Review: Master of the Wilderness by Cherise Sinclair

November 10, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

MASTER OF THE WILDERNESS
Series: Mountain Masters & Dark Haven #7
Author: Cherise Sinclair
Genre: BDSM Romance
Release Date: November 7, 2023

Auto mechanic Erin Lockwood is not only newly divorced; she’s practically penniless.

When her emotionally-abusive ex flees the country to escape arrest for blackmailing other politicians, it’s actually a relief—a chance to reclaim her life. But retreating to the mountain house gifted by her mother, she’s met by hostility from the nearby town. The locals blame Erin for her ex’s corrupt actions that led to the construction of a private prison, drawing gangs, violence, and death.

Wilderness guide Wyatt Masterson lives by one Don’t Date Locals.
It’s a rule he’s followed effortlessly until Erin moves to town, and the city girl gets herself lost in the unforgiving woods. He doesn’t want to like the politician’s ex, but how can he resist the little mechanic’s chin-up attitude, her fortitude, and her unwavering honesty?

Erin finds Wyatt devastatingly attractive.
The big, rugged cowboy is tough and confident. An unshakable shelter. However, it’s too soon to get involved with anyone. Look what a mistake she made with her marriage. She needs time to heal and rediscover herself.

But time is the one thing they don’t have. Her ex’s crimes have born violent fruit, and no one in town is safe.

Master of the Wilderness is part of a series of interconnected, stand-alone, romantic suspense novels. The long, more-than-spicy romance has a protective hero, a stand-up heroine, and an endearing girl gang. Don’t you deserve a sigh-worthy, happy ending with no cliffhanger and no cheating?

AMAZON

Because I’m going to make you whimper… and I’ll enjoy it.”

Oh how I’ve missed Cherise’s Masters. It’s been a hot minute since I read her books and I can’t even tell you why. This author is the queen of BDSM. She’s able to combine, heat with heart and write heart wrenching stories full of thigh clenching spice. She’s one of my comfort reads.

This story had it all, romance, suspense, action, and all of the feels. Erin is healing from a divorce to her abusive ex who recently ran from the country and cleaned out her accounts. The only escape she has is her mother’s house but it’s in a town that unfortunately she’s infamous in due to her husband’s bribe taking to built a corrupt prison. This prison brought a crime wave to the small town that the people haven’t yet recovered from.

Wyatt is coming back from a volunteer mission in Africa. He’s a man who suffered horrible loss and doesn’t want to put himself on the line again. But there’s something about Erin that brings him peace and reels him right in.

Erin was this endearing combination of strong but vulnerable. She’s gone through so much in her life and she’s just looking for someone to really see her. She just doesn’t expect that someone to be the beautiful man in the cowboy hat and the soulful brown eyes. I loved these two togeher. I loved Wyatt’s quiet intensity. I loved how they didn’t fight their feelings for each other even with their pasts. I also loved the added suspense and action packed ending.

Admittedly though, this one just didn’t suck me in like the others in this series did. It was an enjoyable read, don’t get me wrong. But it also took me a few days to finish because I kept getting distracted.

Ultimately, it was still a great read that I would highly recommend to any readers who enjoy a well written, steamy BDSM with plenty of feels and a splash of action.

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Review: Ice Bet by SJ Sylvis

November 9, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

ICE BET
Series: Bexley U #2
Author: SJ Sylvis
Genre: New Adult, Sports Romance
Release Date: November 9, 2023

She’s the coach’s daughter and his rival’s newest target.

Aasher Matthews is everything I detest. Arrogant jock: check. Coy smirk: check. Too hot for his own good: check. To make matters worse, he plays hockey. Unfortunately for him, my father is his coach. Fortunately for me, I’m deemed untouchable.

The only common ground I have with hockey players is our love of the ice, so staying away from them will be easy-peasy.

Until I overhear their bet—who can get Coach’s daughter in their bed first?

I’m ready to bring the entire Bexley U hockey team to their knees. Instead of fleeing, I flirt. Instead of hiding, I run just so they’ll chase me. Luring my father’s players into a trap has a certain appeal to it.

