Book Reviews: 5 stars

Review: Crescent Kingdom by Tessa Hale

April 23, 2025 by Lana · Leave a Comment

CRESCENT KINGDOM
Series: The Wolves of Crescent Creek #1
Author: Tessa Hale
Genre: Why Choose Romance, PNR
Release Date: April 23, 2025

Never stop running. And no matter what, never let the world know who you really are.

I’ve spent my whole life hiding. Training. Preparing. Hoping that no one will discover my secrets. What I can do. Who I am. And I’ve gotten so good at it, sometimes even I forget.

Until them.

The wolf pack with a ruthless reputation and a penchant for revenge. The protective fighter. The charming Brit. The shy hacker. The silent mercenary. The cruel assassin.

They see more than anyone ever has before. And even with demons of their own, they give me sanctuary. A place to hide, to rest, and maybe even a place to belong.

Only it turns into so much more. Because when they touch me, everything around me ignites, and nothing matters but them.

But these wolves have secrets. And those secrets bring enemies. And when they find out who I really am?

It’s not their enemies I need to fear. It’s them.

AMAZON

Fuck. This woman would ruin me. But I’d happily go down in the rubble. For her.

First of all, how is this my first Tessa Hale book and what rock have I been living under? Second of all, I may need to rock myself in the corner somewhere with a bottle of wine after that ending. But regrets? I don’t has them.

I genuinely can’t remember the last time I binged a book like this. The last few months I seem to be dragging ass with everything, even books I enjoy. And I forgot that giddy feeling of finding a book so addictive that you simply can’t put it down. This story had me in a chokehold from the first chapter and had me reading everywhere I can squeeze in a page because I simply couldn’t bring myself to put it down for even a minute. If you like a sexy why choose shifter romance, look no further.

Now do you know what I love more than tortured MMCs? Tortured FMCs. And Wren has not just walked through the pits of hell, she survived the devil himself. She’s been on the run for years, constantly looking over her shoulder and with plenty of secrets to stay buried about who she is.

She’s done her damnest to hide who she is, so when she lands in the crosshairs of a sexy stranger, she’s terrified to learn that he’s a wolf. And when that stranger has a pack of 4 more equally sexy and tortured in their own way pack mates? Well, stick a fork in me, I’m done. The chemistry was through the roof in this book. And I loved the layers to Wren’s character. She may keep to herself but still waters run deep with her and she’s a survivor through and through. The more you learn about her, the more you can’t help but love her.

Then we meet her 5 sexy shifters and I couldn’t get enough of them; especially my grumpy and thinks the worst of everyone Ender.

When I tell you that I devoured this book, I mean I binge read it in one sitting. I am so thoroughly hooked and can’t wait for the next installment. I now need to rectify my life choices and read the entirety of Tessa’s backlist because WHERE HAVE I BEEN.

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Fantasy, PNR · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 5 stars, Tessa Hale, why choose

Review: Loving The Reaper by Lola King

April 22, 2025 by Lana · Leave a Comment

LOVING THE REAPER
Series: Silver Falls University #2
Genre: Dark Romance
Author: Lola King
Release Date: April 22, 2025

An angsty, best-friends-to-lovers, dark romance from best-selling author, Lola King

He waited years for her to choose him. His patience has run out.
Welcome back to Silver Falls University. There is a murderer among us.

I’ve been best friends with Wren Hunter for sixteen years. The boy who chased me in our schoolyard, kissed my scraped knees, and always swore to protect me grew into the god of Silver Falls University: admired by his peers, desired by every woman on campus, and feared by anyone who gets in his way.
Wren knows me better than anyone. He sees through every wall I build. He can handle my fire and my stubbornness. Sometimes I believe he can even tame it. This is why I thought we would never cross the line between friendship and more, no matter how many times we teetered on the edge of it.
I was wrong.
The mask he wore around me is gone, and what’s underneath is dangerous, unrelenting, obsessive.
Wren doesn’t just want me—he decided I’m his.

And in his world, no one says no.

There’s a secret society behind him, powerful enough to cover up anything—or anyone—standing in their way. Now, I’m trapped in his game, bound to a man I don’t recognize, in a world where nothing is what it seems.

Bodies are piling up.
Trust is a luxury.
And Wren Hunter might be the one thing that destroys me.

Loving The Reaper is a dark romance intended for readers over 18 only. Please, read the trigger warnings in the book.
This is the second book in a series of 3 interconnected standalones.

AMAZON

Penelope Peach Sanderson-Menacci. One of my best friends with a stupid nickname that reduces her to a part of her body. A name that caught on since high school and that I, of course, use without shame. Because calling her my love, baby, queen of my life, doesn’t exactly scream friends since elementary school, does it?

