#DGRFave & Review: The Love You Fight For by Brit Benson

THE LOVE YOU FIGHT FOR
Series:
Next Life #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Brit Benson
Release Date: March 15, 2024

The mask she wears for the world is flawless.

But I want the mess that she hides underneath.

Samantha Harper is untouchable.



She’s the closest thing we have to royalty in my small town.

Daughter of a senator.

Richer than sin.

Classy, elegant, and

Ice cold.

She’s my polar opposite.

And unfortunately,

She’s exactly my type.

Too bad royalty doesn’t fraternize with peasants.

Until one night,

Samantha Harper finds herself at my mercy,

and the temptation to dirty up her flawless facade is too great.

When her perfect mask slips,

It’s not an ice princess I find beneath,

But a warrior in war-torn armor.

A snake in queen’s clothing.

All it takes is one night, and I’m determined.

She will never have to fight another battle alone.

***

The Love You Fight For is the third book in the Next Life world. 
It has a guaranteed HEA.
While The Love You Fight For can be read as a standalone, it is recommended that you first read the Next Life duet to fully appreciate the story.

AMAZON 

I know you want to fight your own battles. Fine. Then let me be your peace. Let me be your place to rest.”

I never thought another book can top the Next Life duet for me. Macon and Lennon’s story still lives rent free in my head to this day. But this book? This poignant, beautiful, emotional and unforgettable book? This was easily my top book of the year. The love I have for Sam and Chris’s story is beyond words.

I want a resilient, fearless, timeless kind of love. The kind people write books about. The kind people fight battles over. The kind of love that guides and grows and never wavers. I want a true north kind of love.

Now if you’ve read the duet, then you will definitely remember both Chris and especially Sam. Sam, Macon’s ex situationship and now Lennon’s best friend. One of the things that made me fall in love with Sam in This Life and All the Rest was her fierce and unwavering support and love for Lennon. I just knew that still waters definitely run deep with her. She is so much more than she portrayed herself to be; first a party girl and then revealed as the daughter of a powerful senator.

Chris is Macon’s best friend and was this unassuming secondary character in the first two books. He snuck up on me with a vengeance and completely stole the limelight in his own book. This man is absolute perfection. After a breakup that should for all intents and purposes leave him bitter and jaded, he’s still the same Chris. He doesn’t fight his growing feelings for Sam. And oh my god, the way he fought for Sam was EPIC. EPIC.

Why?” she shouts, eyes welling with tears. “Why, Chris? I don’t need you. I don’t need you worrying about me. Stop. Just stop.”
“I can’t,” I shout back. “I can’t. I care too much to just stop. I care about you, Sam. You’re going to have to fucking accept it because I’m not going anywhere, and I know you care about me, too.”

The man was the most perfect cinnamon roll with a heart of gold. And the icing on the cake? His filthy F-ing mouth. OMG this man!!

Are you making omelets?” she asks after a moment, and I flash her a grin. “I like my eggs the way I like my women…” I trail off, and she raises an eyebrow. I can’t help but laugh a little when I finish. “Folded, with their insides scrambled.” “Oh my god.”

Need more convincing. Let me give you exhibit b.

See, princess, you wouldn’t like it how I like it because I like my missionary filthy. I like fucking sloppy sex. Sweaty and sticky and gasping for breath. Hoarse voice and teary eyes. Bite me. Scratch up my back. Leave me bleeding. I like to fuck so hard that your muscles ache for days when I’m done with you. That you’ve been stretched in so many directions that your limbs feel like jelly afterward. I like my missionary fucking messy. And you? Well, I don’t think you like messy very much.”

I rest my case. Or as Lennon would say…

Chris Casper.” She, shakes her head in disbelief. “A filthy fuck with a pierced cock. I never would have guessed it.”

This, much like the duet, deals with some dark topics and I absolutely loved the way the author handled them. She spares the gory details but none of the feeling. You don’t need to see vivid detail to feel the pain of Sam’s past. The range of emotion this invoked in me was nothing short of incredible. I laughed, I cried, I swooned, and I loved every page of it.

The love I could have with Sam is the kind you fight for. It’s the kind you don’t give up on. I know it. I just need her to realize it, too.

This was one of the most incredible love stories I have ever read and Sam and Chris will stay with me forever. If you love sweet heroes with dirty mouths and fierce heroines who aren’t afraid to slay their own dragons, this is an absolute must read.

And with Claire’s book next? I’m practically giddy with anticipation.

Brit Benson writes real, relatable romance. She likes outspoken, independent heroines, dirty talking, love- struck heroes, and plots that get you right in the feels. Brit would almost always rather be reading or writing. When she’s not dreaming up her next swoony book boyfriend and fierce book bestie, she’s getting lost in someone else’s fictional world. When she’s not doing that, she’s probably marathoning a Netflix series or wandering aimlessly up and down the aisles in Homegoods, sniffing candles and touching things she’ll never buy.

Connect with Brit Benson: https://britbensonbooks.myflodesk.com/stayintheknow

#DGRFave & Review: Ruby Tears by Pepper Winters

RUBY TEARS
Series:
The Jewelry Box #1
Genre: Dark Romance
Author: Pepper Winters
Release Date: March 12, 2024

“Ten thousand dollars.
That pitiful sum changed my entire life.
It bought my entire life.
A measly ten thousand dollars, given to my boyfriend by a monster to fuck me.
He took it.
The monster took me.
And I never saw freedom again.”

