DGR Fave

Review: Right Your Wrongs by Kandi Steiner

March 10, 2026 by Lana · Leave a Comment

RIGHT YOUR WRONGS
Series: Kings of the Ice #6
Genre: Contemporary, Sports Romance
Author: Kandi Steiner
Release Date: March 10, 2026

What happens when the youngest, most successful coach in the NHL comes face-to-face with the woman he never got over — only to find out she’s married to his new General Manager?

Everything I’ve spent my life building is suddenly at risk.

I loved Ariana Ridley long before the world knew my name. Before the NHL. Before the pressure of being one of the youngest coaches in the league. Before I learned how to survive by locking my heart down tight.

Leaving her was the hardest thing I’ve ever done — and the one choice I never made peace with.

Now she’s back.
And she belongs to another man.

My new General Manager.

I tell myself I can handle it. Discipline is my job. Control is my strength. I know how to keep my distance — how to respect the lines that should never be crossed.

But every glance drags the past to the surface. Every quiet moment reminds me the love I buried never died.

I see the cracks she tries to hide, the fear she’s learned to live with, and the way she still looks at me like I’m the one place she can breathe.

I want to protect her.
I want to fight for her.
And I want things I have no right to want.

Because if I cross that line, I don’t just risk my career — I risk shattering the woman I never stopped loving.

Some choices haunt us forever.
Some loves never let go.

And trying to right my wrongs might just ruin us both.

AMAZON

If a heart was tied to a person, mine was inextricably bound to her—and it stopped beating the day I left her behind.

Kandi Steiner definitely left the best for last. And considering I have absolutely loved this entire series, that’s saying something. But this book? Oh the emotional damage of it all. Coach McCabe finally gets his much awaited HEA and what a hard earner HEA it was. My heart strings are still recovering.

He looked like a man who knew exactly who he was. And worse—like a man who still knew exactly how to undo me.

Now there is nothing better than male yearning in my book. And Shane wears his yearning on his sleeve.

Now let me set the scene for you. Imagine you meet the love of your life in college. You fall hard and fast. But then everything in both of your lives is turned upside down and he leaves. He’s never forgotten about you or gotten over you in the twenty years that you’ve been apart. And when you suddenly find yourself back in his orbit, he doesn’t play games or pretend he doesn’t know you. Oh no. His love for you shines through his eyes in ever blink. But there’s one problem; you’re married, and your husband is the new General Manager of the hockey team he coaches. Sounds utterly heart wrenching and delicious, right? That’s because it really was.

I’d failed her back then. I wouldn’t fail her again. That girl was still everything to me. And I’d be damned if I’d be the man who walked away from her twice.

You know what I hate? When the reason for the couple parting when they’re young is some long winded miscommunication trope where one leaves for the supposed good of the other without saying anything or talking about it. The fallout between Shane and Ariana was painful but it was real. Both of them talk about it and try their hardest. This was the most perfectly painful right person, wrong time type of scenario. First, Shane’s life falls apart and then both their youthful inexperience does.

When Ari ends back in Shane’s orbit, he doesn’t steamroll her to get what he wants. He watches her every move and his ability to see her doesn’t seem to fade. It doesn’t take him long to clock into things and when he does, he’s determined to do everything in his power. And while yes, this technically has a little cheating, I can’t imagine a man who deserved it more than Ari’s husband. There’s no gray area there. I hated it from the second he appeared on the page.

But enough about that man. Lets talk about Shane, because this man stole my whole heart.

She could run from the moment, from the intensity, from me. But I would never run from her again. And I didn’t care what I risked in the process.

Imagine a man who doesn’t mince words, doesn’t hide his feelings, doesn’t play games, and has been yearning for the FMC for as long as they’ve been apart. He’s a professional hockey coach, sexy as sin, and with a dirty mouth that I couldn’t get enough of.

I want to live here, Ariana. I want to die here. You were made for me. You and this perfect fucking cunt.”.

I adored this book. I couldn’t get enough of this story. I loved every word, every page, every chapter. And I binged it from cover to cover.

If you love a second chance romance with one of the most satisfying HEAs, then you need this book in your life!

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance, Sports · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 5 stars, DGR Fave, hockey players, Kandi Steiner, Second-chance-romance

#DGRFave & Review: Across The Vanishing Sky by Catherine Cowles

March 3, 2026 by Lana · Leave a Comment

ACROSS THE VANISHING SKY
Series: Starlight Grove #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense
Author: Catherine Cowles
Release Date: March 5, 2026

He spent a lifetime trying to escape his dark past…but to save her, he’ll wade back into the shadows.