I have a confession to make. Wren and Penelope (Peach) were my least anticipated couple in the Silver Falls University. I. Know. Judge away. But in my defense, I was afraid that Penelope would be too brash for my taste as a main character. And also, friends to lovers is a trope I like, but I much prefer enemies to lovers. Well, who would be surprised that Lola King made me eat my words? No one. No one would be surprised. But also, when this is the friends to lovers vibe? I’m sat.

He inhales, and I barely catch the words he breathes out. “Fuck it.” His hand in my hair pulls me to him, and his lips press against mine with the strength of a hurricane. And it’s on a path to destroy everything. My sanity first. My anger. My reflex to push him away. It’s all gone as I melt into him and let him take over my mind.

Wren and Peach have been best friends since childhood, but Wren has always known he wants more. But where he pushes, Peach pulls. Peach knows that it would never work between them, because her independence is the core of who she is, and Wren would demand nothing short of total domination over her. So they dance this push and pull until circumstances are finally in Wren’s favor and he is more than happy to take it with all his force.

Where Peach annoyed me as a secondary character, I absolutely fell in love with her in this book. Being in her head, understanding what makes her tick and why she is the way she is was one of the most satisfying reading experiences. There are so many layers to her character, and as Lola peels back one layer after another, things begin to fall into place. But when we get one answer, another question comes into the story. And prepare yourself for one mindf*ck of a read because the twists in this book were jaw dropping.

Do you even need me to tell you that the chemistry between Wren and Peach were out of this word? Because my GOD. This man was giving dominance and adoration HARD.

Wren…” I moan. “That’s it, Trouble. Call my name when you come. And get fucking used to it.”

When Wren decides that the gloves are finally off, they were OFF. He was this delicious dichotomy of domineering a-hole and adoring best friend and I couldn’t get enough of his toxicity. And don’t get me wrong, the man was definitely toxic, and I loved every single one of his red flags (of which he had plenty)

Why are you always sending so much love my way, Wren Hunter?”
“Because keeping all that love to myself would be inhuman.”

The story was a thrill ride full of twists and turns, dark secret society, murder and family secrets. GOD but it was delicious. The romance was effortlessly woven in to give it that sizzle and a splash of angst made it entirely unputdownable.

Be prepared to pull an all-nighter with this one and to rock yourself in the corner when you finish because you’ll be that much more desperate for the next hit of this addictive series.

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Dark, Dirty Talkers · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 5 stars, college, dark, friends-to-lovers, Lola King, NA

Review: Enemy of the State by B.H. Eastwood

April 10, 2025 by Lana · Leave a Comment

ENEMY OF THE STATE
Series: The Enemy Duet #1
Author: B.H. Eastwood
Genre: Dark Romance
Release Date: April 10, 2025

Ending up in a top-secret, maximum-security prison in the Pacific Ocean was not on my bingo card. Neither was having my entire world upended by the head torturer of said prison. Although, I suppose life would be boring without a little, albeit violent, excitement.

I simply need to be patient and wait for him.

They think they can break me. They think they can make me talk. They think I’ll crack. Well, the jokes on them. I refuse to bend. I refuse to shatter. I refuse to die—not here, not like this. I have too much to protect to be anything other than impenetrable. But, if anyone can do it, it’s him…the one in the mouthless mask, he’s the one to watch.

I’m biding my time. He’s coming for me.

Who will get to me first?

AMAZON

There’s a darkness inside you, Sean Diggory, and I’m going to dance within it.”

Prepare to be sick of me, because I’m about to make this book my entire personality. MY ENTIRE PERSONALITY. Because OHMYGOD. Where has this author been all my life?!

The primal look in his eyes spoke to my own inner animal, and the serpent living within me preened in response. She’s been dying to be released from captivity, and it appears that Diggory’s inner beast is rattling his cage door as well.

As a dark romance connoisseur, I find good dark romance books harder and harder to come by. When I saw the blurb to this book, I was immediately intrigued. But after finishing it, I am immediately adding B.H. Eastwood to my auto buy list, because what sort of book crack was this?!

Now if you’re like me and you love a morally gray and unhinged FMC, you’re going to LOVE Lou.

Did you know that female yellow fattails eat their male partners if they don’t satisfy them during mateship?” I ask, waggling my eyebrows.
“Uh, no, I didn’t know that.”
“I do the same thing.” I bare my teeth and clash my teeth together a few times in a mock display of biting.

