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

March 16, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

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

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#DGRFave & Review: Ruby Tears by Pepper Winters

March 14, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

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.

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

March 12, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

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
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#DGRFave & Review: The Lovely Return by Carian Cole

December 6, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

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.

WEBSITE | GOODREADS | AMAZON | FACEBOOK | Facebook GROUP | IG | X | BOOKBUB | PINTEREST | VERVE ROMANCE | NEWSLETTER

Text COLE to 31996

 

 

 

Text COLE to 31996

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#DGRFave & Review: Back Into It by Eve Dangerfield

December 5, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

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!!!!

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#DGRFave & Review: Because of Her by Jewel E Ann

November 2, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

BECAUSE OF HER
Series: Jack & Jill #6
Genre: Romantic Suspense, Contemporary
Author: Jewel E. Ann
Release Date: November 2, 2023

“If sin weren’t pretty, it wouldn’t be so tempting.”

I was an accomplished music professor.
Happily single.
Perfectly content.

Now, I’m unemployed.
Pining for a dark, brooding guy named Jack who lives in a garage with a piano.
And I’m plotting to seduce a married man because his daughter is responsible for my nephew committing suicide.

I don’t know why teenage girls are so mean.
I don’t know why rich men cheat on their wives.
And I don’t know why Jack has serial killer vibes, even though he leaves me speechless every time he speaks.

All I know for sure is that I feel safe in a stranger’s arms and understood by someone I don’t understand.

“You should be a little scared of everyone because humans are unpredictable.”

How far will I go for revenge? More than that …
How far will he go to save me?

*This book contains material involving sexual assault and suicide. Reader discretion is advised.

 AMAZON 

Revenge won’t fill the holes. But a new chapter can begin because the previous one has ended. And he will do it all … because of her.

First of all, if you haven’t read this series yet, what are you even doing? And second of all, if you have read this series, this book is the most perfect conclusion you can ever imagine or dare hope for.

I’ll scream,” she whispers. Jackson’s lips twitch while his fingertips skate up her bare arms. “I don’t doubt that.”

Frankie is easily one of my most favorite FMCs I’ve read to date. But I’ll get to that in a second. What I will say is you want to go into this book blind. Trust me. If you’ve read this series, do yourself this favor. Do not read the reviews. Do no look for spoilers. Just read it knowing that it will fix every hurt and pain that Out of Love may have caused. If you haven’t read this series, I highly recommend you read it in order. Or at the very least, you start with Out of Love. You simply need to appreciate the full circle moment of perfection that is this story, and you can’t do that if you don’t understand the backstory of Jackson.

I have a Ph.D. I don’t get on my knees for anyone. I’ll sit on the bed.” He ducks his head and kisses me. It’s good. Really good. But a woman needs standards and limits. I undressed and played his piano yesterday. That’s my limit…
Again, he kisses me. “A goddamn queen,” he murmurs along my jaw to my ear.
I lower to my knees, but I don’t look at him. “I’m only doing this because someone has to guard the door.”
My feminism is still intact. Sort of.

Frankie is in town to settle the affairs of her brother and his family. A terrible tragedy to lose your brother to suicide. But the debilitating pain to lose your nephew and sister in law to the same is something more. To learn that your nephew’s girlfriend may have driven him to his fate? Well that’s something else entirely. Frankie is dead set on revenge and making the girlfriend and her family pay. What she doesn’t know is just how dark and deep the roots of this family and their influence really go.

Frankie is in her early forties and is a career driven woman who never wanted marriage and a family. But when she meets the mysterious man living in the garage with his piano, the connection between them is instantaneous. The unspoken connection driven from a shared pain of loss is even more so. Jack has dark secrets and everything about him is a mystery. Frankie is undeniably drawn to his dangerous allure. But she’s no naive ingenue, this is a woman who knows what she wants and goes after it.

When I tell you I loved this book, I mean I lived and breathed this story as I read it. I mean, it will become my entire personality for the foreseeable future now as I finished it. I mean it was one of the most unforgettable stories of suspense, second chances, loss and love that I have ever read. It was beautiful. It was emotional. It was unforgettable. It was everything I didn’t know I needed and MY GOD did I need this conclusion. The intricate details woven in to the story were everything. I also found myself falling in love with some previous characters all over again. If you know, you know.