I’m the bastard son of a monster.
My other half-blooded siblings have their own demons…but me?
I truly have the devil inside.
I try to be good.
To do my best to ignore the deep, dark, despicable urges.
But every day it gets harder.
I thought family could help.
I reached out to my infamous half-brother, Q begging for his secrets to stay tamed.
Instead, he gave me an ultimatum to prove I’m not like our father.
Infiltrate The Jewelry Box: a trafficking ring of poor unfortunate souls, kill the Master Jeweler, free the Jewels, and don’t lose my rotten soul while trying.
Only problem is…my initiation into this exclusive club is earning a Jewel all of my own.
She sparkles like diamonds, bleeds like rubies, and bruises as deep as emeralds.
She’s mine to break.
I can’t refuse.
If I want to prove to my half-brother that I’m not like our sire, I have to sink into urges I’ve always fought, plunge into madness, and lose myself so deeply into sin that the only one who will be breaking is me.

AMAZON 

Her fight. Her exquisite, delicious fight. It fucking destroyed me.

Monsters in the Dark is one of my favorite dark romances and also Pepper Winters books. Then again, I don’t think Pepper has written a book that I haven’t obsessed over. But her dark romance? It’s on a whole other level. The woman writes the most captivating, lyrical prose as she writes stories rooted in the darkest of worlds. And this girl will never get enough.

Now Q Mercer is one of my favorite antiheroes so when I saw that Pepper is writing a book for his long lost half brother? Well, I did what any normal person would do. Stalk the sh*t of her social media for any morsel of information, obviously. But nothing and I mean nothing could have prepared me for the effect this book had on me.

You’re holding me.”
“And you feel so damn breakable. So fucking good.”
“I can still hit you. Hurt you.”
“Do it and I won’t be able to stop what I do in return, Ily.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Stop using my name. It’s not yours to use.”
“Mine’s Henri. Now you know what to scream.”

Henri is a dark enigma. This man is not morally gray, he’s hiding a pitch black darkness that he fights with every ounce of his being. He has been fighting his dark cravings all his life. He knows that giving in will turn him into the worst of monsters. After all, what he wants doesn’t exist in the light of day. It is far from normal and it’s dripping in depravity. But when a promise to his brother lands him in an impossible situation, he can’t fight his demons. He has to give into them in order to blend in with the monsters he’s surrounded by. But what he didn’t want is for the innocent beauty he catches the eye of in a bar to get caught in the spider web.

I didn’t even have time to breathe. He kissed me. Savagely. Inhumanly. He kissed me as if he could stop my heart with a single lick.

Ily is in France with her boyfriend. But when their public breakup in a bar catches the eye of the wrong people, she finds herself caught, stolen, and carted to a place she has no hope of escaping. Her only salvation may be the same man who holds her ruination in his hands.

You’re mine now. Your every breath, every drop of blood, every bone, every thought and prayer and scream belong to me. Nod.” She nodded.

Now you know you’re reading a dark romance from Pepper Winters when you’re at the edge of your seat, pit in your stomach, just waiting for the other shoe to drop. And you know, you just know, that when it does, you’ll never be the same. This, this is why I love dark romance. This feeling. The dread, the anxiety, the suspense of each turn of the page.

His stare tore into mine like his tongue had plunged into my mouth, and we both stopped breathing. “You taste like the worst kind of nightmare.”

This book is not for the faint of heart. Heck, it’ll be hard for the most seasoned dark reader. But it’s beautifully written, with complex, multilayered characters who will evoke so many emotions from the reader; hate, loathing, fear, and heartache being just a few.

Ily is such a fierce heroine and she doesn’t stop fighting even when her situation is impossible. And Henri? Henri is a monster in the dark that you’ll fall for in spite of yourself. This man is so irrevocably broken but his jagged pieces are so captivating.

I did take a few days to finish but it wasn’t because it dragged. I wanted to savor it but I also needed a small break in between because the story is so intense. And that ending? I don’t know if I will even survive the next book. But I desperately need it anyway.

#DGRFave & Review: Hills of Shivers and Shadows by Pam Godwin

HILLS OF SHIVERS & SHADOWS
Series:
Frozen Fate #1
Genre: Dark Romance, Why Choose
Author: Pam Godwin 
Release Date: March 12, 2024

Abducted and taken to a remote cabin in Alaska, Frankie finds herself at the mercy of four feral men, each with his own dark secrets and twisted desires.

With nowhere to run, she must rely on her wits to survive the harsh winter, trapped with them.

As she delves into their mysterious pasts, she uncovers an insidious evil that feeds on loyalty and uses love as a weapon.

Nothing is as it seems.

In this desolate world where the monsters are as beautiful as they are cruel, trust is elusive. They torment her, protect her, and keep her in the dark.

But to have any chance of escape, they must stand together.

Or fall prey to the evil in the hills of shivers and shadows.

Tropes: Abduction, Adult Romance, Alpha Hero, Angsty, Anti-Hero, Band of Brothers, Billionaire, Bully, Captivity, Dark Romance, Enemies-to-lovers, Escaping a Killer, First Love, Forbidden Love, Forced Proximity, Found Family, Poly (3+ people), Protector, Romantic Suspense, Scars, Slow Burn, Stalker, Survival, Taboo, Tortured Past, Touch Her And Die, Tragic, Vengeance, Virgin Hero, Why Choose

AMAZON 

Beware of the monsters with beautiful eyes.