Lou finds herself in quite the predicament when she’s captured and taken to an off the grid prison. As an assassin for hire and a bloodthirsty and ruthless personality, she’s no innocent. But is she guilty of the laundry list of crimes in her file? That’s to be determined by Sean Diggory “Digs”, the prison guard put in charge of torturing the answers out of her. What Sean doesn’t expect, is to be drawn to the unhinged female he’s been tasked in breaking.

Too bad for him that I will not bend; I will not break. I will not surrender; I will not shatter. Not for him. Not for anyone.

The writing was absolutely immaculate. I was immediately enraptured in the story and these characters. And the character development was pure chefs kiss. I love that the author gives you a full deep dive into both of their depravity and rawest selves.

Sean is a sadist with a broken moral compass and I loved every deranged part of him. He may think he’s one of the good guys, but the lines begin to blur the more time he spends in the presence of the mysterious Lou.

Right now, all I want is her: her body, her mind, her goddamn soul. I want her to languish in the pain I inflict, suffering as I dole out unspeakable things.

Lou is absolutely feral and unhinged and so full of sass that I was immediately obsessed with her. The romance is very much a slow burn that has a deliciously painful buildup with an absolutely explosive chemistry.

Scream my fucking name when you come, Lou. Remind this hell who’s making you feel like you’re in heaven.”

The mystery of Lou’s background is slowly peeled back, leaving the reader with more questions than answers. The story was addictive and gritty. And the romance was so spicy that it gave me full body tingles. If you’re a dark romance lover and you’re looking for a new author to obsess over, look no further. TRUST ME.

This is the first in a duet, but luckily the author isn’t as much of a sadist as Sean, because the ending is satisfying enough that the wait for book two won’t completely break me. But will I be stalking for news of the release, without a doubt.

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Dark · Tagged With: BH Eastwood, Book Reviews: 5 stars, dark, enemies-to-lovers, suspense

Review: Finding Forever by Natasha Anders

April 1, 2025 by Lana · Leave a Comment

FINDING FOREVER
Author: Natasha Anders
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 1, 2025

Niall Caden Hawthorne—Cade—lives an exacting, uncompromising life. His only priorities are, and always will be, his family and his business. He’d do anything for them. This includes marrying a colorless, drab moth of a woman who leaves him physically and emotionally cold.

Fern Lambert is everything Cade has never wanted in a woman—timid, sheltered, shockingly inexperienced, and—after a night of uncharacteristically bad choices—pregnant with his baby.
She is also the key to securing an elusive business contract that Cade has been after for nearly a year. Marrying her means giving up three years of his life, it means acknowledging a child that he never planned on having… it means complications and disruptions to his well-ordered life.
But Cade knows it’s the right thing to do. It’s the only thing to do. That doesn’t mean he has to like it.

And—inexplicable fascination with her lush upper lip notwithstanding—it certainly doesn’t mean he has to like her.

AMAZON

I refuse to be your crutch. I don’t want to be your friend. Or your confidante. I don’t want to hear about your past, or your future aspirations. I don’t care about any of that. All I care about is getting through this marriage with as little emotional investment—from the both of us—as possible.”

When you want a true a-hole MMC, you look no further than Natasha Anders. As a long time fan and reader, she just has this skill of giving you heroes that you love to hate and then hate to love before you just love them. And boy did I love to hate Cade.

Now if you love a modern day cinderella retelling with a twist, this will be your new book crack. Take a wallflower FMC but instead of an evil stepmother, make it an evil stepfather and his two wretched daughters. But while the FMC is a wallflower and hasn’t experienced much of life because of her stepfather’s cruel bid to keep her rightful inheritance from her, she is no pushover. And if there’s one thing I love, is an FMC who is vulnerable, shy, but nowhere close to a doormat.

When Cade spots Fern at an event, effortlessly blending into the wall, there’s really nothing about her that should call to him. Yet he finds himself talking to the timid woman. And one catastrophically unmemorable encounter later, she finds herself pregnant with his baby. Fern, while inexperienced and with the odds stacked against her, is determined to get herself from under her stepfather’s thumb. So she makes Cade an offer he can’t refuse; marry her (in name only) and she will give him the company that he and his father have been trying to negotiate with her stepfather.

Now the one thing that I absolutely love about Natasha’s book, is her ability to take an MMC who seemingly has no interest in the FMC to the point you question how they’ll be together, and make him fall so hard that the MMC is as shocked by it as you are. And boy oh boy did I love Cade falling deeper and deeper. As much as he fought it, the woman was simply not at all who he underestimated her to be.

He’s cruel, and hot and cold, and some of the things that he said to Fern had me wanting to c*ck punch him. But I love and I mean LOVE the way that Fern makes him work for it in the end. She doesn’t just turn around and forgive him at the first sign of feelings. As a matter of fact, she makes him prove them at every turn. And I loved that for her.

