Review: Beautiful Venom by Rina Kent

June 3, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

 

BEAUTIFUL VENOM
Series: Vipers #1
Author: Rina Kent
Genre: Dark Romance
Release Date: May 27, 2025

From New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Rina Kent comes a sizzling dark hockey romance set in a new glamorous secret world.

In a den of vipers, revenge is the deadliest venom.

They shattered my world; now, I’ll bring down theirs.
The problem? I have virtually no way to trace the puppet master.
My only lead: The Vipers.
An elite college hockey team that rules the ice—and the shadows beyond it.
To infiltrate their secret society, I set my sights on their weakest link.
Kane Davenport.
The charismatic captain and the lone green flag in a nest of serpents.
But too late, I realize I’ve enticed the most venomous snake.
Kane’s friendly façade hides a predator more dangerous than I imagined.
He quickly unveils the monster lurking beneath the surface.
A monster who lured me in only to trap me in a lethal game with no escape.


This book marks the beginning of a new chapter in the #Rinaverse. No other book should be read before this.

AMAZON

You’re a little rebellious wildflower that thinks it can survive anywhere. But guess what? I’m your winter, Dahlia. No flower can survive winter. Not even wildflowers.”


Oh how I’ve been waiting for this one! The anticipation, the finger licking anticipation I tell ya! And it was worth every second of the wait. Because Kane Davenport was the feral level of unhinged that I was immediately obsessed with. And Dahlia Thorne was the perfect ying to his uber possessive yang which I was so here for.

The Vipers introduces a set of all new characters that I’m super excited for. And if you’ve read Kiss the Villain, then you’ll definitely appreciate the crossover here. If you haven’t read that book yet, no worries, because this is the start of a new series. However, you may appreciate it that much more if you’ve met Kane’s uncle in that book. But I digress.

If you’re into the secret society trope like me, this is pure trope candy. Kane, along with his two best friends and fellow hockey teammates are all founding members of the Vendor society. A society that Dahlia recognizes by their rings. Dahlia is on a mission revenge and Kane and the Vencor society are her only in for answers to what happened to her foster sister. She’s willing to do whatever it takes to get into their space, even sign a deal with the devil.

You really should’ve run away while you had the chance. Welcome to hell, Dahlia.”

Kane Davenport is next level unhinged with a splash of sadistic tendencies and a taste for the type of brutality that most women run from. But to both of their surprise, Dahlia gets off on his brand of pain. These two were absolutely feral together. I loved that as hard as Kane pushes, Dahlia pushes right back. This girl has a backbone, even if it does land her in every crosshair she can find in the process.

The story was absolutely addictive and as much as I loved Kane and Dahlia, I was desperate for more insight into Kane’s two best friends; Jude and Preston. You just know their books will be good, especially when you find out who their books are with. But I won’t spoil that for you.

This gave me the perfect hit of Rinaverse I was craving while still leaving me desperate for more. The ending and the epilogues were perfect with giving us just the right amount of answers while still leaving some unanswered for the next book. And I for one am desperately anticipating Jude’s book after the preview in this one.

If you’re a fan of dark romance with hockey and secret society and an absolutely UNHINGED and uber possessive MMC, look no further! Welcome to your next addiction!

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Review: When She Unravels by Gabrielle Sands

June 2, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

 

WHEN SHE UNRAVELS
Series: The Fallen #1
Author: Gabrielle Sands
Genre: Dark Mafia Romance
Release Date: August 30, 2022

He’s the most powerful man in Ibiza, and he’ll do anything to make me his.

I’ve been raised to be the perfect mafia wife, but when my marriage turns into a horrific nightmare, I have no choice but to leave everything behind and start a new life.

I find myself alone in Ibiza—a place that swallows innocent girls like me alive. I’m robbed the day I arrive, left with nothing but a few euros and the clothes on my back.

My desperation leads me right to Damiano De Rossi. He rules over this island with an iron fist and beneath his strikingly handsome face lies a wicked darkness. I ask him for a job. He gives me far more than that—degradation, jealousy, and toe-curling lust.

When my resistance to him is all but gone, a secret is revealed, and we fall apart like a house of cards.

I know what I have to do. Run.

But when I try, I discover…he’s already got me bound.

Note: When She Unravels is an 18+ dark mafia romance with mature themes, profanity, and plenty of steam. It’s book one in The Fallen series but can be read as a standalone.

AMAZON

You’re a pig.”
He stands up and steps into my space. “No, I’m a wolf. And you’re a sheep that wandered into the wrong pasture.”

When I read Be With Me earlier last week, I was immediately kicking myself for not finding this author sooner. To say that I was hooked was an understatement. I immediately had to find and start her backlist. And when I tell you that I binge read this book in one night, I mean I BINGE read it. As someone who is constantly on the hunt for a good dark mafia romance, they get harder and harder to find. But I hit the jackpot with this author who is now an absolute auto buy for me.

Now if the blurb alone isn’t delicious enough to hook you, I’m not sure that we’re reading the same blurb. Because GAH.