Braedyn Winslow never expected to return to Starlight Grove—the town that took everything from her. Not after her best friend, the one who’d sacrificed so much for her, vanished without a trace. But with a young son to raise and a past that won’t stay buried, Brae is back…and determined to uncover the truth.

She just didn’t count on the brooding, reclusive mountain man living next door.

Dex Archer is the stuff of local legend—silent, rugged, and surrounded by whispers of his and his brothers’ violent father. But Brae sees through the scowl and his parentage to the man beneath: fiercely loyal, unexpectedly kind…and just dangerous enough to protect her when someone starts warning her off her search.

The closer she gets to the truth, the harder it is to stay away from Dex. And as things get more perilous, Brae realizes the only person she can rely on is the one man who swore never to trust again.

Only someone isn’t happy that Brae has been digging, and they’ll do anything to stop her. But Dex? He’ll do anything to save her, even slip back into the dark…

AMAZON

“Tell me you want this. Tell me you need it, consequences be damned.”

Well, Catherine Cowles has done it yet again. She gave us a cast of characters in a new town that I am swooning hard for. Let me paint a picture for you, shall I?

First we have our MMC, Dex. And if you love a tortured MMC, prepare to fall and fall hard not just for Dex but for every single one of his brothers. And he’s got four of them. That’s right, we get five Archer boys and oh boy are they intriguing in their own way. But I digress. We’re talking about Dex. Dex is a gray hat hacker who worked for the FBI for ten years and now he’s back in the small town that still haunts him. But that town is where his brothers are, and although their history is dark, the Archer boys are as close as brothers get. Dex also has tattoos and slutty little glasses. So of course I fell for him immediately.

Braedyn is a woman on a mission. A year ago, her best friend vanished into thin air. She’s told that the case is cold, that her best friend likely fell into a river or got caught by wild life. But she refuses to believe it or give up searching for her. So she finds herself in the small town where she lost her, with determination in tow, along with her tracker trained dog and her young son.

She soon discovers that her grumpy neighbor who she immediately clashed with, may also be exactly who she needs. Dex doesn’t usually take cases on that are close to home, but something about Braedyn pulls at every heart string he has and suddenly he finds himself just as invested in the search for her best friend as he is in Braedyn herself.

The romance is a slow burn that was oh so satisfying. These two are such a perfect match. Braedyn with her abandonment issues and Dex with his fear of the blood that runs through his veins and getting. Both of them have their own trauma and I loved the way they help heal each other.

The one thing that I absolutely love about Catherine’s books is how utterly unpredictable they are. Every time I think I know who our bad guy is, she leaves me with my jaw on the floor. And this story was no different. I was absolutely blindsided by the ending, in the best of ways. I love a story that can surprise me, especially when it’s suspense. And no one does small town romantic suspense quite like Cowles. It hit every single spot for me and I am wholly obsessed with the Archer Brothers. I don’t even know whose story I’m more desperate for now; Orion, Maverick, Kol, or Wylder. Orion’s uber tortured self calls to me but I just know his book will likely be last.

If you’re looking for an addictive small town romance with an unputdownable suspense plot and a swoony romance seamlessly woven in, then you need this book in your life. I can’t wait for the next book in this amazing new series!

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

DGRFave & Review: A Secret And A Lie by B.H. Eastwood

December 2, 2025 by Lana · Leave a Comment

A SECRET AND A LIE
Author: B.H. Eastwood
Genre: Dark, Contemporary Romance
Release Date: December 2, 2025

SHE TELLS SECRETS, HE TELLS LIES

There are plenty of formidable people in Washington, D.C., though possibly none more so than me. I’m not sitting in the White House, nor have an office in the Capitol building. I’m not affiliated with the three branches of the US government whatsoever. But I’m acquainted with the players who are—intimately. I know them better than they know themselves. Same with the hot shots that make up corporate America and the moguls of Silicon Valley.

You see, I’m a keeper of secrets, of sensitive information.
I pocket the whispers in the dark, saving them for a rainy day. It makes me the most powerful woman in town, but it also makes me the most dangerous, the most feared; and therefore, the most hunted.

Unfortunately for the elite ladies and gentlemen of the upper echelon, they seem to have underestimated the bite force of an apex predator who’s been backed into a corner. Perhaps it’s time the players on this country’s board get bitten, and I won’t let anyone stand in my way—no matter how handsome he is.

He’s a complication I simply can’t afford.

AMAZON

I regret nothing. I feel nothing. I remember everything.