Except, Aasher isn’t fooled by my feigned temptation. He has too much riding on a perfect season and has plans to join the NHL after winning the Frozen Four.

So he proposes our own bet.

If he wins, I stay away from his teammates and stop messing with their heads.
If I win, he tells my father—his beloved coach—about his teammates’ dirty plans for me.

But the more Aasher crosses the lines we’ve carved into the ice, the more I find myself letting him. The only problem is, someone else is in on our gamble, and they aren’t willing to concede.

Ice Bet is a spicy coach’s daughter college sports romance. It is a complete stand-alone. The other books in the series do not need to be read in order, but you will see glimpses of future characters in each book.

AMAZON

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

I’m a sucker for a hockey romance and the blurb to this one totally hooked me. This was my first SJ Sylvis book and it definitely will not be my last. I fell hard and fast for her writing and characters. And this story? Deliciously addictive.

I’m not trying to win the bet, Ry. I just know kissing you won’t fuck with my head like it will theirs. So if you want a hockey player, I’m the only one you can have.”
It totally fucked with my head.

Aasher has his eye on the goal, literally. He has everything riding on his successful hockey career in college to make it to the NfL. And he has zero chances left after what happened in his previous school. So when his coach asks him to look after his daughter who is moving on campus and keep her away from the horny hockey players, he unwillingly says yes. What he doesn’t expect is the daughter to be the ice queen who challenges him at every turn.

Riley is dealing with her own damage. Once a promising figure skater, she can’t seem to so much as bring herself to be on the ice again. And when she overhears her father’s l=players make an ice bet to get into her pants? She’s planning on putting them through hell. Even when Aasher is running interference at every turn. He may not be in on the bet, but he’s not her friend either. Until it changes, and he becomes something else entirely.

When his hand crept up my back and his fingers tangled in my hair, keeping my face pressed against his body, I felt something I never expected. Safe. And how ironic was it that I felt safe in the arms of a stupid, arrogant, over-protective hockey player that I refused to trust.

This was a delicious slow burn with the satisfactory moment when he finally goes “f*ck it” and I may or may not have squealed like a teenage girl when he finally says it. And the aftermath? MAMA. So good.

Eyes on me.”
He knew I was back. He knew I was remembering where we were and why he was touching me. I nodded shakily.
“Open your legs.” Our eyes met, and my stomach hollowed. Aasher pushed the inner part of my knee, releasing himself from the vise grip I had on him.
“Good girl,” he whispered. “Now I’m going to need you to come for me.”

I loved the push and pull dynamic between them. I loved how he was there for Riley and helped her get back on the ice. I love how he stood up to her ex and I loved the way that Riley gave as good as she got herself.

My only quibble is the on the page sex scenes Aasher had with another girl. I am not a reader that gets bothered by the MC being a f*ck boy or being with other women before the heroine. I just don’t particularly enjoy the detailed accounts of it because it just doesn’t feel necessary to the story. Like it didn’t add anything. It didn’t take away from it either, but it just felt unnecessary to me.

Luckily this was just a small blip in what was a highly enjoyable read and it didn’t phase me too much. Because once Aasher was all in with Riley, he was ALL in. The second their relationship takes a turn, he had eyes only for her.

This was such a fun, steamy, and satisfying read. I need to immediately read the first in this series and I already can’t wait for the next one. Highly recommend for any fans of steamy hockey romance!

 

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: HOT Honor by Lynn Raye Harris

October 29, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

HOT HONOR
Series: Hostile Operations Team® – Strike Team 2
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Author: Lynn Raye Harris
Release Date: October 24, 2023

Waking up with a wife is not how black ops soldier Zane “Zany” Scott pictured his first trip to Las Vegas ending. Forever isn’t in his vocabulary anymore. So why did he marry a woman he just met?

Nerdy Eden Hall isn’t the kind of girl people notice. She’s always lived in her twin’s shadow, always been plain and sensible compared to her sister’s big personality. But when her sister gets engaged to the man Eden secretly loves, it’s inevitable she’ll drink too much at the bachelorette party.