I…am not OK. I’m totally and completely shooketh. And I doubt anything will be OK until I can get my hands on the next installment of this series.

This is it. Only two options left. I escape. Or I die.

Having read everything Pam has ever written, this is unlike anything I’ve read from her to date. One of my favorite things about her writing is just how versatile she is as an author and the genres she writes it. The woman has a Midas touch, I swear. She can write a grocery list and make you cling to every word. But this new series of hers is something else entirely. Is it dark? Absolutely! It wouldn’t be a Godwin book without her signature grit and dark undertones. But this story was a total and complete mind f*ck.

They were raised by the devil, and the devil doesn’t breed innocence. He breeds raw, seductive masculinity, apparently.

The first installment in the Frozen Fate trilogy read more like a dark, psychological thriller with romance undertones and the way I was riveted to each page is beyond words. I’ll try to review this book without giving too many details (read=any details) away. Trust me when I tell you that you need to go into this story absolutely blind.

Apologize.” She walks right up to him like he’s not about to go full Hulk on her ass.
“Excuse me?” His head jerks back.
“Apologize for the threats you’ve made against my life and the way you’ve treated me since day one.”
He laughs, hollow and vibrating with evil. “Go fuck yourself.”
“You will.” She smiles. “One day, you’ll crawl to me on your fucking knees, begging me to forgive you. But it’ll be too late. You will be the one fucking yourself.”
Extending her middle finger, she walks out the door and slams it behind her.
“Goddamn.” I’m in love.

Frankie is an absolute bad*ss of an FMC. She’s fiercely independent and madly in love with her husband. But then her world tilts on its axis after a devastating fight leaves her alone, vulnerable, and kidnapped. Taken to a remote location in Alaska that can only be escaped by a plane, she’s left at the mercy of a devil and his sons. Nothing is as it seems and the only thing clear is she’s not safe. She doesn’t know who to trust and where to turn. Mourning her marriage and what could have been, she finds herself being drawn to the 3 intense men occupying the house and the devil who seems to keep them on a tight tether. When I tell you I was greedily turning the pages desperate for just one morsel of information. The chemistry is fiery but it’s very much a slow burn. The sexual magnetism of the men is on a whole other level. And no, I won’t name them. Trust me on this.

Frankie is fierce and savage and I couldn’t get enough of her. And the men? My heart hurt for them, I hated them, I was at the edge of my seat just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I need you to hate me, Frankie. Hate me the most. But we’re not staying away from this.” I gesture between us. “When I grovel and beg and crawl on my knees, I expect our hate-fucking to be the best fucking either of us will ever experience.”

And then that ending hits you with the intensity of a Mac truck and you’re trying to make sense of what just happened and you can’t. I have no idea the direction that Pam will take their journey but I know I will eagerly brace myself for what’s sure to be one wild ride.

This was a dark romance with psychological thriller vibes that will grab you by the throat from page one and not let up until the end. It will leave you desperate for the next book and wondering what side is up. UTTERLY DELICIOUS.

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Pam Godwin, lives in the Midwest with her husband, their two children, and a foulmouthed parrot. When she ran away, she traveled fourteen countries across five continents, attended three universities, and married the vocalist of her favorite rock band.
 
Java, tobacco, and dark romance novels are her favorite indulgences, and might be considered more unhealthy than her aversion to sleeping, eating meat, and dolls with blinking eyes.
 
Facebook Reader Group: here

Review: Dark Delights by Mila Kane

DARK DELIGHTS
Series: Hellions of Hade Harbor Book 2
Author: Mila Kane
Genre: Dark Romance, New Adult Romance
Release Date: March 8, 2024

 

My little Cinderella nearly cost me everything. Now it’s time to pay…

Eve Martino is off limits. Her brother, my best friend, makes sure of that.

But when he transfers to play hockey at another school, he leaves his sister in my hands.

He has no idea about our history, no one does.

It’s our little secret.

The truth is, Eve nearly ripped my life apart, and threatened everything I care about.

… and I’ve been waiting for the chance to get even.

Now she’s my partner in class, my roommate and my ward.

Ruining her will be my perfect revenge.

 

Meet the Ice Gods, the Hockey players who never play by the rules and own Hade Harbor and everyone in it. Dark Delights is a standalone bully romance featuring a possessive hockey playing Ice God, and the smart, mouthy object of his obsession. This is a bully romance, and contains dark themes, please read with caution.

AMAZON

The jealous girl and the lonely boy.

Bad Intentions was my first Mila Kane book and I have been obsessively making my way through her new and old releases. But this book? This book right here? This turned my obsession into immediate auto buy. I thought I liked Bad Intention, but Dark Delights? The immediate and permanent chokehold that this book had on me should be illegal in at least 40 states.

Shut up, you stupid degenerate,” she fumed at me, moving her hips in subtle circles she seemed to have no idea she was making, fucking herself on my fingers.
“You want to be the only virgin at HHU?”
“Stop. Talking,” she ground out.
“Make me,” I growled against her lips.

Let’s talk about tropes for a second.

Enemies to lovers? Check
Rich boy/poor girl? Check
Bully elements? Check

But this book was so much deeper than those tropes and I’ll try to explain without giving any details away because you really want to go into it blind.

