DGR Fave & Review: ★Protecting His Own★ by @CheriseSinclair

review-PHOPROTECTING HIS OWN
Series: Masters of the Shadowlands #11
Genre: BDSM Romance
Author: Cherise Sinclair
Release Date: May 31, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

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Landscape designer, Beth King survived an abusive husband and built a new life for herself with the help of Master Nolan, the strongest, most protective man she has ever known. She loves him with all her heart, but the one thing he wants, she can’t give him. To her grief, the damage from her abusive first marriage means she can’t bear him children.

As Beth and Nolan change their plans and pursue adoption, they’re already imagining a baby girl in the nursery. But when two boys from the local domestic violence shelter see their mother taken to the hospital, they call Beth in a panic. Agreeing to care for them temporarily, Beth soon falls in love with the two adorable boys.

Now Master Nolan has a new problem. How can he protect the children when their drug-addicted mother is released—and how the hell can he keep his sweet submissive’s heart from being broken when they leave?

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Review5 starsPHO-DGR

Three years ago, wife had been a four-letter word. Beth had transformed the word into one that meant miracle.

How is it possible that this series just gets better and better? Because with each new book, I just fall more and more in love with these characters. But no characters touched me as much as Nolan and Beth. This couple was first introduced in Breaking Free, which I highly recommend reading before this one. It’s a full standalone with a HEA but it builds the foundation you’ll need to truly understand the depth of these characters.

Now normally I am not a reader likes continuations, especially if I felt the first book had a perfectly satisfying HEA, but in the case here, I wasn’t about to pass up another book by one of my favorite authors. Boy am I glad I read this! This was best sort of follow up you could get for a beloved couple. It manages to strengthen their relationship, show a natural progression of their life, and yet somehow also be that perfect little cherry on the top you didn’t realize their story needed.

Protecting His Own takes place three years into Beth and Nolan’s marriage. It shows the struggle that Beth still faces with the remnants of the memories of her abusive past and her devastating pain over learning that the one thing she’s wanted, she may never be able to have.

As a mother, this book managed to be a one two punch straight to the feels. I spent a good portion of it a blubbering mess. This was brilliantly written with just the write amount of emotion that guarantees it won’t leave a dry eye in sight. It was also a beautiful story of second chances.

Cherise Sinclair added a secondary POV from one of the two young boys that are introduced in the story. I have to say that this may have been one of my favorite parts. Not only do you get to see Beth fall in love with them, but you get to experience their side of things. It broke my heart to read about their horrible situation, and having the older boy’s POV just added that perfect something that this book needed.

Of course beyond all that, this is also the continuation of Beth and Nolan and their relationship. Nolan is still the intense Dom that he’s always been; completely and utterly in love with and devoted to Beth. You’ll just fall in love with him all over again in this book. Guaranteed.

She’d never found anyone who kissed like him, patiently continuing until she gave him everything he wanted.

Cherise also introduces two new VERY intriguing characters, and their set up is so freaking delicious, that I’m practically salivating for their book.

Protecting His Own is an emotional journey of second chances and love. Written with Sinclair’s signature mix of erotic and emotion, it was so far beyond just a BDSM romance. It was beautiful, touching, and one of the most satisfying continuations for a favorite couple that I have ever read. It made me cry and brought the giddiest of smiles to my face at the same time. It was gripping, touching, and sexy. Just perfect. There’s a reason this author is on my auto-buy list, and this book only serves to show why. If you haven’t yet discovered this amazing author and this series, I’m not sure what you’re waiting for. It’s an absolute must read.

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★DGR’s Ultimate List of Mafia Romance★

DGR-Ultimate list of mafia romance

It’s that time of the month again, dirty birds! You know, the time where I bring you a brand, spanking new Ultimate List with a category of your choosing. Oh yeah. By the way, I post the category choices at the beginning of each month in my Facebook group HERESo if you haven’t yet, make sure you join the inappropriate fun 😉

But I digress…

With all the craziness of last month, I totally missed doing my list and I’m so sorry! I’ve been a bad girl and deserve a spanking (preferably from one of the heroes in the books I’m about to list here…uhem…) But no worries, this will not be repeating itself. I post these lists monthly, and monthly you shall get them.

This month you guys wanted to see Mafia Romance, and since this happens to tickle my particular fancy as well, I was beyond happy to deliver. Now keep in mind, this will be kept specifically to mafia only. I passed over some books that had a similar vibe but weren’t “organized crime” centered in order to stay as true to the category as possible. As always I’ll give you guys my recs of the books I’ve personally read and loved, and I’ll follow that with a list of recs that I’ve received and have purchased the books for.