It’s not inevitable that she’ll impulsively marry the hottest guy she’s ever laid eyes on, though. Of course they’re going to divorce, but it takes more time to do that than it did to get married. Time in which they’ll discover they’ve got more in common than simply burning up the sheets together.

Just when they think they might have something worth keeping, it all goes wrong and Eden becomes the target of a killer. Zane will have to risk everything to save his wife. Because if he doesn’t, he could lose the woman who, against all odds, kickstarted his heart into beating again.

 AMAZON 

 

Zane Scott was an addiction. And he was her husband. For now.

It’s been a hot second since I read a Lynn Rate Harris book and I totally forgot how addictive they are. Why has it been a hot minute? I have no idea and I plan on having a small binge on the rest of this series because I honestly can’t believe I haven’t read it yet considering how much I’ve loved all her other series.

I was immediately drawn in to this story, even though this is the first book I read in this series. Zane is in Vegas for his little sister’s 21st birthday. While there, he meets a woman that immediately enraptures him. The surprise is that after a wild night together, they end up married. Whoopsy!

Eden has spent most of her life in the shadow of her vivacious sister. Her insecurities have insecurities, but there was something so endearing about her, that something that would usually bother me, barely blipped my radar. Eden has been secretly in love with her sister’s now fiancé for as long as she’s worked for him. But when she meets the enigmatic Zane who oozes danger and sex appeal, she’s basically all Mitchell who? And I don’t blame her one bit.

She’d thought her life was bad a little over a week ago when she’d believed she loved a man who loved someone else. Turns out that wasn’t nearly as bad as loving a man who couldn’t love at all.

Zane is shut down to love because a woman who he believed was the love of his life broke his heart years ago. And now he’s trying to make sense of the fact that she wants him back. But he’s also accidentally married to a woman who much to his effort otherwise, draws him in like no other. And when Eden’s life is in danger, he’ll stop at nothing to protect her.

This was a quick read full of action, suspense, and all the steam you can wish for. I read it in a sitting. And while I had moments where I wanted to shake the insecurity out of Eden and slap the “love isn’t for me” out of Zane, I still enjoyed the story quite a bit.

Highly recommend for any fans of steamy romantic suspense with uber protective alphas and females who bring them to their knees.

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Review: One Chance by Lena Hendrix

October 23, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

ONE CHANCE
Series: The Sullivan Family #3
Author: Lena Hendrix
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 23, 2023

Fake dating my best friend? Total disaster.

With his cocky grin and devilish charm, firefighter Lee Sullivan makes every woman in our small town swoon. Every woman except for me.

Which is why I’m shocked when he steps in at the town’s Matchmaker’s Gala and outbids my crush during the charity auction, committing us to six prearranged dates.

Six dates where we, very publicly, pretend to be falling in love.

Despite my objections and our efforts to set each other up with other people, Lee is convinced pretending to date each otheris the perfect opportunity to get the women in town off his back (and out of his bed), while also helping to nudge my non-committal crush in the jealousy department.

Stupidly, I agree.

After the disastrous blind dates he set me up on, what’s a few months of letting Lee worship the ground I walk on? He owes me.

Trouble is––every fake kiss, every lingering touch, every filthy word he whispers when no one is around––is starting to feel very, very real.

We know everything about each other––from my orphaned past to his irrational hatred of dolls. The only secret I have ever kept from Lee spans all the way back to his time in the Army and it’s the one thing that could ruin our friendship forever.

Because where Lee is concerned, I have learned to guard my heart. Suddenly, he’s asking for the opportunity to feel something real. He’s asking for the one thing he wouldn’t want if he ever knew the truth: one chance.

AMAZON

There was something between Annette and me, whether she wanted to admit it or not. And I had six dates to prove it to her.

Friends to lovers? Small town? Fake dating? Humor and steam? Say. Less.

I thought this was supposed to be fake.” I leaned down to whisper. “Nothing about the way I feel about you is fake. It never has been.”

After reading my very first Lena book with One Touch, I was instantly hooked on the town of Outtatowner and the quirky residents. And when I saw the firefighter and resident playboy Lee will be getting his book next, suffice it to say I was all over it. There’s just something so satisfying about seeing the playboys fall and fall hard. And boy did he fall hard. For a woman who has been with him from childhood and he never thought he’d have. His best friend, Annette.