We can be happy together,” he maintained. “I don’t think so. I think we can be content. But I don’t think we’d ever be truly happy together.”

This was a delicious slow burn full of tension and heartache, emotion and grit. I loved watching Fern come into her own almost as much as I loved Cade helplessness in falling for her.

I love Natasha’s brand of angst, and this book brought together everything I love about her writing. It hurt so good and I loved every emotional page of it.

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance, Uncategorized · Tagged With: angst, Book Reviews: 5 stars, enemies-to-lovers, hate/love, Natasha Anders

Review: Beautiful Exile by Catherine Cowles

March 18, 2025 by Lana · Leave a Comment

BEAUTIFUL EXILE
Series: Sparrow Falls #4
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Catherine Cowles
Release Date: March 18, 2025

I should’ve known Lincoln Pierce was trouble from the moment I held my knife to his throat.

I’ve been running for most of my life, hiding away in a small town and hoping no one discovers who I truly am. The only problem is that I can never let anyone know the real me. Or at least that was true until my brother moved his best friend onto our shared property.

Now, I’m stuck trying to avoid the nosy billionaire’s probing questions and piercing stares. And it doesn’t help that I almost killed him the first time we met.

Oops.

But when all my carefully crafted lies come crashing down around me, it’s Linc stepping in to shield me. And when it looks like the person hunting me for all those years is back, Linc will do anything to keep me safe.

Only it’s not just my safety at risk. It’s my heart. Because when Linc touches me, I lose all sense. And when I truly get to know the broken billionaire, he’s so much more than a ruthless business tycoon. He’s the man showing me that it’s time to really live.

But I’m not the only one with secrets. Linc has them, too. And when the forces from our pasts emerge from the shadows, it’s with only one goal: to end the new life we’re building together. For good.

AMAZON

Lincoln Pierce was a good man. The best kind. And it scared the hell out of me.

It’s official; Catherine Cowles books are my happy place. Full stop.

Now first I have to tell you that she calls him “Cowboy” and he calls her “Vicious” and I was kicking my feet and giggling like a school girl each time I read it. But on to the review, shall we?

I hope you don’t mind a clingy boyfriend.”
My mouth quirked. “Boyfriend, huh?”
Linc chuckled, the sound skating over me. “Ridiculous term. But it’ll have to do until you let me have husband.”

I swear, there is just something about a Catherine MMC that just hits in all the best ways. She writes some of the most amazing, fiercely protective, and make you swoon until you’re a puddle on the floor sort of men. And man oh man did I fall hard and fast for Lincoln. The man was perfection and I could’t get enough of him.

Arden was a survivor through and through and I loved her fierceness wrapped in vulnerability. This is a woman who took charge of her safety and I love the way she was. As a cane corso owner, I love seeing this breed featured in books and I absolutely loved the bond between her and her pup.

Can I pet him, or will he rip off my hand?”
I looked down at my dog. “He’ll only do that if I tell him to.”
Linc’s dark brows lifted at that. “And are you going to tell him to, Vicious?”

For those of you who loved it when the man falls first and HARD, like me, then you’re definitely going to love Linc. He didn’t fight his connection to Arden for even a second. Even while she fought it at first and even with him being her brother’s best friend, he didn’t let it distract him from his path. I absolutely loved the way he fought for her in the same way he fought WITH her. And man oh man but did I love them together. Their chemistry was absolute perfection.

The suspense had me turning the pages well into the night and I finished this book in one riveting, pulse pounding, edge of my seat, reading. Catherine has quickly become an auto buy author for me and this book is a perfect example why. I can’t recommend it enough for all my fellow spicy romantic suspense loving readers out there!

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 5 stars, Catherine Cowles, Contemporary Romance, small town

Review: For Wrath And Redemption by Brit Benson

March 14, 2025 by Lana · Leave a Comment

FOR WRATH AND REDEMPTION
Series: The Hometown Heartless #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Brit Benson
Release Date: March 14, 2025

This temptation is my punishment.
His redemption is my penance.

Jonah Hendrix is the bad boy of the music industry.
As lead guitarist of The Hometown Heartless, negative press follows him like a scorned lover,
And even his fans fuel the flames of his torched reputation.

Despite his permanent residence in the media,
He’s never been on my radar.
Not until my boss comes to me with a
Join The Hometown Heartless on tour to redeem Jonah in the public eye,
and finally get the promotion I’ve been working toward.