But I digress. I’m pretty sure I didn’t get a wink of sleep because I couldn’t put this book down for even a second. The beginning to end was a complete blur of tears, happiness, pain, and nail biting, edge of my seat suspense. I loved every page, every chapter, and I simply cannot recommend the series enough.

Jewel is a Wall Street Journal & USA Today best selling author a with a quirky sense of humor. When she’s not saving the planet one tree at a time, you can find her role modeling questionable behavior to her three boys, binge-watching Netflix with her husband, and writing mind-bending romance.

Connect with Jewel 

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#DGRFave & Review: Pack Darling by Lola Rock

October 30, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

PACK DARLING
Series: Reverse Harem Omegaverse Duology #1
Genre: Omegaverse, Why Choose
Author: Lola Rock
Release Date: July 6, 2021

After surviving childhood at the snooty, stuck-up boarding school for budding omegas, I have everyone convinced I’m a dud.

My awakening? Never gonna happen. Heat, mates, and a fairytale pack life? Maybe next reincarnation.

All I want is to be left alone.

I’m invisible, headed to a blissful solo future until the Wyvern Pack destroys my dream of independence.

Atlas, Hunter, Finn, Jett, and Orion are poison candy. They don’t want an omega, but they need one, even if there’ll never be a real spot for me in their pack.

Who needs a pack? I’ll keep myself safe, same as always.

I’ll never awaken, and I’ll never ever give the Wyverns my heart… Because all they’ll do is rip me apart.

♥Pack Darling is book one in a reverse harem duology featuring an MMFMMM relationship, cursing, and MM scenes. It’s a human omegaverse featuring growly alpha males but no shifters or shifting.

 AMAZON 

I’ll do what I do best. Be a ghost. And before anyone notices, I’ll disappear.

Oh.
My.
Lanta.

Where has this book been all my life? I am such a whore for the rejected mate trope. And this book? This was catnip wrapped in crack. Well, you get what I mean here. This story was absolute book crack and I binge read it in one sitting with bated breath and a giddy excitement I haven’t felt in a long while.

So what do we have here? It’s an omega verse with MMMMMF. Except the pack is totally fine being an MMMMM so when Lilah gets thrown into the mix by their fathers, they’re less than thrilled. Lilah is an omega who has never belonged. She keeps to herself and tries to blend in as much as she can. because when she can’t, she’s the focus of the sadistic teachers and students of her school. She finally has a chance to disappear when she ends up with the Wyverns and even though she knows they’re her mates, she will never have them. She’s used to being unnoticed and mistreated and she’s just biding her time until she can disappear.

First of all I love that Lilah’s resolve was unwavering. She never once lost sight of her desire to leave. And even her attraction to her mates didn’t deter her. This is a survivor through and through, and she’s lived through absolute hell. So the disregard of her mates is nothing to her.

The romance is very much a slow burn, and while it equally drove me out of my mind, I also loved it. I loved watching these bumbling badasses miss what was right under their nose. I loved their unique personalities and their connection to Lilah, even when they fought it.

And the ending? OMG!! They fuck up so epically. And I mean EPICALLY. And the only thing more satisfying was knowing how hard they knew they had to grovel. And they spent the entire second book doing it. GOD. This was EVERYTHING.

If you like a RH omegaverse with rejected mate trope, this is an absolute must read.

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Review: Merciless by Tracy Lorraine

September 28, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

MERCILESS
Series: Harrow Creek Hawks #1
Genre: Dark, Captive Romance
Author: Tracy Lorraine
Release Date: September 28, 2023

An all-new and addictive dark, why-choose, captive romance from the USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Tracy Lorraine.

All my life I’ve been a prisoner.

Locked away by men who think they hold all the power.

First my father.

And now him.

The devil himself.

Reid Harris.

Even my husband can’t save me from the most infamous man in Harrow Creek and his loyal best friend.

I’m tangled up in their twisted games.

One woman.

Three dangerous men.

They expect me to cower.

To beg and plead for mercy.