Beckett and Eve meet as kids when Eve’s mom takes a cleaning job in Beckett’s family estate. But while Beckett and Eve’s twi brother Asher become best friends, the relationship she has with Beck is contentious at best. One night, when they were kids, she overheard something she shouldn’t have. She saw the turmoil and pain that Beck hides behind his vicious and untouchable surface. When a mix up in the college dorms leaves no other solution for Eve but to take her brother’s room, she lands in the crosshairs of Beck. Roomies with benefits? Yes please. But these two hate each other and the hate lust? OH MY GOD. It was delicious.

I’d grown up with every single luxury in the world, materially, that was. There had never been anything that I couldn’t have. Until Eve. I wanted her surrender.

Now I loved Eve’s sassy mouth and inner strength. This is a girl who takes no sh*t and I loved her for it. But Beck? I was obsessed. This poor, tortured boy and his hidden inner scars owned my heart. I loved the way Mila wrote him and how she peeled back his layers to reveal one of the most complex characters. Yes he was a d*ck at times. Yes, I wanted to punch him at times. But I also wanted to hug him and take away all of his pain. This is not a guy who’s a d*ck just for the sake of being a d*ck. He’s complex, multilayered, and impossible not to fall for. Oh and the dirty mouth on him. *swoon*

You’re the fucking worst,” she muttered and reached out, circling my dick with her hands. That touch felt better than anything had ever felt, including any drug I’d ever taken. “And yet you’re about to gag on my cock and swallow my cum. Open wide, sweetheart,” I instructed her, gripping her jaw and guiding her forward.

But then his inner thoughts were even better.

I enjoyed every sign of her capitulation. Her reluctant fall into lust for a guy she couldn’t stand was half the turn-on. She wanted me against her better judgment, and that made me a king.


This was an addictive read from start to finish with a splash of suspense. I wouldn’t call it dark, per se, more like it had dark tones with a grittiness to it that I couldn’t get enough of.

I’m so obsessed with this series. And the set up for Asher’s book? I need it immediately!

 

I’m obsessed with cats, coffee, and anti-heroes just the right side of insane.

I write dark and dirty romance with the alpha-holes of your most filthy nightmares.

While I like my heroes obsessed and powerful, I like my heroines smart and independent. My headstrong, capable women will bring their own personal demons to their knees, and capture their hearts at the same time.

I only write SAFE stories, there is never a place for another woman in my heroes sights, once he’s caught the scent of the heroine, and there will always be, no matter how dark and twisted the story might be… a HEA guarantee xx

 

Connect with Mila

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

Amazon | https://amzn.to/44E1nt6

Facebook | www.facebook.com/MilaKanewrites

Facebook Group | https://bit.ly/3NOGG6C

Instagram | www.instagram.com/milakanebooks/

TikTok | www.tiktok.com/@milakanebooks

Pinterest | www.pinterest.co.uk/MilaKaneWrites/

 


 

Review: Fierce Obsession by S Massery

FIERCE OBESESSION
Series:
Hockey Gods #5
Author: S. Massery
Genre: Dark, Hockey Romance
Release Date: February 16, 2024

Knox Whiteshaw is my husband.

He’s also an egotistical psychopath who refuses to divorce me—even when I ask nicely.

It doesn’t matter that I’m trying to move on with the goalie of his NHL team. Knox is dead set on ruining everything.

My upcoming wedding, my future, my sanity…

The man can hold a grudge like no other, and I am public enemy number one. I have been for six years, ever since he threatened me and stormed out of my life.

Now that we’re forced back in each others’ lives, it’s only a matter of who will break first: him or me.

AMAZON

I don’t want to kiss her, but I’m pretty sure I’ll stop breathing if I’m not inhaling her scent. If I’m not tasting her.

You know when you meet a character you hate but also can’t wait to fall in love with? A character that you become completely obsessed with over the course of a series as a secondary character that you can’t wait to see finally fall to his knees for a woman? A character that you anticipate so hard that the actual book can’t possibly live up to the anticipation? Well I’m happy to announce that Knox didn’t live up to my expectations. Why? Because he blew them away. And this? This just may be my all new favorite book in the Hockey Gods series. S. Massery really said, leave the best for last with this one and OH MY GOD IT WAS EPIC>

You’re going to know true darkness when I’m done with you. But you’ll be safe from all the demons in the world. Except me.”

Knox Whiteshaw has been a guy I loved to hate throughout the Hockey Gods series. And ever since his cruel game with Willow in Secret Obsession, I couldn’t wait for the woman who would bring this playboy to his knees. I just didn’t anticipate for that to be his wife…of 6 years. Yep. You read that right.

Ever since the ending of Twisted Obsession, I have been feral for Knox’s book. A wife? The manwh0re who never gives a woman more than a nigh of his attention, unless he’s playing her for a bet, has a wife? Color me intrigued. But when I tell you that nothing prepared me for the emotional punch that this story brought.

Her chest heaves. “I hate you.”
“Good. Because I’m going to kiss you, and I expect you to fight back.”

Knox has been the stereotypical f-boy throughout this series. But we finally got to see a peak into the heart of him in the last book. I was dying to peel back all of his complex layers but I wasn’t prepared to fall for him as hard as I did.

Now I’m not going to spoil this by giving you details on his story because, trust me, you don’t want to know more than what was revealed in the previous book. Do yourself a favor and go in completely blind. But what I will say is that I couldn’t imagine a more perfect FMC to bring him to his knees than Aurora; his childhood best friend who he lives to hate now.