I’m not a PR specialist, and it’s not my career ambition,
but I’m determined to see this job through.
As long as I treat the surly rock star like a brand,
I’ll succeed in rehabbing his reputation and survive the tour with my sanity intact.

The problem?
Jonah and I have more in common than either of us realized.
And that desire for connection?
It’s proving to be irresistible.

***

For Wrath and Redemption is the third book in The Hometown Heartless series and contains a crossover character from The Next Life series.

For Wrath and Redemption DOES contain spoilers for The Next Life duet and The Hometown Heartless series.

Reading the The Next Life duet and The Hometown Heartless series prior to For Wrath and Redemption will enhance your appreciation of this story as well as provide a better understanding of the depth of the character dynamics, personalities, and backstories.

For clarification, For Wrath and Redemption takes place chronologically as the next story in both The Hometown Heartless series and The Next Life series.

AMAZON

Claire Davis could be my penance, but I’ll be damned if I admit my sins out loud. They’re mine and mine alone to contend with. No atonement, then. Just pain.

No one and I mean NO ONE can tug at their readers’ heart strings quite like Brit Benson. She gives angst and emotion like no one else and the way I physically experienced this book is a testament of that. Because I didn’t just read this story, I experience it, I felt it. It broke me, shattered me, and then put me back together in the best kind of way.

Now if you’ve read Next Life duet, then you’ve already met Claire. And if you’re like me, you already hated Claire. The dichotomy of her character in the two books was not lost on me. You want to hate her, and yet you also want to forgive her. The Claire in book one is not quite the Claire in book two. But I still left that duet feeling a certain sort of way for Claire. And if there’s one thing I can tell you, Brit writes a redemption arc like nobody’s business. Because the Claire of this book? Never have I loved a character’s growth as much as I did here.

If you haven’t read that duet yet, I highly recommend it. I also highly recommend read this series in order to truly appreciate everything that is Jonah Hendrix.

Every surface. Every position. Every country. I’m going to own every fucking orgasm from now on, Trouble.

I love the care that Brit took with his character. Jonah is the epitome of tortured rockstar. But nothing can prepare you for the true depth of who he is and what he has been through. When the layers of his past and his present begin to peel back, you get a live wire of a character that you can’t help but fall for. The story doesn’t shy away from the dark themes of addiction and a few other topics that I don’t want to spoil by mentioning. But Claire is far from perfect herself, and I loved the way she’s written so much.

But let’s get back to Jonah for a second.

That’s right, baby. Even with my hands tied, I can make you scream.”

The last thing he wants is a babysitter, but that’s what he gets when Claire is sent in to help clean up his image after a particularly disastrous visit he takes back home that almost lands him on the wrong end of a jail cell. To say that these two butt heads is an understatement. Jonah is determined to get rid of Claire at any cost. He’ll undermine her at every turn and he’ll make her job a living hell. And Claire, well she doesn’t take anything lying down. This woman has her own share of demons and I loved the way she fought with him.

Jonah Hendrix is my penance. I meant it when I said he would regret it if I left. What I didn’t admit was that I would regret it, too.

Theirs is not a perfect romance. It had its ugly and dark side and I loved the way they both fought for each other and themselves. It was a story of redemption and forgiveness and full of so much emotion that I felt every chapter to my very core.

If you love angsty rockstar romance with incredible multilayered characters and a story that will stay with you, then you need this book in your life!

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 5 stars, Brit Benson, DGR Fave, rockstars

Review: The Venom We Bleed by Lucy Smoke

March 14, 2025 by Lana · Leave a Comment

THE VENOM WE BLEED
Series: Scorpion Kings #1
Genre: Dark, Why Choose Romance
Author: Lucy Smoke
Release Date: March 14, 2025

Silverwood Public: Home to liars, thieves, and worst of all … the Scorpion Kings.

I was the Queen at my old school.
Born into wealth and power.
Now, thanks to my family’s deceit, I’m a pariah and a target.

I’ve got no friends. No parents. No money. And no fucks left to give.

If the Scorpion Kings want to damage the new outcast of Silverwood, they’ll soon learn that anyone can be a killer if you give them the right incentive.

*This is a Dark Enemies to Lovers WhyChoose Romance*
*Trigger Warning: If you are sensitive to content common in dark romance (content such as SA, graphic depictions of violence, murder, drug and/or alcohol abuse, physical abuse, mental and/or emotional abuse, traumatic events, unhealthy coping mechanisms, dubious consent etc.) then this book may not be for you. Please read responsibly.*

AMAZON

Love? Hate? It doesn’t matter anymore. What we feel can’t be described by the written word or a simplified emotion. What we feel transcends conscious thought and all that’s left is fire and ice.