It’s official, I am wholly obsessed with B.H. Eastwood and her words. This book owned me for the entire day that it took me to read it, cover to cover. And I still find myself thinking about it. Power, intrigue, secrets and lies. All of them flawlessly weave a tale so sinfully dark and delicious.

She tastes like she belongs to me, like she’s mine to own, to care for, mine to love.

This book is the epitome of female rage, with revenge and intrigue thrown in for a sizzling twist.

Genevieve is a high power madam. She masterfully climbed her way to the top and she keeps her place at the top by harboring secrets from the most powerful echelon of society; the political and the corporate players alike. She knows all the deepest and darkest secrets, and that makes her a risk as much as it makes her dangerous. And now there’s a target on her back and she doesn’t know who is truly holding the trigger…

Ford is an FBI agent with a job he doesn’t want. A complication he never saw coming. And a woman he can’t have.

And that’s all the details that you’ll be getting from me.

Now what can I tell you about this book? It was a thrill ride from beginning to finish. I loved Ford’s journey to his dominance. From a man who thought he was as vanilla as they come, his dominant streak finally having the opportunity to come out was simply delicious. I mean, the mouth on this man. GAH. So good.

Genevieve was a force of her own, a predator in high heels, this is a woman who slays her own dragons and I absolutely loved that about her. I also loved the way her vulnerable side came out only with Ford and I loved the masterful way he fought for her trust and owned her body at the same time.

The twists and turns kept me at the edge of my seat. The story was a powerhouse of suspense and sizzling romance, all woven together with political intrigue. Think Mindfck meet Scandal, and yes, it was as good as it sounds.

If you haven’t read anything by this incredible author yet, you are seriously missing out. If you want a book that will grab you by the throat from the prologue and keep you at the edge of your seat until the last page, you need to read this!

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Dark · Tagged With: BH Eastwood, Book Reviews: 5 stars, dark, DGR Fave

Review: Test The Ice by S.J. Sylvis

October 23, 2025 by Lana · Leave a Comment

RUSH THE EDGE
Series: Blue Devils Hockey #4
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: S.J. Sylvis
Release Date: October 23, 2025

A flirty, fake-engagement, single-mom, hockey romance by Amazon Top 50 and USA Today Bestselling Author S.J. Sylvis

I swore off men the second I trusted the wrong guy and ended up pregnant by a wealthy playboy. I was ready to prove I didn’t need him–or anyone else.

At least, until Malaki Young, Chicago’s hottest pro hockey star, slid into the backseat of my car and proved me wrong.

He’s relentless on and off the ice. Especially when it comes to pursing me. Not to mention his charming smirk and annoyingly smooth one-liners have me testing the ice and thawing every boundary I swore I’d never cross again.

But my ex is out for revenge… and Malaki makes an offer I never saw coming: a fake engagement.

One oversized diamond. One perfectly fabricated love story. One mission: convince the world–and my revenge driven ex–that this single mom just landed one of Chicago’s most sought-after bachelors.

Malaki swears it’s just pretend. But the deeper we get, the harder it is to tell where the lies end and we begin. And I can’t help wondering how long before the ice beneath us gives way.

AMAZON

The last thing I think about before falling asleep myself is how on earth can I get this girl to be my real fiancée, instead of my fake one?

This was, hands down, my absolute favorite book in this series. And considering I love this series so much, that’s saying something. But the giddiness that I felt reading Malaki and Reese’s story simply cannot be matched. And Malaki Young just shot up on my top five favorite MMCs list. The man was PERFECTION.

…I’m willing to give her whatever she asks for. Money? It’s hers. My bed? As long as she doesn’t mind sharing. My last name? Let’s make it official.

If you love a fake dating trope, this is easily one of my favorites. Reese is a single mom who is barely making ends meet by driving an uber at night. If you’ve read Rush the Edge, then you’d remember Reese and the way she quickly became besties with Daisy. Well now you get to see her through Malaki’s eyes, and the man was instantly enraptured with her the first time he laid eyes on her. And this reader? WAS SO HERE FOR IT.

My pretty Uber driver with secrets that she’s unwilling to spill is doing nothing but tempting me by running off like that. She’s about to find out the hard way that I’m relentless.

The way that Malaki relentlessly pursued Reese, even though she fought him at every turn. Reese was burned by her ex and father of her baby and to say that the ex was insufferable was an understatement. I have never wanted a secondary character to get hit by a bus more. Alas, he lives, but he does get what’s coming to him. But I digress.