Aurora has no idea that her husband who refuses to grant her the divorce she’s been begging for has recently been traded to the Titans until she runs into him during a game. And to say that neither is thrilled to see the other is a mild understatement. The tension, the chemistry, the hate lust between these two is EVERYTHING. Everything I tell you. I gobbled it up with a spoon nd licked my fingers after because it was SO DELICIOUS.

S Massery seriously knows how to deliver one h*ll of an addictive read and I couldn’t imagine a more perfect book to close the series with. Fierce Obsession was everything it promised with the title. But could you expect anything less from Knox Whiteshaw? I think not.

And the spinoff to the next hockey series? OHMYGAWD. I need it. HARD. Desperately. IMMEDIATELY.
*giggles* That’s what she said. But I digress again.

All of the stars! Read it immediately. And if you haven’t read this series than we can’t be friend until you do. That is all. Thank me after. Kthanksbye.

S. Massery is a dark romance author who loves injecting a good dose of suspense into her stories. She lives in Western Massachusetts with her dog, Alice.

Before adventuring into the world of writing, she went to college in Boston and held a wide variety of jobs–including working on a dude ranch in Wyoming (a personal highlight). She has a love affair with coffee and chocolate. When S. Massery isn’t writing, she can be found devouring books, playing outside with her dog, or trying to make people smile.

Connect with S. Massery
Website | http://smassery.com
Goodreads | https://bit.ly/smassery-gr
Amazon | https://amzn.to/3T64F2s
Facebook | https://bit.ly/3fRud4N
Facebook Group | https://bit.ly/3T3kl6C
Instagram | https://bit.ly/3edBQCp
TikTok | https://bit.ly/3RKdoWW
Bookbub | https://bit.ly/3edBVWJ
Pinterest | https://bit.ly/3edBYBT
Newsletter | https://bit.ly/3RM1Rqb



Review: The Wrath by Gena Showalter

THE WRATH
Series: Rise of the Warlords #4
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Author: Gena Showalter
Release Date: February 6,  2024

New York Times bestselling author  Gena Showalter  returns with a new book in the tantalizing  Rise of the Warlords  series, featuring a brutal Hell king and the irresistible beauty who upends his world. 

For centuries, Rathbone the Only, King of Agonies, has existed for one recovering the enchanted bones of his slain wife to bring her back to life. He’s never been closer to success. But a new enemy has risen. A band of deadly war gods who have thirty days to destroy her or suffer the consequences. With time running out, Rathbone hires a maddening harpy-oracle, unaware she has an agenda of her own.

Neeka the Unwanted is a fierce warrior on a stop Rathbone  and  the gods. She’s seen the future if either is victorious, and it’s horrifying. She’ll do whatever proves necessary to forge a new path, even seduce the ruthless royal from his purpose. What she can’t predict? How the intense male will shatter her hard-won defenses along the way. 

As Rathbone battles unexpected betrayals, cunning foes and the wild temptress he craves with every fiber of his being, he knows he must hold on to a cold dream or embrace a new flame.

Rise of the Warlords

Book 1: The Warlord
Book 2: The Immortal
Book 3: The Phantom
Book 4: The Wrath

AMAZON

You are a very, very dangerous female. But worth every wound.”

I swear, this series just gets better and better with each new installment. And this one is my favorite in the series so far. The King of Agonies delivered HARD and with a tatted surprise. Yes. Exactly the kind you’re thinking. Mmm hmm. But I digress.

As a self professed Gena Showalter addict, and having read her entire backlist, I still get giddy with each new release she has. And The Wrath was certainly no exception. There’s just something about this world of warlords and gods that just does it for me. And while this is a standalone in a series, you definitely want to read it in order for maximum enjoyment.

One of my favorite things about Showalters books is her witty banter and fiery sassy heroines. And boy oh boy did I love Neeka. Neeka the Unwanted is a harpy oracle and bestie of Harpy general Taliyah from The Warlord. So when Neeka seemingly turns side to work with the enemy, she has a dang good reason for it. And the reason also happens to be tall, dark, tatted and oh so dangerous.

Rathbone, King of Agonies is a god. No, like literally. And look, my obsession with this book may not have something to do with him also being Hades’s nephew. And I swear to you if I was rabid for Hades’s book before, I’m near feral for it now. But I digress again.

Rathbone is on a mission to recover the enchanted bones of his slain wife to bring her back to life. But his plan has a small complication. Because The Astra have a new mission, and it’s to revive his dead wife only so they can kill her. And the Astra assigned to the mission is none other than Azar, The Memory Keeper. A love triangle? Not quite.

When a vision puts Neeka in the center of Rathbone’s mission, they form an unwilling alliance but to different ends. Because while Rathbone thinks she’ll help him to revive his wife, Neeka’s vision foreshadows something much darker. And she’s determined to stop it.