You ever added a book to your TBR based on the cover alone? Because, guilty. But the second I saw the title and the cover to this book, I knew it would be my first Lucy Smoke book. And clearly I have been sleeping on this author, because the way I devoured this book obsessively was no joke.

Need convincing? Because I can save you the review by this quote alone:

What’s my name?”
“W-what?” I stare at him, confusion pushing aside the panic.
“What is my name?” he repeats the question calmly.
“Lex.”
He nods. “Good. Remember that when I make you come so hard you forget everything else. I want to hear you screaming my name when you see God so he knows who sent you.”

I mean, what else do you need here? But I suppose I’ll give you more.

I am a sucker for the rich girl and boy(s) from the wrong side of the track trope. But this one is made even juicer because the rich girl has a dark fall from grace when her father is sent to jail and she’s left to pick up the pieces of her life and to bear the brunt of the blame of the people that her father ruined.

Juliet was once the princess in her school, albeit it was all an illusion and she wasn’t truly happy. But now, she finds herself on the other side of the tracks, where fights are fought with fists and not money, and her father’s name is nothing but a stain that she wants desperately to shed. All she has to do is skate under the radar, survive one year, get her diploma and get the heck out of dodge. Easier said than done when she lands in the crosshairs of everyone.

Juliette was impossible not to love. The girl has brass ones on her. She’s no society princess. She’s a fighter through and through and she doesn’t take any shit from anyone. Rather than take the easy way out and except the help from anyone, she ventures on her own. But the last thing she needs is to get in the crosshairs of the Scorpion Kings, the trio who rule the school and get whispered about for their criminal ties; Nolan, Gio and Lex.

I love that the author gives us a peek inside each of the guys’ heads though the predominant POV is Juliette’s. The story is deliciously gritty, violent, and full of dark secrets that we just get the surface of. The romance is a slow burn that I couldn’t get enough of. And the ending left me a shaking mess, desperately anticipating the next installment because I need answers!

If you’re looking for a steamy, dark and gritty why choose romance, look no further!

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Dark, Why Choose · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 5 stars, dark, enemies-to-lovers, Lucy Smoke, Reverse Harem

Review: Save Your Breath by Kandi Steiner

March 7, 2025 by Lana · Leave a Comment

SAVE YOUR BREATH
Series: Kings of the Ice #4
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Kandi Steiner
Release Date: March 7, 2025

THIS JUST IN: HOCKEY BAD BOY AND POP STAR EXTRAORDINAIRE ENGAGED!
That was the headline we’d wanted. If only I’d known the cost to get it.

Aleksander Suter has been my best friend since high school—and the only man who’s ever been able to truly get under my skin. With his reputation for trouble and a smirk that could melt ice, he’s also the NHL’s favorite bad boy.

When my publicist’s plan to fix my image collides with his need to clean up his own, we find ourselves in a fake engagement that feels too real from the start.

Now, I’m releasing my new album, putting on a show for the paparazzi I usually try to dodge, and falling too fast for a man who never falls for anyone. Every stolen glance, every heated touch blurs the lines between us until I’m wondering where the lies end and the truth begins.

And when a hurricane traps us together in his high-rise condo, all my carefully built walls collapse, and resisting the pull between us becomes a losing game.

Suddenly, the stakes are higher than just headlines, and the risks feel more personal than ever.

But as our past resurfaces and old feelings reignite, I realize the biggest risk isn’t losing my career—it’s losing my heart to the one person I thought would never be mine.

AMAZON

Because my best friend, the woman I’d been sick over since I was sixteen, the one woman I knew I could never truly have… She’d just proposed that we pretend to date each other. No, that we pretend to be engaged. And just the thought of her being mine, even if only for a publicity stunt, had my insides twisted into an unholy knot of anticipation.

This series just gets better and better, I swear! Because the level of obsession that I now have with Aleks is simply unrivaled. I mean, I knew I would love him already when he was a secondary character in Learn Your Lesson when he finally let Will see beneath that bad boy mask of his. But actually being inside his head? OHMYGOD.

I wanted her so badly, I’d risk being her mistake.

Aleks is the resident bad boy of NHL with a reputation that precedes him. But after one fight too many, he’s at a risk of losing it all.

Mia has been crushing on Aleks since they were in high school but never recovered from his rejection those years ago. She’s moved on, or at least she tried to. But when her ex from over a year ago is still determined to smear her in the media, she needs a PR plan. And who better to make the world think she moved on than the bad boy of NHL and her high school best friend? But when the chemistry between them is this incendiary, they can only “fake it” for so long.