The romance between Reese and Malaki was very much a slow burn, but the chemistry between them felt electric. I loved their banter and their dialogue made my whole heart happy. Malaki gives total golden retriever vibes, and I loved the way he was always there for Reese. And don’t even get me started on his connections with her adorable daughter. But did I mention his chemistry with Reese?

You’re insane.”
“I’m not insane,” he argues. “I’m persistent.”
“You mean annoying,” I quip.
“Charming.”
“Irritating.”
“Handsome.” I can’t help but laugh.
He shows me his heart-stopping smile. “I’m funny too.”

Reese had it tough growing up, so she definitely struggles with Malaki’s attention. She’s fierce and strong, but there’s also this layer of vulnerability to her that I connected with. But nothing made me happier than the way Malaki never shied away from his feelings and his interest.

Hey, fiancée.”
Reese, to my surprise, smiles. “Are you ever going to stop calling me that?”
I grin. “Yes. When we get married, I’ll just start calling you wife.”

The romance was everything. EVERYTHING. And the story was sheer perfection. I loved Reese’s adorable daughter and I also loved her close relationship with her sister (who I’m hoping get a story next).

If you’re looking for a swoon, steamy, and absolutely unputdownable romance with an MMC who would move mountains for his woman, then look no further. This series and this book is not to be missed!

S.J. Sylvis is an Amazon top 50 and USA Today bestselling author who is best known for her new adult romances. She currently resides in Arizona with her husband, two small kiddos, and pets! She is obsessed with coffee, becomes easily attached to fictional characters, and spends most of her evenings buried in a book!

Connect with S.J. Sylvis

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

Goodreads | https://bit.ly/40mP8yW

Amazon | https://amzn.to/40riM5R

Facebook | https://bit.ly/3JT0SUh

Facebook Group | https://bit.ly/42pdvhj

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Newsletter | https://subscribepage.io/cRYT3U

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 5 stars, DGR Fave, fake dating, hockey players, SJ Sylvis

#DGRFave & Review: Bitter Burn by Sierra Simone

September 30, 2025 by Lana · Leave a Comment

BITTER BURN
Series: Lyonesse #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance, MMF
Author: Sierra Simone
Release Date: September 30, 2025

I think it’s important that you know this about me, that you understand this: I’m not sorry.

I’d do it again.

After my husband died eight years ago, I made vengeance my only purpose, my religion, my destiny. But to get to my enemy, I had to make myself like him. He had a kingdom of secrets? Then I would make an empire. He had blood on his hands? Then I would bathe in it.

But Tristan and Isolde changed everything. I hadn’t counted on wanting them, needing them; I hadn’t counted on how it felt to watch the two of them fall in love. I’d thought I had everything under control—I’d thought I was safe from my own long-dead heart. I’d never imagined that the wronged husband, the jealous king from my childhood fairy tales, would be played by none other than me.

It no longer matters what I used to believe. My enemy is ready to finish the game, and for the first time in eight years, I have pieces on the board I can’t afford to lose. I’ll burn the entire world to keep Tristan and Isolde safe, I’ll scorch the earth—but as any good assassin will tell you, fire will only get a man so far, because there’s always something left in the ashes. And for the three of us, it’s the cold, bitter bones of the truth: their story begins and ends with me.

And every story needs a villain…

AMAZON

if I were the god of my own little world, I would have you and Tristan at my fingertips, and I would spend my days and nights afflicting you with my attention.

ALL OF THE STARS. ALL OF THEM. I am left utterly speechless and completely in awe. Sierra Simone’s words are an out of body experience. And that’s what this story was, an experience. Having read the books in this trilogy as they came out was a torture in its own right. But the wait for the conclusion after the jaw dropping cliffhanger in Honey Cut was extra painful. Having finished Bitter Burn, I can say with utmost certainty that this story was worth every agonizing second of the wait.

I was a man with muffled morals who’d made a god out of his country, so they offered me an altar to sacrifice on.

We got to be fully in the heads of Isolde and Tristan and it was finally Mark’s turn. And Mark Trevena, the man you are…

Oh God.”
“I’ve already told you that sir will do.

This beautifully broken soul completely enraptured me. Being inside his head was an experience like no other. Seeing his cunningness, his longness, his desperation, his fierce protectiveness and his sacrifice was something altogether holy.

If I could contain what I feel for the two of you,” breathes Mark, “if I could even express it, if I could even shape it to myself… my God. You have unmade in months what took years to create, and fool that I am, I am letting you.”

But the masterfulness that was this story is what had me binge reading well past my bedtime. And I’m old, so my bedtime is like 8:30. I was up until midnight, people. This was crazy for me. But I digress.