When I tell you the chemistry between these two is instant and fiery, I mean I couldn’t get enough of them. And the slow burn romance only added to the nail biting wait of when they’ll finally give in. And oh my GAWD. I was turning the pages with eager glee, completely enraptured in this world and this story. The banter between Rath and Neeka was everything. And I lived for every new nickname Neeka came up with for the god. The tension, the action, the chemistry, all of it flawlessly weaved together to make one simply unputdownable read. And now here I sit, both happy because I loved it so much, but also completely devastated knowing I have to wait for the next book after the tease we get at the end. GAWD. What am I even going to do with myself until the next installment?! *cries in fan girlish anticipation*

Review: Through The Glen by Samantha Young

THROUGH THE GLEN
Series: The Highlands Series #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Samantha Young 
Release Date:
February 1, 2024

He’s a cynical, world-weary Londoner. She’s a shy Scot. They might seem like opposites, but a few weeks in the Highlands will bring them together in ways they can’t imagine…

Theo Cavendish is the second son of a British viscount, and he’s spent years running from the aristocratic world he grew up in. Betrayal and loss taught him lessons he’s not quick to forget. As an award-winning screenwriter and creator, Theo prefers to throw himself into the world of film and television. He moves from one project to another, never really letting anyone truly know him.

As a housekeeper at the exclusive Ardnoch Estate, shy Sarah McCulloch feels invisible most days. No one really knows her, and they definitely don’t know she’s a bestselling crime writer. She dreams of seeing her series on screen and believes only one person can develop it for television. On the day she quits the estate for good, she shares her secret with club member, Theo, and asks him to consider her books.

Sarah never expected him to say yes or to show up on her doorstep ready to write with her. Or that weeks spent locked up in her cottage would lead them to form an intense but undeniable connection. A bond that Theo is not sure he’s ready to accept, even though he can’t bear to be without her.

However, when they finally venture out of their bubble, Theo finds he’ll have to battle more than his own demons to protect Sarah from hurt. For he has another fan, one intent on bringing the darkest elements of his most famous script to life. And unless he can figure out this real-life antagonist’s next move, Theo could be in danger of losing Sarah forever.

AMAZON

Someone woke up on the fiery side of the bed this morning.”
I grimaced. “Don’t be patronizing. This is my cottage. And in my cottage exists a gynarchy.”
He grinned and it was much too attractive. “It’s pronounced gai-nah-ki and your use of it is a little clumsy, darling.”
Of course, his vocabulary was better than the average person’s. “Are you mansplaining a word that literally means a government ruled by a woman?”
“I wouldn’t say mansplaining. I am curious as to where you came about such a colorful vocabulary?”

I have been eagerly anticipating Theo’s book ever since we got a taste of him as Noah’s irreverent friend in Among the Heather. There is nothing I love more than seeing a playboy who doesn’t believe in love fall and fall hard. And what’s even more satisfying than this? When the playboy is also the son of a viscount turned reformed playboy director and a die hard cynic when it comes to love and relationships.

Sarah is a shy, keep to herself housekeeper at the exclusive Ardnoch Estate. But what the world doesn’t know about shy and quiet Sarah, is she’s a immensely successful author writing under a secret pen name. Now, I’m not usually a fan of the shy and mousy heroines. But while Sarah is shy, she’s certainly not mousy. This is a woman of quiet strength and isn’t one to let a British playboy walk all over her. When I tell you that I loved the dynamic between these two, I mean I fell head over heels for them. Sarah surprised me with her hidden strength almost as much as she surprised Theo.

When the shy little housekeeper first approached Theo for writing the manuscript for her book, he laughs her off. There’s no way the shy, unassuming housekeeper is worth his time. He thinks he knows her, but he barely grazes the surface. When he reads her books, he doesn’t take long to chase her down to her cottage. And fans of forced proximity, you will fall hard. Because the more time Theo spends with Sarah, the more he realizes just how wrong he was about her and just how much more there is to Sarah than first meets the eye. And this is a woman who doesn’t let get away with things more than once. She’s not shy when it comes down to standing her own and standing up for herself and I absolutely loved that about her.

Because as mortifyingly scary as giving myself to her was … it was nothing like this terror that swept over me at the thought that I might have lost her forever.

I loved watching Theo fall fast and hard for Sarah. I loved watching him fight his feelings and Sarah putting him in his place when he pushes too hard. I loved the chemistry between them. I simply loved everything about this book. Everything. The parallel suspense story arc only added to the already page turning appeal of this story and I binge read it in one glorious sitting.

For fans of swoony, steamy, and heartfelt romance, you need this book. I love this world so much and with Jared finally getting his book next, already counting down the minutes for my next Highlands fix.

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.

She resides in Scotland.

 

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Review: Anger by Lily White

ANGER
Genre: Contemporary Romance Romance
Series: Antihero Inferno #5
Author: Lily White
Release Date: December 13, 2023

Fifth Circle
Anger
Also Known as Damon Cross

There is darkness that surrounds this man.
One fueled by his past and ignited by his present
He knows what its mean to lose, but he never stops fighting

He wears his heart on his sleeve
But exists within nightmares
He is shrouded in the name that the Inferno gave him

Angry.
Feral.
Wild and Careless
Damon is an unpredictable storm without rhyme or reason.

He needs something from me that I’m unwilling to give.
And he keeps coming back, always worse than before.
I see in him what I have in me.
When apart, we barely hang on to our feigned smiles.
But when together, we’re explosive.

I’m not sure I can endure this man’s games.
There’s no telling if his storm will consume me.
We’re hopelessly addicted to that which harms us.

I knew better than to allow Damon in my life.
But now that he’s here, and now that he has me…

…I’m not sure there will ever be an escape.

Nine Ruthless Men. Nine Unrepentant Sinners. Nine Irresistible Manipulators.