It was surrender and assassination in tandem.
He wanted to ruin me. I was desperate to be ruined.

The way I loved these two, I can’t even tell you. I loved the raw vulnerability that both of them had with each other. Even if their lack of adult communication made me want to shake them at times, I also understood why they were they way they were. Aleks feelings like he’s not good enough for Mia and Mia still stinging from his rejection when she laid herself bare for him all those years ago. But when Aleks decides that he’s going to risk it all, he really goes all in, and oh my god I was so here for it.

You’re so full of yourself,” I said breathlessly, the bite of my rebuttal weak. “You’ll be full of me soon, too.”

It was a slow burn with sizzling chemistry and the type of friends to lovers that I will always devour. I loved everything about their story; their history, their connection, their emotion, and their chemistry.

If you love a hockey romance with a bad boy/good girl vibe, friends to lovers, and plenty go angst and feels, then you need this book on your TBR!

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 5 stars, fake dating, hockey players, Kandi Steiner

Review: Wild Side by Elsie Silver

March 4, 2025 by Lana · Leave a Comment

WILD SIDE
Series: Rose Hill #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Elsie Silver
Release Date: March 4, 2025

I’d always dreamed of my wedding day. But not like this. Not looking into the eyes of the man who betrayed me.

But when my nephew’s guardianship is contested, I decide I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him in Rose Hill. Even if it means marrying the enemy.

Rhys Dupris.

A man who is secretive, broody, and completely infuriating. A man whose work takes him away for weeks on end and brings him back covered in mysterious bruises—ones he won’t talk about. In fact, we barely talk at all.

Which would be fine, except when he’s not talking, he’s staring. And the way he looks at me is borderline indecent.

The tension between us has always been palpable. But living under the same roof is a dangerous temptation.

I swore I would never forgive him. But that was before I knew the man behind the mask. The one who’s fierce and protective. The one who’s gentle and patient. The one who shows up for us when we need him most.

He’s not at all who I thought he was.

And that makes hating my husband so much harder… and loving him just a little too easy.

AMAZON

How fucked up do I have to be to get all horny over a man who is here to make my life miserable and looks at me like he wants to kill me?

I don’t know what sort of crack Elsie sprinkles into her books but I hope she never stops. Because I liked Wild Love, I loved Wild Eyes, but I fell head over heels for Wild Side.

I was already intrigued by Rhys as a secondary character in the previous books. The quiet and mysterious stranger who just has an electric presence. We know next to nothing about him and I for one was rabid for every morsel. And after the tease in Wild Eyes? I was feral for this book. FERAL.

Tabitha is an FMC that I was immediately connected with. There’s just something so raw and so real about her. After the tragic loss of her sister, he beloved nephew is all she has left of her memory. She loves the boy beyond reason and would do anything for him. And when she finds out that her sister left the guardianship of her nephew to her grumpy neighbor, she realizes that anything would also be a marriage in name only to ensure her nephew gets everything he needs. She knows next to nothing about Rhys, except that he broke his promise to her, he’s grumpy, and he has a mysterious job that no one knows about.

And Rhys? The level of obsession that I have with this man knows no bounds. The more you find out about him, the harder you fall. And when you realize the lengths he goes to in order to protect Tabby’s memory of her sister, I fell that much harder. He’s selfless and beneath that grumpy exterior is the mushy sweet center that you can’t get enough of.

I lived for their banter. Tabitha was such a ballbuster with Rhys, but he didn’t take any of it lying down. Their banter was full of tension and so much chemistry that I thought my kindly would combust.

I don’t know why you’re so obsessed with me being a porn star. If you want to see me fuck someone, the bathroom is right there. Drag me in there right now, and you can watch in the mirror while I bend you over.”

And did I mention their chemistry? Because OHMYGAWD

Rhys has always given off big dick energy. But I know now it’s not so much energy as big dick knowledge. Big dick surety? Big dick guarantee.

There was a delicious slow burn romance that was full of tension and so much emotion. When I tell you that I loved Rhys and Tabitha together, I mean I never wanted this book to end.

And when you find out what it is that Rhys does for a living? PERFECTION.

If you’re looking for an MMC that you will fall head over heels for, look no further. Because Rhys was everything and I mean EVERYTHING.

I wish you weren’t seeing me like this.”
My brow furrows. “Like what?”
“At my worst.”
I tip my head toward her. “Then it’s all uphill from here, baby. It’s going to make seeing you at your best so damn special.”

This series just continues to get better with each book and I absolutely cannot wait for the next installment.

If you’re looking for a small town romance with all the feels, plenty of spice, and characters that you simply won’t stop thinking about then look no further. This book was simply perfection.