So it’s you and me, huh?” His lips pressed into my hair. “Glad you’re finally catching up.”

As much as I loved the budding romance between Lee and Annette, I loved their history more. There’s so much love between these two best friends. And each one filled in a gap for the other that no one else could have. There’s a touch of pining and a splash of assumed unrequited love, since Annie has been secretly in love with Lee all these years. Then a date auction has him getting his sh*t together and bidding on 6 dates with his best friend. But Lee doesn’t need 6 dates to know he wants forever with her. Even if it may take some convincing.

But what I love even more about this series is the fun secondary character. The rivalry between the Kings and Sullivans. And of course, horny Henrietta, the ruckus hen. This book put a smile on my face at the same time it gave me all the feels and swoons. And I seriously enjoyed the heck out of this story. I’m so hooked on this town and these two families and I’m already desperate for more.

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Review: You Said I Was Your Favorite by Monica Murphy

October 19, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

YOU SAID I WAS YOUR FAVORITE
Series: Lancaster Prep #5
Author: Monica Murphy
Genre: New Adult Romance
Release Date: October 19, 2023

Daisy Albright. Incredibly beautiful. Painfully shy.

Nobody in our class pays attention to the groundskeeper’s daughter and I think she likes it that way. Moving through the halls like a ghost, wandering across campus unnoticed. Am I the only one who actually sees her? Little Miss Daisy sitting in the front of the classroom, always the model student. Little Miss Daisy reading her romance books with the cute covers and hot content inside…

I’m considered the reckless Lancaster so when I get in trouble on the first day of school, my punishment is having to work in the headmaster’s office every day, stuck with Daisy. Staring at her pretty face, hearing her sweet voice, making her laugh.

The more I get to know her, the more obsessed I become. And I think she feels the same way.

The problem? She’s not part of my crowd. Daisy is the scholarship kid and no one approves of us together. Not my friends, not my parents and not her father. But I don’t care what anyone thinks. I’m going after what I want.

I’m going to make Little Miss Daisy mine.

AMAZON

You own my heart, Daisy Albright. You can kick it, throw it in the trash, do whatever you want to it, but it’s yours. Whether you want it or not.”


I didn’t think anyone can come close to my love of Whit Lancaster but then I went and fell head over heels for Arch.

Arch and Daisy have a bit of a rocky start. He’s Lancaster royalty, she’s a scholarship student and daughter of the groundskeeper. She’s also his main rival for the number one spot academically at their school. He’s the school’s golden boy, she’s the hermit who keeps to herself. He loves the spotlight and she avoids it at all costs. What starts as a curiosity for Arch, soon turns to something more as he peels back the layers of quiet and studious Daisy. Daisy may be shy and keep to herself but she’s no pushover and she holds her own with Arch. Their animosity soon turns into an unlikely friendship that quickly turns to something much more.

I loved these two together. This is opposites attract catnip. They were the perfect half to the other. Daisy and her unassuming fierceness. Arch and his quiet insecurities. Neither is what they allow others to see. We get a cast of new characters introduced here that I’m curious to hear more about. But Daisy and Arch certainly stole the show. There’s chemistry, there’s swoon, there’s all the feels, and of course there’s an amazing romance. I love the school drama and the mean girls who Daisy doesn’t bend for. I love an FMC who doesn’t need a man to fight her battles.

This was another super satisfying installment in one of my favorite series and I can’t wait for more.

 

 

Monica Murphy is a New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling romance author. Her books have been translated in almost a dozen languages and have sold over two million copies worldwide. Both a traditionally published and independently published author, she writes young adult, new adult and contemporary romance.

A native Californian, she lives on fourteen acres in the middle of nowhere with her husband, son, their goofy dog, and three cats. When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about writing. Or reading. Or binge watching something.