Though there were parts that felt a bit too focused on religion, it was all so masterfully woven together, that I barely noticed something that would likely bother me in any other book. Just when I thought I had my head wrapped around something, a twist would fly at me and leave me reeling…until the next one, and the next one. You can clearly see Sierra was playing the long game with Mark and oh man, the sheer brilliance of it left me speechless.

I might resent them for it some days,” he finishes softly, a little bitterly, “but they are forever safe from me. And I am no longer safe from them.”

Did I finish this book, or did it finish me? Definitely the latter. I finished it 2 nights ago and I still can’t seem to stop thinking about it.

If you loved Sierra’s New Camelot then you will be feral for Lyonesse. This is easily one of my top 3 favorite books I’ve read this year and that’s saying something because I’ve read some fantastic ones. This story had me in a chokehold and I’ll be thinking about it for weeks if not months.

If an MMF retelling of Tristan and Isolde with spies, secret societies, revenge, and some of the hottest sex scenes you will ever read sounds good, then you need this trilogy in your life.

Sierra Simone is a USA Today Bestselling former librarian (who spent too much time reading romance novels at the information desk.) She lives with her husband and family in Kansas City.

Connect w/Sierra Simone:

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Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, DGR Favorites, Dirty Talkers, Erotic Rom, Why Choose · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 5 stars, DGR Fave, MMF, Sierra Simone

#DGRFave & Review: Beautiful Torment by A. Zavarelli

September 26, 2025 by Lana · Leave a Comment

BEAUTIFUL TORMENT
Genre: Dark Mafia Romance
Author: A Zavarelli
Release Date: September 26, 2025

They call him Il Diavolo

When the devil dressed in black crashes my wedding

I know he didn’t come to offer me his blessing

He came to collect what was always his

For months, he’s watched me from the shadows

Haunting me

Biding his time

Planning his revenge

Before he was King of the Cosa Nostra

I was fated to be his queen

I promised him forever

Now, he’s here to remind me what forever really means.

AMAZON

Beautiful torment. That’s what he is.

The way I have been waiting for this story! If you’ve read Zavarelli’s Society Trilogy, you may remember Angelo. And if you’ve read Kingdom Fall then you should definitely remember Angelo as Alessio’s best friend and a man set on revenge to find those who are responsible for setting him up and stealing years from his life.

He radiates darkness—the kind most people cross the street to avoid. It’s in the way he moves, the unmistakable imprint of danger some men carry in their DNA.

They call him Il Diavolo for a reason. He’s ruthless, methodical, soulless. His only focus is his vengeance. Once upon a time, Angelo and Abella were everything. And then she became his ruin and he became her most cherished memory.

Something feral lives inside him. It’s more than obsession. It feels like starvation laced with fury.

You will also remember Abella from Kingdom Fall and I loved being inside her head in her own. Even though she knows the fate of a woman inside the society is to be nothing more than an ornament, she’s made peace with it. Or at least in the only way she knows how. She’s engaged to a man who she will never love because the only man she ever did is lost to her forever. Until he shows up at her wedding to steal her away and to make her pay for the role she played in his downfall years ago.

Now let me tell you, the chemistry between these two was INCENDIARY. The way that Angelo hates that he wants her and yet can’t stay away from her is simply delicious. I couldn’t get enough of the push and pull between them.

Oh God,” she whimpers.
“I like it when you remember to say your prayers,” I tell her. “Such a respectable Italian principessa.”

I absolutely devoured this book. And I mean DEVOURED. I finished it in one sitting both needing answers and dreading being done. A Zavarelli’s books are simply my crack and I will never get enough. And now a new Society series spinoff? I am SHOOKETH and obsessed.

If you love dark mafia/secret society romance with an obsessed stalker, touch her and die vibes, and all the steam, look no further!

She was the softness to my brutality.

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

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

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

Connect w/A. Zavarelli:

Check out more information on the books and authors coming this fall HERE—> https://under-world-kings.com

Keep up-to-date with all things Underworld Kings in the Reader Group HERE—> https://bit.ly/3ArB5vx

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance, Dark · Tagged With: A Zavarelli, Book Reviews: 5 stars, dark, DGR Fave, Mafia

Review: When She Unravels by Gabrielle Sands

June 2, 2025 by Lana · 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.

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Dark · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 5 stars, DGR Fave, enemies-to-lovers, Gabrielle Sands, Mafia

DGRFave & Review: Be With Me by Gabrielle Sands

May 14, 2025 by Lana · 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!

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: Book Reviews: 5 stars, DGR Fave, enemies-to-lovers, Gabrielle Sands, Mafia

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

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.