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 5 stars, Elsie Silver, marriage of convenience, small town

DGRFave & Review: On Loverose Lane by Samantha Young

February 20, 2025 by Lana · Leave a Comment

ON LOVEROSE LANE
Series: Return to Dublin Street #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Samantha Young
Release Date: February 20, 2025

Imagine my surprise when my new neighbor turns out to be one of Scotland’s most famous (and hottest) professional footballers, Callan Keen. I’m even more shocked to discover that the brooding player is still holding a grudge for something that happened (or didn’t happen) between us years ago.

Too busy trying to take my social media management company to the next level, I don’t have time for this gorgeous blast from the past. Or at least I shouldn’t. Yet whenever I see him, I can’t help but engage in a battle of wits with the grump upstairs.

When a huge client opportunity arises, circumstances force me to enlist Callan’s help. I require a fake date and Callan needs me to facilitate a meeting with my dad to further his own business interests.

The deal between us should be simple. Except, of course, the blazing chemistry we’ve shared since the moment we met. We can’t deny it, we can’t control it, and soon we’re agreeing to six weeks of no-strings-attached, mind-blowing, steamy shenanigans.

I told myself I was too smart to catch feelings. But when Callan finally finds out the truth about our past, he becomes the guy I used to know. And that man is way too easy to fall for.

The problem is that Callan has vowed to never let another person close enough to break his heart again.

It just might prove impossible to show my stubborn Scotsman I’m worth the risk, especially when old wounds are re-opened and threaten to wreck any chance of a future together…

The #1 International bestselling author is back with this emotional and steamy sports romance in which ambitious entrepreneur, Beth Carmichael, meets her match in the grumpy football captain who moves into the apartment above hers.

AMAZON

I barely knew her, but somehow I knew even then at sixteen, Beth Carmichael would ruin me. Either in a good way … or the worst way imaginable.

On Dublin Street was the first Samantha book I ever read and it was also the book that made me fall in love with her writing. So it really should come as no surprise that I loved this book as much as I did because not only is it set in the same world but it also features the next gen with the daughter of Braden and Jocelyn. And dare I say that I think I may have loved Beth’s story even more than her parents? And considering that On Dublin Street is still one of my absolute favorite books over 10 years later, that’s saying something.

I want all of you to be mine. Every fucking inch of you, Beth, inside and out. Until we don’t even know where I begin and you end.”

Prepare to fall head over heels for Beth and Callan because I know I did. When Beth walks out of her apartment to three guys bringing up a couch, she’s not entirely prepared for the blast from the past in the shape of Callan. But while it’s clear that these two have a past, you don’t entirely know the depths of it or why there’s such animosity between them now. Well, the animosity is mostly from Callan, but animosity nonetheless. And beneath that animosity is the most sizzling chemistry that you can’t wait but for them to give into.

Beth is the daughter of two well known parents and while she grew up with everything, she takes none of it for granted and determined to pave her own way in building her company. She’s impossible not to love with her easy wit, quick humor, and endearing personality. Much to Callan’s displeasure, she also has the immaculate skills to quickly befriend all the one night stands he brings over.

Callan is no longer the poor boy with nothing to his name. He’s the next hot thing in sports and a professional footballer whose name everyone chants on the field. A blast from his past is the last thing he needs, especially when it’s one of Beth. And as the story progresses, we get snippets into their past to see just what happened between these two. I personally loved the pay that the flashbacks were so shameless woven into the story.

The chemistry between them is immaculate and I was on bated breath for the inevitable to happen. When an opportunity presents itself for a mutually beneficial arrangement, Beth and Callan agree to fake date. Callan needs an in for a meeting with Beth’s father, and Beth needs the illusion of a boyfriend to get a potential big client’s handsy son to get off her back.

It’s mutually assured destruction, Captain.

But of course with the more time they spend together, the harder the tension and chemistry between them becomes to ignore. While the chemistry between their teenage selves was hot, as adults, it’s absolutely incendiary.

I loved absolutely everything about this book; the characters, the romance, and especially the cameos of some of my favorite Samantha Young characters. If you haven’t read her Dublin Street series, I can’t recommend it enough. And if you haven’t yet read a book of hers, there is no better one to start with than this one.

I fell head over heels for Callan and Beth and their story is forever engraved in my memory banks. I am so excited for the rest of this series because it’s simply one of my favorite worlds from Samantha and everyone needs to experience it. I loved it beyond words!

Samantha Young is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. She’s been nominated for several Goodreads Choice Awards. Samantha writes adult contemporary and paranormal romance, YA urban fantasy and YA contemporary fiction and is currently published in 31 countries.