want to be the only man on this entire fucking planet that knows what you feel like. And if I’m sharing this knowledge with a single soul still walking this earth, then I will be removing them from it.

This was a shorter read. A bit longer than a novella but not the beast that the Cat & Mouse duet was. It was the perfect hit I didn’t even know I needed from HD before we get immersed in the crazy world of Sibby and I loved every page of it.

Cage and Molly were incidiary together. Usually, I’m not a fan of insta anything, but god their instant chemistry and connection just did things for me. I loved Cage’s obsession and the way he fought for Molly.

I will chase away all your nightmares until they grow wary of returning.

Molly was so fierce and I loved her unassuming and quiet strength. This is a woman who saw hell and came out of it a fighter. And can we talk about that ending? DELICIOUS. And the bonus scene? I NEED TO KNOW MORE.

If you’re looking for a quick hit of the Cat & Mouse world, this book is perfect. I read it in one delicious sitting and enjoyed every page. I only wish it was a bit longer but it was also super satisfying for the length, so I can’t even complain. Now I’m left desperately needing Sibby and Rio’s book.

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Review: The Wallflower by JL Beck

February 16, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

THE WALLFLOWER
Series: Oakmount Elite Book 1
Author: JL Beck
Genre: Dark, New Adult Romance
Release Date: February 16, 2024

She needs me, because she needs money. 

I don’t need her. Just her complete submission…

Maybell Jacobs is the Wallflower: quiet, shy, socially awkward and hell-bent on hiding even from herself, that is until a chance encounter takes place between us.

Instantly she hates me and for good reason. I’m a walking-red-flag. Filthy rich jock, short tempered, and violent.

I can have anyone and anything I want.. except her.

Little does she know her disgust, anger, and hate for me fuels my obsession to own her, completely in every single way. 

Maybell resists, predictably… but her fight only makes her more desirable and I have plans that will lead her right into my lap and never want to leave. 

When she joins the sinful tradition put on by the elite of the town, the Hunt, I’m shocked. The pretty little thing has no idea how much danger she’s in if she decides to become my prey.

Sweet, innocent, and fragile like a flower. I’ll have to be careful or risk breaking her. 

Because I’m the ultimate predator and when I play there are no rules. 

I don’t chase. I capture.

And I like to own my bait.

★ Tropes include: secret society, college, touch her and die, CNC & chasing bait fantasy ★

AMAZON

I want you to scream for me because of me. I want you gasping for breath. I want you crying, your eyes shimmering with tears. I want you running, doing everything you can to escape me, while knowing deep down inside you’ll never get away. I want all of it. So I’ll give you one more chance to get away.”

Well then, clearly I have been sleeping on JL Beck, because this hit all sorts of spots for me. ALL THE SPOTS.
Enemies to lovers? CHECK
Bully/alphahole vibes? CHECK
DubCon/CNC? CHECK
Primal Play? CHECK
Bad Boy/Good Girl? CHECK
Obsessive hero and touch her and die vibes? CHECK CHECK AND CHECK

If your hate tastes this good, I can’t imagine what your desire tastes like.”

I live for a dark secret society read almost as much as I live for a good alpha hole and this was pure book crack. Drew is a bad boy that I loved to hate. Part of the elite, of course this is a guy who has broody and tortured down to a science. Every year, he and his friends host something called The Hunt. And yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. But it’s been a while since a woman truly gave Drew the chase he craves. A woman who doesn’t just pretend to run from him. The man is depraved with a capital D and I loved him for it.

Maybel (Bel) is the quintessential good girl. A scholarship student, she’s used to being unseen and blending in. In a school of the rich and elite, she’s the wallflower…until she unwittingly catches the attention of Drew. And now he’ll stop at nothing to have her, even if she doesn’t want anything to do with him.

Drew isn’t the person he plays or the mask he slips on. He’s unhinged, sinister, and dark. He’s hiding in plain sight, afraid of what the world will think of him if they see the monster beneath the beautiful exterior.

Their relationship is one of antagonistic push and pull. Bel runs and Drew chases. But somewhere along the road, the lines begin to blur and someone that Bel couldn’t stand, she soon unwillingly gets feelings for. But Drew’s family and history is a dark one and Bel lands in the middle of something she can barely comprehend.

This was a twisty, deliciously dirty story. I loved the chemistry between Drew and Bel. I craved every morsel of information about these two. And while we only graze the surface in this one, I think we’re in store for a great deal more with the next one. I’m fully hooked on the series and as much as I’m dying for the conclusion, I also can’t wait for the rest of the guys to get their story. Especially Sebastian. That boy will likely put Drew to shame with his depraravity. I just know it. And that ending? JAW DROPPING!

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Review: Legacy of Temptation by Larissa Ione

February 6, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

LEGACY OF TEMPTATION
Series: Demonica Birthright #1
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Author: Larissa Ione
Release Date: February 6, 2024

The legacy continues…

It’s a gritty new world.

Three decades after the events of REAPER, the world is a different place. The secret is out. The existence of demons, vampires, shapeshifters, and angels has been revealed, and humans are struggling to adapt. Out of the chaos, The Aegis has risen to global power on the promise of containing or exterminating all underworlders, even if that means ushering in the End of Days.

Standing in their way is the next generation of warriors, the children of demons and angels and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

See how they become legends in their own right.