And if you’re new to my blog, this a monthly feature I do on the last Saturday of each month! Check out the previous features here:

★ULTIMATE LIST OF DIRTY TALKERS★

★ULTIMATE LIST OF ROCK STARS★

★ULTIMATE LIST OF FIGHTERS★

★ULTIMATE LIST OF ANTI-HEROES★

★ULTIMATE LIST OF HATE TO LOVE ROMANCE★

★ULTIMATE LIST OF SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE★

Now without further ado, let’s do this thing.


THE PROFESSIONAL by Kresley Cole

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“When a woman singles me out”—he leaned down to murmur at my ear—“it’s because she wants to get fucked. She looks at the scars and tattoos and knows she’ll get fucked hard.”

I’ve been a HUGE Kresley Cole fan for years. I have her entire IAD series in paperback. I’m slightly obsessed, I admit. The woman is the queen of sassy heroines and uber alphas. I love her PNR.

When I saw that she was coming out with a new erotic romance that just happens to feature some mafia baddies, suffice it to say I was all over it like a stripper on a pole. True story. Now I’ll admit, the first book didn’t quite blow me away, but it’s deliciously dirty and if you’re looking for a super sexy dirty talker, Mafiya enforcer Aleksei “The Siberian” Sevastyan will be RIGHT UP your pervy little alley. Originally released as a 3 part series, THE PROFESSIONAL is now a full novel in a series of 3. Each book is a different couple and may be enjoyed as a standalone though I recommend reading in order 😉

GAME MAKER SERIES ORDER

THE PROFESSIONAL | THE MASTER | THE PLAYER


EVAN ARDEN by Shay Savage

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How did I get here? I wasn’t stupid. I also wasn’t so far gone to not remember the basics of what happened. After serving my tour of duty as a Marine sniper in the Middle East coupled with eighteen months as a prisoner of war, being exiled to Arizona for screwing up a hit for my mob-boss, spending too much time thinking about the girl I met there, and killing my favorite hooker for betraying me, I’d finally lost it and started shooting up the neighborhood.

Got your attention now, didn’t I? Don’t lie, you’re intrigued. Well you should be! A former Marine suffering from PTSD and battling his inner demons throughout his life as a hit man for the top Chicago mafia boss, Rinaldo Moretti? It’s as delicious as it sounds. This box set has all 5 books in the series. The first 3 is what I read and has a HEA at the end of book 3. The author later released a novella and a novel which I didn’t read for personal taste reasons, but I hear it was just as good as the first 3. And all of these are in this fantastic box set!


COMPLETE CORRUPTION by CD Reiss

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“I tried to stay away,” he said. “I’ve never wanted a woman this much in my life. I’d burn cities to have you. I’d fight armies. I’d commit murder to take you right now.”

Originally released as a series of 3, this is the full set. Hurrah for no waiting! I was a HUGE fan of CD’s Songs of Submission series. If you haven’t read that, I can’t recommend it enough.

Songs of Corruption focuses on the story of Theresa Drazen (who’s the sister of Jonathan from SoS). But you don’t need to read SoS in order to enjoy SoC. And of course the hero here is the sinfully sexy Mafia capo, Antonio Spinelli.


 

MONSTER IN HER EYES by JM Darhower

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He’s a whirlpool of darkness, and I feel myself getting sucked deeper and deeper into the depths of his abyss. I’m drowning in him.

Gah. GAH! This book! This series!! I can’t even. First of all, no one writes mafia romance quite like JM Darhower. I’ve loved each and every book I’ve read by her.

Monster In His Eyes is book 1 of 3, and follows the story of Karissa and Naz. Monster in his Eyes is told in Karissa’s POV, Torture To Her Soul follows that with Naz’s POV. The amazing conclusion is Target on Our Backs.

MONSTER IN HIS EYES series order

MONSTER IN HIS EYES | TORTURE TO HER SOUL | TARGET ON OUR BACKS


RUTHLESS PEOPLE by JJ McAvoy

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She would never convert to what I needed her to be. She was a ruthless savage, and if you cannot break a ruthless savage, you need to figure out how to tame them.

What happens when an arranged marriage puts the head of the Irish mob with the head of the Italian mob? A whole lot of crazy fuckery! Holy fuck, this series is crazy! There is no good guys to be found. Both the hero and heroine are absolutely batshit and bad to their bone, and I freaking loved it! This is a trilogy that must be read in order since the story isn’t complete until the final book.

 

RUTHLESS PEOPLE Series order

RUTHLESS PEOPLE | THE UNTOUCHABLES |AMERICAN SAVAGES


 REAP by Tillie Cole

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Our desperate gazes met.
He took a deep breath.
Then he whispered, “You are…for me?”