 AMAZON

In the Series (Kindle Unlimited)

Treachery (Book 1) – FREE APRIL 26-30, 2023

Series Links (Kindle Unlimited):

Fraud (Book 2)

Violence (Book 3)

Heresy (Book 4)

It’s unreal how easily she can call to my demons. It makes her unlike any woman I’ve ever known. I can’t stand that about her.

Finally. FINALLY we have Damon’s story. I have been impatiently waiting for his story since the preview into his connection with Amelie (Blue) in Heresy.

Now if you’re planning on reading this as a standalone, stop. This series reads very much like a saga and while each couple have their own book, the story arc builds and continues throughout the series. So this is a series that you definitely want to read in order so that you can enjoy it to the fullest.

Now let’s talk about my man, Anger, shall we. I fell hard and fast for the enigmatic twins, Ezra and Damon. Their past shrouded in a dark and turbulent secret, they each harbor their own demons from their childhood. Damon, like Ezra, wears his scars externally, but the internal ones run even deeper. At one point thinking himself in love with Emily, he finally understands that she was never really for him. A fateful visit to a club to blow off steam, lands Blue in his radar.

Amelie, or as Damon calls her, Blue, is a beautiful cage dancer who doesn’t let any man close. A grifter, who spent her entire running for her mother’s invisible demons, she’s never called one place home. She drifts from one hustle to the next. Uses her looks to get what she needs from men, without the expense of her body. I absolutely loved her fierceness and the way she stands up to Damon. She doesn’t give him an inch and fights him every step of the way. She also sees through the mask that he wears, much to his discontent, which is unnerving. Their chemistry was absolutely incendiary.

For every answer we get in this story, it left me with 5 more questions. And the preview into the next book? OH MY GOD. I need it desperately. A mysterious female hacker? Yes please and thank you.

As for this book, it was everything I had hoped for and so much more. It was worth every minute of the wait. I loved Damon and Amelie so much. They each have their scars from childhood and I love how they helped the other heal. They’re the perfect balance to each other. I also love how each FMC in this series is sass personified.

Lily White is a romance writer who likes to dabble on the taboo side of eroticism. She is most known for her Masters Series, Target This, Wishing Well, and Asylum. In addition to dark romance Lily writes contemporary romance, taboo romance, and psychological thrillers. Lily enjoys stretching her writing muscles by continuing to challenge herself with each book she publishes.

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#DGRFave & Review: The Lovely Return by Carian Cole

THE LOVELY RETURN
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Carian Cole
Release Date:
November 29, 2023

What if death doesn’t do you part?

They say be careful what you wish for. But on December 5, Alex Fox makes a wish in the midst of a devastating tragedy. Little does he know that his wish will come true.

Six years after that fateful day, a little girl wanders into Alex’s studio. With her quirky personality, endless questions, and adorable smile, Penny Rose becomes an enchanting yet bittersweet distraction.

Penny Rose is an odd girl—at least, that’s what her parents say. Penny herself doesn’t feel particularly odd; she simply feels misplaced. As if somehow, in some way, she is living in the wrong place… in the wrong life.

As the years pass, Alex and Penny develop a friendship. But it becomes harder and harder for them to ignore their undeniable chemistry, no matter how off limits it is. Alex believes he’ll never find love again, let alone fall for a girl half his age. But Penny is everything he could ever want or need. Not only is she caring, witty, and beautiful, but she accepts the past that haunts him.

Penny couldn’t be happier. She’s been head over heels for sexy, brooding artist Alex Fox for as far back as she can remember. But when her childhood dreams and visions start resurfacing again—dreams of a life with Alex way before they ever met—she starts to think they’re not dreams at all.

They’re memories.

Penny’s revelation to Alex threatens to tear them apart, making them question the impossible and unbelievable. Can love truly transcend time and death, giving them a second chance at their happily ever after? Or is Penny battling a broken mind that has led her down a path of heartbreaking delusion?

AMAZON

 

The heart is a compass, and for some reason, mine keeps leading me here.

I just finished and I’m in a haze. Loss for words. And I don’t think any words can do this book justice because this was one of the most beautiful, captivating, heart wrenchingly poignant, deeply romantic books I have ever read. It’s so different from what I usually gravitate to but being a huge Carian Cole fan, I added this to my TBR long before it had a blurb. And truth be told, I never did bother reading the blurb because I didn’t care, knowing I’d read her grocery list if Carian wrote it.

I never thought I’d want another woman again. I never thought I’d be falling in love with another woman again.

As much as I love an age gap romance, I was skeptical. Can I really buy into a romance when Alex first meets Penny when she’s six? But oh wow did I. The beautiful emotional pull these words had on me. This is a book for the true romantic because this book is the perfect story of undying love. A love that survives everything, even death.

It’s over 500 pages and yet I read it in a day, desperately grasping to the pages, with my heart in a vice, and tears in my eyes. It was just so beautiful. I’ve read reincarnation books before, and I sort of expected similar vibes here, but it was so much more. It was an emotional, captivating slow burn full of heart wrenching moments and moments of pure bliss. Penny and Alex’s love story is unlike anything I have ever read, and that’s saying something.