Legacy of Temptation

Eva Tennant, like everyone at The Aegis, hates demons. But she loves her job as Deputy Spokesperson for the global demon-slaying organization, and she’s excited to be in the running for Chief Spokesperson. All she has to do is not screw up the two-week exchange program with The Aegis’s rival agency, the Demon Activity Response Team. But things go horribly wrong when a murder turns her into a fugitive from justice and puts a demonic target on her back.

Logan, son of the Horseman of the Apocalypse known as Death, has dedicated his life to fighting demons alongside his colleagues at DART. He loves fighting, females, and his pet hellhound, Cujo. What he doesn’t love is The Aegis, whose leadership attempted to slaughter him at birth. Understandably, he balks when he’s ordered to protect an Aegis Guardian responsible for the deaths of his friends. Really, he’d rather feed her to Cujo.

But when an old enemy rises from the ashes, Eva and Logan find themselves giving into temptation even as they sacrifice the things…and people…they love the most.

AMAZON 

Logan was dangerous. Dangerous in ways that made every female instinct scream to run away. Or let herself be caught.


I had to pinch myself when this landed on my kindle. I have spent years, YEARS, waiting for another full length novel from Larissa Ione and now we get a brand new series and it’s set in one of my favorite worlds? Stick a fork in me. I’m done.

Now while this is a new series, it’s a spin off of her Demonica & Lords of Deliverance series . This series brings you the new generation of the kids from the Demonica couples and I. AM. OBSESSED. You can read this as a new series, but I really highly recommend you read the Demonica series to truly appreciate the cameos and the backstories.

Logan is the son of Thanatos and Regan from Lethal Rider and Eva is a human Deputy Spokesperson for the demon slaying agency, Aegis. The Aegis and DART (Demon Activity Response Team) have a long standing, messy history of hate, rivalry and betrayal. And seems like nothing has changed with this new generation of characters. But when a two-week exchange program between DART and the Aegis goes horribly wrong, things take turn from bad to horribly wrong in one shattered breath.

It took me a minute to wrap my mind around all the new characters, but it didn’t take long as soon as I connected the new names to the parents. And of course I absolutely loved the cameos of all my favorites, including Reaver and Harvester. Man but I love those two HARD. In usual Ione fashion, she brings a gritty story full of rich world building and fiery passion. I loved Logan and Eva’s story. A human demon slayer falling for the son of the Horseman of the Apocalypse. Yes, please and thank you.

Scream, baby,” he grunted. “All the bedrooms are soundproof.”

I became enraptured with this new slew of characters and I’m already dying for the next book. As for this one? It was full of jaw dropping twists and unforgettable events. At one particular part towards the end, I was caught between raging at the ceiling, wanting to sob, or throwing my kindle at the wall. Ione never shies away from taking some dark chances with her characters, and this was no different. It brings emotion, pain, and so many new layers to the old and new characters. I loved Eva and how she slowly but surely fell for Logan. Logan may be a fierce warrior, but the man is a total marshmallow with Eva and I loved it. That’s not to say this was a fluffy story you’d expect with a cinnamon roll hero. Far from it! It was full of emotional torture and brimming with new pains and betrayals.

I usually like my romance with a bit more pain, but there was plenty of hurt to be had with the story arc. The ending left me with my jaw on the floor and reeling and absolutely incapable of even an ounce of patience for Stryker’s book.

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Review: Scorned Vows by Victoria Paige

January 29, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

SCORNED VOWS
Series: Scorned Fate #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Mafia
Author: Victoria Paige
Release Date: January 16, 2024

He was the perfect husband until she got pregnant.

An arranged marriage was always in Natalya Conte’s future.
Luca Moretti is charming and considerate.
Handsome like the devil, he dotes on her and spoils her.
But when two pink lines should have brought them unbridled joy, her husband ices her out.

An arranged marriage gives Luca great power.
To cement that power, he needs an heir.
The quickest way to do it is to make Natalya fall madly in love with him.
He will have her loyalty without risking his heart because love to him means weakness.

Natalya needs Luca to love her.
Because she has secrets that will put them all in jeopardy.
Her heart shatters when Luca shows her exactly how little she means to him.
But it isn’t until she sees evidence of the unforgivable that she loses all hope for a happily ever after.

AMAZON 

You’re mine, and I’m done pretending that you’re not.”

As a self proclaimed alphahole addict, the second I read this blurb, I knew I’d be all over it. Arranged marriage, ruthless mafia antihero? Sign me up I say!

You’re mine, and I’m done pretending that you’re not.”Up here, I wasn’t the boss of the Chicago crime family. Up here, I was merely a mortal man falling in love with his family.

An arranged marriage doesn’t sound like one paved in love. But young Natalya is instantly enraptured with her future husband. He may be a ruthless in everything that he does, but he’s soft and attentive with her. But what Natalya doesn’t know, is Luca is not above playing the romantic to get to what he needs from her; an heir. And when Natalya gets pregnant, things take a turn in a direction she never saw coming.

This was a quick paced page turner and I was instantly hooked with Luca. Natalya, admittedly, did take me a minute to warm up to. She’s not at all what she seems, but she sure hides it well. I definitely did myself a disservice by not reading book one first, because there’s some backstory to her that makes it feel like you start this book already partially through her development. But then it didn’t take me long to connect to her and her very many layers. She’s a fascinating mix of fierce and vulnerable. The second half of this book, we get an entirely different side to her and I loved it.

There’s a little bit of everything here; suspense, action, mafia, betrayal, revenge. The chemistry was delicious and the grit was the perfect addition. I’m definitely hooked on this series and will immediately be reading the first book.

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