But Reid’s about to discover that not everyone bends to his will.

Because I don’t care who he is or what he does, I will not break.

Not for any man.

And certainly not for him.

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

AMAZON 

The need to break her is all-consuming. She doesn’t think I’ll manage it. She thinks that she’s stronger than me, smarter than me. She’s wrong.

What.
The.
F*CK.

Where has this author been all my life and what rock have I been living under that I’m only now reading her? I am shooketh! SHOOKETH! Because when I tell you this book owned me for the entire day I took to binge it, I mean it owned me. And when I say I binged, I mean read in a sitting. And this book is thick. Like THICK thick. So that’s saying something, mkay. Holy sheet but I’m obsessed.

When I saw dark captive romance, I was immediately hooked. I was, however, not prepared for the way this story would hook me. Now I’m a picky beech when it comes to dark romance because more often then not I find it mostly gratuitous shock value under the guise of dark romance. This was not that. This was incredibly written, with multilayered and deeply complex characters, and a story that grips you by the throat from page one.

Alana has survived hell. The girl is a survivor, even if she did escape one prison for another. Tracy Lorraine keeps you on the edge of your seat with the way she reveals details crumble by small crumble. This is also clearly tied to Maddison Kings University which I haven’t read yet but will definitely be doing so now.

This is a why chose romance with enemies to lovers vibes since the two men that Alana finds herself in the crosshairs of are her husband’s enemies. But just as her marriages isn’t what it seems, neither is Alana.

This book was as much Reid’s as it was JD’s. We also get a few snippets in Maverick’s POV. All of it guaranteeing that you get equally enthralled by each character. Considering the length of this book, you wouldn’t think it would feel stretched out. But when I tell you that I binge read it like a crack addict, I mean it was one quick paced read.

The story is deliciously dark with so many layers that answers one question while bringing 5 more to the surface. I love a fierce heroine and Alana is definitely that. She may be damaged but she’s not broken. Reid is obviously going to be my favorite with his dark and broody vibes along with his cold aloofness. JD is impossible not to love. And Maverick and his obsessive protector vibes reeled me right in too.

When I tell you I’m obsessed, I mean I am OBSESSED. Like I don’t even know what to do with myself until the next book comes out. So if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to rock myself in a dark corner with a bottle of wine until October 12, spank you very much.

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Dark, Why Choose · Tagged With: , , , ,

#DGEFave & Review: The Puck Secret by G.N. Wright

July 11, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

THE PUCK SECRET
Series: Fairfield U #1
Author: G.N. Wright
Genre: New Adult Romance
Release Date: June 16, 2023

Hockey is my life. It’s my only goal, my only escape, and everything was going according to plan. All I had to do was focus on the game, keep my head down, then get drafted into the NHL.

Starting the year as the Captain of FU should have made that easy, but now my attention is torn between the ice and taunting my rival’s little sister, Madeline Peters.

My only real solace is the mystery girl inside my phone who refuses to tell me her name.

Then one drunken knock on the wrong door brings Madeline into my bedroom. It doesn’t matter that I hate her, that I’ve been warned to stay away from her, now that I know what she tastes like, the Mayor’s daughter is just too hard to resist.

I know I can’t afford any distractions, especially not with her brother’s warnings in my ear, but I’ve never been good at following the rules and denying what I want, and what I want is her.

But what do I do when it turns out the same girl I can’t let go of is also the temptress who’s been sending me all of her secrets?

AMAZON

 

She might not even know my name yet, but I know one day I’ll be making her scream it.

I didn’t know this when I started this book, but I am fully now in my Hockey romance era. And this book? OMG! Where has this been all my life and how is this my first GN Wright book? Y’all, obsessed doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Are you going to beg, Princess?” I tease, licking her taste from my lips as I try to restrain myself from going back for more.
“God, I fucking hate you,” she pants, her chest rising and falling in rapid movements as she tries to catch her breath.
“That’s okay,” I say with a smile. “You can still hate me and come on my face at the same time.”