 

Connect with Monica

Website | Goodreads  | Amazon | Facebook | Facebook Group | Instagram | Twitter | Bookbub | Pinterest | Verve Romance | Tik Tok 

 


 

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Review: Hopeless by Elsie Silver

October 13, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

HOPELESS
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Chestnut Springs #5
Author: Elsie Silver
Release Date: October 13, 2023

Beau Eaton is the town prince, a handsome military hero with a tortured past.

I’m the outcast bartender, a shy girl from the wrong side of the tracks.

He’s thirty-five and all man, and I’m twenty-two and all . . . virgin.

He’s also my fiancé. Correction: my fake fiancé.

We start out as a bet. He doesn’t believe that anyone holds my last name against me. So he offers me his to prove a point.

It’s win-win. He gets a break from his concerned family’s prying, and I get a chance to shed my family’s reputation while I save up to ditch this small town.

He says all I have to do is wear his ring, follow his lead, and pretend I can’t keep my hands off of him in public.

But it’s what happens between us in private that blurs all those carefully drawn lines.

It’s what transpires behind closed doors that doesn’t feel like pretending at all.

This engagement was supposed to be for show. This agreement? It has an end date.

He once told me he’d never fall in love.

And yet here I am, head over heels for my fake fiancé.

AMAZON

You’re relentless, you know that?”
And I just give her a salute and a wink. Because yeah, I am. No one has ever showed up for Bailey, but she’s about to get the full experience.
“No, sugar. When it comes to you, I’m downright hopeless.”

Beau has been one of the most anticipated Eaton brothers for me especially after Jasper’s book in Powerless. There’s just something about this wounded soldier who comes back from his mission a bit more broken that just called to my heart. I couldn’t wait for him to get his HEA.

Now admittedly, the fake dating/fake engagement trope isn’t my favorite. But if Elsie writes it, I read it. Period. And from page one, I was absolutely sold.

Sugar, put your hand back in my pocket.”
Bailey doesn’t even move her eyes my way when she says, “Why? I think she’s buying it just fine.”
My lips dust over the shell of her ear. “I don’t give a fuck about her. I just like it.”

Bailey is the town’s black sheep. The girl from the wrong side of the tracks if you will. Her family is notorious for their drunken escapades and she’s been lumped in with them all her life. My heart broke for her and everything she had to go through because of her family and judgmental town people. All she wants is to leave the place, go to school, and leave everything behind her. But then Beau Eaton offers her a solution; pretend to be his fiancé. It gets the town’s women off his back and gives her the Eaton name backing to improve her chances of finding work. Win win. Except Bailey is nothing what he expects. She may be quiet and unassuming to the town, but this is a girl with a spine of steel and not afraid to give him hell while also soothing his wounded soul.

That’s what I like about her. She’s not a kiss ass, she’s not a pushover, and she doesn’t tiptoe around me. She also might not be as sweet and quiet as I thought.

This is very much a slow burn and I thought I may explode if these two didn’t finally get together. But the burn also hurt so good. Beau tries to be the gentleman while Bailey has no problem speaking her mind. And I loved the dynamic between them.

“If you hadn’t known I was a virgin, would you have fucked me?”
He fidgets now, hand scrubbing at his beard as he groans. “Jesus, Bailey.”
“Would you?”
He looks away, down river, before turning back to me. Slowly. There’s a sudden predatory vibe in the way he carries himself, in the way he moves. “Thoroughly.”

While I expected Beau to be more grumpy and gritty, this man really had a heart of gold. He may hide his pain from everyone including his family, but not from Bailey. And I loved how he allowed her to be there for him.

I know you’re scared of losing control around me.” Her chin tips up as though she’s told me something that will make me back down. Run me off. It doesn’t.
“No, I’m scared of you becoming something I can’t live without.”

Now while I did enjoy this book, it also didn’t fully enrapture me like the other books in this series. Don’t get me wrong, it was still fantastic and I loved Bailey and Beau. But it also wasn’t my favorite in the series. But considering I’ve 5 starred all the other books, take that with a grain of salt. If you love a fake dating trope with a broody hero with a heart of gold and fantastic down on her luck heroine who doesn’t lose any of her sass to her circumstance, do yourself a favor and read it.