I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say this. This is a story of a one of a kind love that doesn’t die. Alex is a man who is impossible not to fall hard for. You love with him, you grieve with him, you heal with him. And Penny is the one who breathes life back into him. The story spans years and the pacing is impeccably crafted. Cole masterfully takes you through each milestone in the life of Penny and Alex. You experience everything right along with them; the pain, the confusion, the stolen glances, the forbidden love. It was beautiful. The development of their relationship is also impeccably written. It’s organic and raw and real and I fell so hard for them both.

I’m not usually a crier, but I cried tears of joy and pain as I finished. This is a story that will be rooted in my heart for years to come and simply unforgettable. These characters will be staying with me, their love will be staying with me, and this book is going straight to my top favorites list. It was worth every second of the wait and I cannot recommend it enough.

Carian Cole has a passion for the bad boys, those covered in tattoos, sexy smirks, ripped jeans, fast cars, motorcycles, and of course, the sweet girls who try to tame them and win their hearts.

Born and raised a Jersey girl, Carian now resides in beautiful New Hampshire with her husband and their multitude of furry pets. She spends most of her time writing, reading, and vacuuming.

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Text COLE to 31996

 

 

 

Text COLE to 31996

#DGRFave & Review: Back Into It by Eve Dangerfield

BACK INTO IT
Series: Playing For Love #4
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Eve Dangerfield
Release Date:
December 5, 2023

A scorching hot, age gap, friends-to-lovers, boy obsessed, unrequited love story by critically acclaimed romance author, Eve Dangerfield.

Cheryl Karalis-Walker doesn’t have time to fall in love. After twelve-hour days marketing pineapple-print leggings and caring for her terminally ill mother, all she wants to do is relax, get white wine tipsy, and flirt with someone else’s dad.

Patrick Normal isn’t a dad. He isn’t even close to being someone’s dad. He’s a funny, kind-hearted football player with the body of a Greek god. He knows he isn’t the older, sophisticated man that Cheryl usually dates, but he’s loved her since he first laid eyes on her. How could he not? She’s the hottest girl in the world and gets him like no other. They’re perfect for each other. Everyone knows it – that is everyone but Cheryl. 

But being her best friend means years of unrequited lust and friendzone jokes. Somewhere Patrick would willingly stay, rather than risk losing her. After all, men come and go, but friends are forever. Right…?

Just as he’s losing hope of ever moving from ‘best friend’ to ‘love interest’, a wild party leaves Cheryl naked in his bed, confessing she’s scared to ruin their friendship… but she loves it when he takes charge. 

So, it’s on. No more games, no more tiptoeing around the tension between them. Cheryl wants him in control and loves that side of him? These two best friends are done f***ing around. It’s time to find out. What will it take for Cheryl to realize that the man who has always been her constant is the one she has been waiting her whole life for? 

Back Into It is a standalone, contemporary romance novel, and book four in the interconnected Playing for Love series. 

AMAZON

We’re done fucking around, KitKat. It’s time to find out.”
“I… What do you mean?”
He smiled, and that was different too. “I mean I’m into you, KitKat. And since you got pissed and tried to fuck me last night, I’m gonna call it and say you’re into me too. So, let’s get together.”

OH.
MY.
GOD.

I think I may have just met one of my favorite fictional men ever. Like I thought I had an obsession with Ty from Act Your Age but nothing and I mean NOTHING compares to the level of obsession I now have with Patrick Normal. I will be running a petition to change his last name because there is nothing normal about him. NOTHING. The man was a perfect dichotomy. He’s a total golden retriever who is a simp for his best friend that he has been crushing on for as long as they’ve been friends. But when this man is all in? He’s a dirty talking, controlling, bossy BEAST in between the sheets. But in between that, he’s completely obsessed with his woman. I cannot. I just cannot deal. My ovaries will never be the same. EVER.

It’s ironic because I rarely gravitate toward third person POV or cinnamon roll heroes who give off golden retriever vibes. But I swear to god, I think I just found my new religion with this man.

I’m obsessed with you,” he said, loud enough to shock her. “I don’t want to go to the fucking movies. I want to fuck you and be your boyfriend and fucking marry you one day.”

Now let’s talk about the book, shall we?

First of all, I loved the way it’s written with small flashbacks to the day Cheryl and Patrick first meet and the small snippets into their actual feelings with every flash back. I also love the spin on the usual playboy hero with a woman who’s sex positive and is a relationship phobe. Cheryl is 32 and has had a tough lot in life. She’s got daddy issues for days, and she owns this with her taste for the older men. Her new best friend is a pro AFL player, 23, and completely obsessed with her. I love me a reverse age gap and I was absolutely rabid for this one.

The chemistry between these two was incendiary.

If he sounded sweet and awed that would be one thing, but he sounded so… presumptuous. She pulled back. “Who are you?” “Your fucking boyfriend,” he snarled. “You gonna admit you’re feeling it? Or are you humping up against me for some best friend reason?”

Cheryl runs and Patrick chases and I loved their push and pull. I loved the way they love each other as friends. And I love how they each fill in a gap for the other. These were such multi faceted, multi layered characters and I couldn’t get enough of them. I loved both their growth as the story progresses. I love their friend squad. I loved absolutely everything about this book. EVERYTHING. I simply cannot recommend it enough.

If you’re looking for a friends to lovers romance where the guy is secretly pining for his best friend, that’s full of just the right amount of incendiary spice, and a perfect punch of feels, look no further. Do yourself a favor and read this!!!!

Copyright © 2015 · Dirty Girl Romance

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