Damiano and Valentina were absolutely sizzling together. Valentina is mafia princess who finds herself married to a monster due to a marriage contract set up by her don father. But when pushed too far, she escapes and finds herself hiding in Ibiza. With nothing to her name and in hiding and unable to use her real name, Valentina needs a job. And a popular nightclub seems to be the perfect solution. Unfortunately the nightclub is owned by a man who is as infuriating as he is handsome.

The push and pull between these two was absolutely delicious. I love their antagonistic start. But Damiano is not who he appears to be and when Vale realizes that she just walked into the lion’s den, she has nowhere left to run.

I thought I loved the first half of this book but it was nothing compared to the second half. I devoured it and couldn’t bring myself to set it down for even a minute. I loved these characters. I loved this story. And if you’re a fan of dark mafia romance like me, prepare yourself for your new addiction because this series IS IT.

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DGRFave & Review: Be With Me by Gabrielle Sands

May 14, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

BE WITH ME
Series: House of Ferraro #1
Author: Gabrielle Sands
Genre: Mafia Romance
Release Date: May 14, 2025

She’s the mayor-to-be’s perfect daughter. He’s the ruthless villain set to ruin her.I’ve spent my life putting others first. So when my father runs for New York City mayor—on a promise to take down the city’s most notorious crime family—I do what I always push my own dreams aside to help him win.

Until I wind up at the wrong party. Trapped in a bedroom with Romolo Ferraro—the dangerous, merciless youngest son of the man my father has sworn to destroy.

He terrifies me. He fascinates me. Six foot four and covered in tattoos, he’s everything I should avoid.

When he starts pursuing me, I know I’m just a pawn in his game. A means to an end. And yet… part of me wants to play along.

I tell myself it’s to protect my father’s campaign. But I’m not thinking about politics when Romolo’s rough hands slide over my skin, teaching me how good it feels to burn.

They say good girls don’t fall for the villain.

But maybe, I’m tired of being good.

~

Be With Me is book 1 in House of Ferraro, a series of interconnected standalones following the Ferraro brothers, where dark and sensual romance plays out against a backdrop of family secrets and mafia intrigue.

AMAZON

Mia Morales had infected my black heart with a virus that compelled me to do right by her. Fuck knows if I’d ever recover./i>

First of all, how is this my first Gabrielle Sands book and what rock have I been living under? An immediate binge on her backlist is incoming because I have been sleeping on this author and now kicking myself. My fellow mafia romance lovers, if you haven’t yet discovered Gabrielle Sands, you need to crawl out from under that rock right along with me. When I tell you that I binge read this book in one sitting, I mean I was GLUED to the pages from cover to cover.

I excelled at many things, but there was one thing I discovered a long time ago I was particularly good at—destroying people’s lives. Sometimes, I barely even had to try./i>

If you love a Romeo and Juliet vibe with a good girl/bad boy trope thrown in, prepare yourself because OH MY GOD. And if you love a good tortured antihero, then really prepare yourself because Romolo was IT.

Romolo is the Ferraro brother who gets sent in to get information no matter the cost; whether it be his fists, his manipulation, or something else entirely. And he’s damn good at it. Mia’s father poses a threat to his family because his entire campaign trail is on the platform of bringing organized crime down with a focus specifically on the Ferraro. And what better in than his daughter? But what he doesn’t anticipate is the sizzling connection between the two of them.

What exactly are you proposing?”
“Simple. You. Me. A sturdy bed with a headboard, and a box of condoms. Remember how you said I hadn’t earned you moaning my name? Let me fucking earn it.”/i>

Mia is the epitome of good girl with her savior complex when it comes to her friends and her agreeable nature at any cost when it comes to her father. While at first I thought these qualities would annoy me (because usually they would), they were somehow endearing with her. She just wanted love and a part of me really connected with that.

But what I loved even more is her unwilling attraction to Rom, no matter how hard she tried to fight it. Their chemistry was absolutely incendiary and I couldn’t get enough of them.

It’s eleven. If we leave now, you’ll be screaming it by midnight,” he said roughly./i>

As a huge mafia romance fan, I am so excited to find a new to me author to obsess over.

I read it obsessively and still find myself thinking about it days after finishing. It was everything I love in a mafia romance; gritty, action packed, and with just the right amount of steam. The story was addictive and the romance was sizzling. I’m completely obsessed and can’t recommend it enough for all my fellow mafia romance lovers out there!

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Review: Crescent Kingdom by Tessa Hale

April 23, 2025 by · 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.

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Review: Loving The Reaper by Lola King

April 22, 2025 by · 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.

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

April 10, 2025 by · 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.

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Review: Finding Forever by Natasha Anders

April 1, 2025 by · 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.

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Review: Beautiful Exile by Catherine Cowles

March 18, 2025 by · 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!

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Review: The Venom We Bleed by Lucy Smoke

March 14, 2025 by · 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!

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Review: For Wrath And Redemption by Brit Benson

March 14, 2025 by · 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!

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