Elsie Silver is a Canadian author of sassy, sexy, small town romance who loves a good book boyfriend and the strong heroines who bring them to their knees. She lives just outside of Vancouver, British Columbia with her husband, son, and three dogs and has been voraciously reading romance books since before she was probably supposed to.

She loves cooking and trying new foods, traveling, and spending time with her boys-especially outdoors. Elsie has also become a big fan of her quiet five am mornings, which is when most of her writing happens. It’s during this time that she can sip a cup of hot coffee and dream up a fictional world full of romantic stories to share with her readers.


Connect with Elsie
Website | www.elsiesilver.com
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Review: Relentless by Tracy Lorraine

October 12, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

RELENTLESS
Series: Harrow Creek Hawks #2
Genre: Dark, Captive Romance
Author: Tracy Lorraine
Release Date: October 12, 2023

An all-new and addictive dark, why-choose, captive romance from the USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Tracy Lorraine.
He came to save me… but what he finds could destroy him.

I might have accomplished the impossible and walked back up those stairs.

But I wasn’t naïve. Freedom didn’t await.

Only more locked doors and nightmares.

My captivity means nothing now.

My hope is locked up in despair.

Because just like he promised, Mav came for me.

No one breaks into the Devil’s manor… and lives to tell the tale.

But since I’ve been here, I’ve learned a few things.

For the first time in my life, I’m the one with the power.

And I will do whatever it takes to protect my husband.

But things are different now.

They say the truth is meant to set you free, but that’s the last thing I want.

Because the truth is… the only man I’ve ever loved just might hate me as much as I hate myself for what I’ve been doing.

Who I’ve been working for.

I may have given my body to others, but my heart will only ever belong to Mav.

But will he want me when the rest of me is tarnished?

When he discovers that I’ve sold my soul to the devil, and reaped the benefits from his best friend?



Dear Reader,
Relentless is book two of four in the Harrow Creek Hawks series. It is a dark why-choose romance, meaning our leading lady has several love interests and never has to choose to find her HEA. These three a-hole alphas are certainly no heroes; their morals are questionable at best. If you’re looking for a good guy, then you’re in the wrong place. Enter at your own discretion.

AMAZON 

He is one of—if not—the most dangerous men in this town and here I am getting turned on being completely at his mercy.

The level of obsession I have with this series is probably unhealthy and toxic. Am I sorry? Not even a little!

She’s ours. All fucking ours.

After the jaw dropping cliffhanger in book one, I was desperate to get my hands on this book. DESPERATE. Relentless starts off immediately where Merciless left off but with a few plot twists thrown in.

The first half of this book, I binged. I was desperate for answers. I also swore on all things holy that if we get more edging with Reid and Alana, I may chuck my kindle at the wall. And well, RIP, kindle. You’ve had a good life. But I digress.

The second installment of the series was a bit more slower paced than book one, which I devoured. There isn’t much that happens with the story outside of the development of the inner workings of the relationship between Alana, JD, Reid, and Mav. Mav and Alana discover that Reid isn’t the enemy they thought he was. But outside of the developing sexual relationship with Mav and Alana, and the further development of JD and Alana, along with hints of Reid’s attraction to Alana, not much else happens. Now don’t get me wrong, it was still entertaining. But I just didn’t devour it like I did book one. Also considering the build up, I anticipated a slightly more painful cliffy. But I can’t complain since the wait for book three is painful enough as it is.

I will say that if Alana and Reid don’t bump uglies in book three, I’m going on strike. Call my union rep, because this is torture! TORTURE. But I digress again.

I enjoyed this one, and while it may not have been as much as book one, it was still entertaining and deliciously depraved. Can’t wait for the next book!

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Review: The Penitent by Natasha Knight & A Zavarelli

October 2, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

THE PETINENT
Series: The Sacrifice Duet #2
Genre: Dark Romance/Secret Society
Author: Natasha Knight & A Zavarelli
Release Date: October 2, 2023

A cruel fate. Two souls condemned. An impossible love.

I knew he’d choose me before he came to our door on the night of the Tithing. I bore the mark that would make me his.

It was my ancestor who spoke the words that bound us together, and his demon-god who promised protection for the price of blood.

My blood.