There has never been any love lost between Nova Darkmore and Madeline Peters. He may not hate her as much as her father, but it’s a close third. The second place taken by her twin brother and his hockey teammate, Josh. There’s some convoluted history between these two to say the least. Nova is the boy from the wrong side of the tracks with a golden college hockey career. Madeline is the perfect little obedient daughter of a senator and snob…or so Nova thinks anyway. The tension between these two is almost as palpable as the chemistry.

A drunken night and a wrong phone number later, begins a text exchange with neither of the them knowing who the other is. And OMG this was delicious. But certainly not as delicious as the hate between them brewing into such heated lust that they can’t deny it anymore.

Madeline is put between a rock and a hard place when her father tells her she has to get engaged to a slime back of a guy or he’ll pull his financial support. The last thing she wants is to marry the sleaze ball but she feels like she has little choice if she wants to graduate and stand on her own two feet. Her attraction to her brother’s rival is quite inconvenient. Especially when another drunken mishap lands her on his door looking to even the odds with her philandering “fiancé”. Thus begins their push and pull, we can’t but we can’t stop relationship and oh my god was I here for it. Nova is what my book boyfriend dreams are made out of. A little tortured with a sprinkle of dirty talk and all of the possessiveness. Madeline was a ball of sass herself even though I wanted to judge her for caving so easily to her father…who I hated so hard. But I digress.

This was the beginning of what’s bound to be one amazing new series and I cannot wait for more. I devoured this in one sitting and if you’re on the fence with this book, trust me and just read it. You’ll be kicking yourself for not doing it sooner.

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#DGRFave & Review: The Love of My Next Life by Brit Benson

July 10, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

THE LOVE OF MY NEXT LIFE
Series: Next Life Duet #1
Author: Brit Benson
Genre: New Adult Romance
Release Date: September 8, 2022

I calmed his demons.
He created mine.

Macon Davis.
My best friend’s brother.
My tormentor.
My least favorite person.
Pothead. Delinquent.
A careless, directionless loser.

That’s what I used to believe,
but I didn’t really know him.
And when I finally saw him,
it was the best and worst thing to ever happen to me.

We burned hot and fast.
Passion. Anger. Love. Pain.
We were reckless. Naive.
We were doomed from the start.

When I finally saw Macon Davis for who he was,
we both went down in the flames.

***
The Love of My Next Life is part one of a duet.
It is just as much a love story as it is a tale of ruin.
While the duet will end in an HEA, book one does not.

AMAZON

She’s an addiction. My worst fucking addiction.”

I was desperately looking for a deliciously angsty romance that was bound to hurt my feelings. I’ve seen this book pop up a few times on my Instagram so I thought, why not. And after binge reading this book well into the night to finish it in one sitting, I immediately kicked myself for waiting this long to read a book by this author. BECAUSE OH My GOD! This was everything I didn’t even realize I needed.

Beg for it, Lennon Capri,” he rasps. His voice is low, breathless. He’s teetering on the edge, just like me. “Be a good girl and ask me nicely for your orgasm.”

Lennon is the quintessential good girl who moves to a new town with her widower father. While she makes quick friends with Claire Davis in her new school, her brother is a whole other story. Their contentious relationship evolves into a deeply toxic one full of heated looks and barbed insults. Lennon is now 17 and yet nothing has changed with her and Macon Davis from the time she was 9, except the sulky boy grew into an even more troubled teenager. And yet there’s a string that tethers them together despite their best efforts.

Macon is the quintessential bad boy who turns to drugs to deal with his pain. Being attracted to his sister’s best friend is the last thing he needs, but neither of them realize the similarities between them until they get thrown together in the community center they both work at unbeknownst to the other.

I hate myself a little less when Lennon is around, even on days when she hates me enough for the both of us.

This book was what my toxic angsty dreams were made out of. The back and forth these two shared and the dark past that Macon can’t move on from was addictive to read. Lennon is no pushover and I love that she gave as good as she got. Admittedly, I hated Claire and couldn’t understand the friendship they had. Lennon was way too understanding with her but that did nothing to take away any of my enjoyment. If anything, it heightened it further.

If you’re looking for a deeply angsty book with a slow burn and sizzling chemistry, look no further. And if you need me, leave me alone, because I’m immediately binging on book two!!

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