I was prepared to be that sacrifice if it would keep my family safe.

Loving Azrael? The thought never crossed my mind. He was and would forever be my enemy.

He’s not the only monster coming for me, though, and somehow, it’s in Azrael’s arms I feel the safest.

But I need to be careful with him. I need to guard my heart because if I don’t, he is sure to destroy me.

KOBO | IBOOKS | B&N | GOOGLE PLAY

The Penitent will only be available on these platforms with pre-order until 10/04 and then will be moved to KU on 10/05

AMAZON 
 

The Sacrifice will be made. Blood will be shed.

The much anticipated conclusion to The Sacrifice duet is here and it did not disappoint.

Now this is a bit of a different vibe than I’m used to from these authors, but I’m not mad at it. This had a somewhat spooky, almost gothic romance vibe to it. It’s a little dark, a little mysterious, and entirely addictive. So much so that I read it in one sitting.

The Penitent starts immediately where The Tithing left off and it was as brutal as I thought it would be. The hell that Willow survives was heartbreaking. But watching Azrael race to her rescue and then loving her through the aftermath was amazing.

Admittedly, this just didn’t have the IVI vibe that I was expecting. Really, there’s very little society here. But again, I’m not mad at it. This was a more ancient curse, witchy vibe. The mystery of the curse really unveils itself here and I was on pins and needles until the final page. The epilogue was the perfect icing on the cake and I’m really hoping we get a book for Emmanuel and Raven next.

About A. Zavarelli:

A. Zavarelli is a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author of dark and contemporary romance.

When she’s not putting her characters through hell, she can usually be found watching bizarre and twisted documentaries in the name of research.

She currently lives in the Northwest with her lumberjack and an entire brood of fur babies.

Connect w/A. Zavarelli: 

Facebook | Facebook Group | Instagram | Twitter | Mailing List | Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Bookbub

About Natasha Knight:

Natasha Knight is the USA Today Bestselling author of Romantic Suspense and Dark Romance Novels. She has sold over half a million books and is translated into six languages. She currently lives in The Netherlands with her husband and two daughters and when she’s not writing, she’s walking in the woods listening to a book, sitting in a corner reading or off exploring the world as often as she can get away.

Connect w/Natasha: 

Website | Facebook | Facebook Group | Twitter |  Instagram | Pinterest | Goodreads | Bookbub | Amazon  | NL Signup

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Review: Tricked by my Ex by J. Sterling

October 1, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

TRICKED BY MY EX
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: J Sterling
Release Date: October 1, 2023

EVE:
Seven years ago, my boyfriend broke up with me over the phone. The worst part was, I never even saw it coming. At first, I figured he’d regret it and come racing back to me, begging for my forgiveness. But when that never happened, I realized that I needed to put Tyson Hunter behind me and move on with my life.

Getting over a guy like him was easier said than done. Especially when I couldn’t seem to avoid his face. He was everywhere: on billboards, commercials, magazine covers and movie posters. I guess that’s what happens when your ex is a famous actor.

TYSON:
Dumping Eve was the worst mistake of my life and I’d do anything to take it all back. That’s why I showed up tonight, at an event that she planned, hoping for a second chance to make things right.

But how do I make up for seven years of silence?

 

I’ve never been able to move on past you, Eve.

If you’re looking for a quick but satisfying novella, look no further. Now admittedly I’m not usually a novella girly but it’s been ages since I’ve read a J Sterling book and I needed a fix. And boy am I glad I did.

This is a steamy second chance romance with plenty of feels layered in for an entirely satisfying HEA.

Eve and Tyson were college sweethearts and Eve was convinced Tyson was her endgame, until the chance of a life time for Tyson made him walk away. But neither has been able to fully move on from the other. Now Tyson is a Hollywood golden boy and Eve is a successful party planner/decorator. So what’s a man to do when he wants another chance with the woman that is just as likely to murder him when she sees him? Trick her into attending a halloween party where he dresses in an unrecognizable costume for a chance to speak with her.

This is a shorty but it still hit every spot and the HEA was so satisfying! If you’re looking for a quick read for spooky season, this is it!

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Review: Hollow by Karina Halle

September 30, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

HOLLOW
Series: A Gothic Shade of Romance #1
Author: Karina Halle
Genre: Gothic Romance
Release Date: September 28, 2023

From the New York Times bestselling author of River of Shadows and A Ship of Bones and Teeth comes a smutty spooky dark academia gothic romance retelling of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, where Kat Van Tassel doesn’t have to choose between Brom Bones and Ichabod Crane, and there are worse things haunting them than the Headless Horseman.

Ever since she was a child, Kat Van Tassel knew that her parents had arranged for her to marry her best friend, Brom Bones, when she became of age. That was until Brom mysteriously vanished from the secretive village of Sleepy Hollow when he was just a teenager.
Now, at nineteen, Kat is fulfilling the tradition of attending Sleepy Hollow Institute, a shadowy and prestigious school that is run by her powerful family. There she starts to fall for her new teacher, the enigmatic, smart, and much older Ichabod Crane, whose fascination with dark magic and the occult brings out a new side of Kat—in more ways than one.
Until Brom Bones suddenly appears in her class. Her childhood friend doesn’t remember what happened to him in the four years that he’s been gone, all he knows is that he’s back in Sleepy Hollow for good. The only problem is, he’s not the same man that Kat knew. Cocky and brash as a youth, this Brom is violent and prone to bouts of madness. It doesn’t help that his reappearance coincides with gruesome decapitations that are plaguing the town, with rumors swirling about a vengeful ghost called The Headless Horseman.
Determined to get to the bottom of the murders and Brom’s volatility, Crane takes Brom under his wing to study him, and they begin to grow close, just as they do with Kat. But the more that the threesome submits to their sexual desires on the path to the truth, the more dangerous Sleepy Hollow becomes.  The Headless Horseman might claim them as his next victims…if something even more terrifying doesn’t get to them first.

Hollow is a standalone book of aprox 90K words and may contain some triggering situations, even though this is NOT considered a dark romance. You can view the content warning when the book is live by using the “Look Inside” feature on Amazon. Hollow has foul language, graphic sexual situations including mmf, and is not suitable for those under 18.

AMAZON

A perfect gentleman would have told her that he’d prefer to walk, to keep space between them.
But I am not a perfect gentleman.
Truth be told, I’m not a gentleman at all.
I’m a deviant.

Being in my spooky season era, I was desperate to get my hands on this book. So it’s no surprise that I basically read it in a sitting, right? Right.

Now, this is either a book you will click with or you won’t at all. I fall into the former. Sleepy Hollow is one of my favorite spooky season movies. So a retelling where Katrina doesn’t have to chose between Brom or Ichabod? Sign me up! But keep in mind that this is a book set in the 1800s, so if you’re applying modern morals to it, it also probably won’t be your cuppa. But I digress.

This book had such a vibe. A dark and spooky vibe. I will admit that while I am a whole a$s grown woman, there are parts of this book I had to read with all the lights on and every door open with my dog by my side. What? I may be grown but I’m still a chicken, okay? But I digress again.

This story is basically a retelling of Sleepy Hollow but with a twist. Ichabod Crane is a professor at an illusive school that has some dark secrets that never leave the grounds. Katrina has just entered her first year of the school even though it’s the last place she wants to be. But after the death of her father, her mother’s wish is for her to do her duty and attend the school. And Brom? Well, that’s a plot twist and then some. Brom and Katrina are promised to each other in marriage when they are just babies. Kat has been in love with Brom for years. But after a fateful night together, he disappears and no one hears from him for years. Only for him to turn up with no memories of where he’s been and a unique connection to Ichabod. And I won’t tell you more than that.

I can definitely see why this is now split into two books, where there’s a lot of story to unpack here. Hollow read so quick because I was desperate for answers that I only seemed to get small kernels of teasing about. The mystery, the horror vibes, the spooky setting, all of it combined for a deliciously addictive read that I can’t wait to read the conclusion for. We get a small peak into the MM side here so I’m very hopeful to get more in book two because these two definitely have a ton of chemistry to be peeled back and when you add Kat to the mix it just gets better.

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