While I didn’t quite love the first book in this series, I have to say I really enjoyed this one. The set up is darkly intriguing; you have ‘slaves’ who are imprisoned and conditioned in captivity to maim, to kill and to slaughter, known only by their numbers. Reap focuses on prisoner818 who raised as a prototype for the Georgian Bratva’s obedience drug, 221. He cannot act or think for himself. Knows only death and bloodshed. The heroine happens to be a mafia princess and the daughter of the Russian Bratva boss.

Reap is book 2 in Tillie Cole’s Scarred Souls series, and while you may read it as a standalone since it focuses on a different main couple and their HEA, I highly recommend you start with book 1. Because while Reap tells the story of Zaal and Talia, it also gives the readers a continuation of Luka through his POV. It builds up on what has begun in Raze and it would connect you to the story that much more having previously read that.

SCARRED SOULS SERIES

RAZE | REAP | RAVAGE (releasing Aug 16, 2016)


FLAWED by Francette Phal

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Have you ever looked at something so beautiful, so utterly alluring that you just wanted to destroy it? That’s what you are to me. You are this beautiful thing I want to destroy.

Hmmm…how would I describe this book? Basically his it’s like the love child that would result if Seduced In The Dark and Dexter ever had wild monkey sex and then had a baby that was seriously fucked in the head. Like SERIOUSLY fucked in the head.

The hero is utterly fucked up. If you want rainbows and unicorns, fuck right off with that. I’m not even kidding here. The man is basically a hit man. A sociopath on a good day. He gets off on pain and death… and yet I absolutely loved this book. What the fuck does that say about me? Don’t even answer that right now! Flawed is a cliffhanger and book two (CARNAGE) is hopefully coming out end of August this year.


THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT by Katee Robert

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Whatever she’d expected from this kiss, it certainly hadn’t been desire. Though DESIRE was too tame a word. She’d felt desire before, and this wasn’t it. This was…need. All-consuming need that devoured everything in its path, leaving only destruction in its wake.

As far as grit and darkness, The Marriage Contract is a bit on the lighter side. This one had a case of the insta-love and yet it was still a fabulous read. The series focuses on the O’Malley family; a powerful Irish Boston mafia family. The head of the O’Malley family is intent on marrying off his children in order to solidify powerful mafia alliances with other families, and the result is one intriguing story. I’ve read both The Marriage Contract and The Wedding Pact, and enjoyed both thoroughly. Though I did love the set up of book 2 a bit more with the forbidden romance of two warring families element being the major focus.


THE ENFORCER by Kele Moon

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I fucking love you, Brianna…
I wouldn’t just bleed for you… I’d bleed motherfuckers out for you.”

If you were to ask me what my all time favorite mafia romance book was, this book would be it. Bar none. Nothing ever touched me on such a visceral level as this one did. Brutal, powerful, emotional, gut wrenching, all consuming, gritty, and so raw it’ll make your heart bleed.

Yeah. This book is just that good. I’ve been a huge fan of all things Kele Moon for many years now, but she absolutely blew me away with Tino’s story. I’d highly recommend starting this series in order so you can truly appreciate all the character’s backstories. Keep in mind Enforcer is part 1 of a 2 part story. On that note, it ends in a very satisfying place that I wouldn’t quite consider to be a cliffhanger. If you read any book from my list, this one should be at the very top. I simply can’t recommend it enough.

UNTAMED HEARTS SERIES

THE VIPER | THE SLAYER | THE ENFORCER

The Enforcer -Teaser4


That’s it for books that I’ve read an loved, but I have recommendations galore from fellow readers and I’ll include those below. I have all of these books on my kindle already, since you guys know I won’t recommend anything that I wouldn’t personally be interested in reading myself. So here we go…


MADE by JM Darhower

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This is easily the most recommended book I have on my list. Everyone and I mean everyone that read it absolutely loved it!

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Corrado Moretti.

The world knows the notorious Kevlar Killer, but few have ever seen what lies beneath his armor. The abused child. The neglected teenager. The broken man. He always did whatever he had to do in order to survive.

It’s kill or be killed.

Throughout his life, he has been there in the shadows, a witness to everything from beginning to end. Bound by loyalty and honor, there’s only one thing he would sacrifice it all for: family.

Never get close. Never get attached. It’s a lesson that has been brutally pounded into him since childhood, but they’re words the DeMarcos make it difficult for him to follow. Through them he finds love and grieves loss, realizing the world isn’t quite as black and white as it’s made out to be.


A LOVE OF VENGEANCE (Wanted Men #1) by Nancy Haviland

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Once the most feared member of an Italian Mafia crime family, Gabriel Moretti returns to New York at the request of his mentor, Russian crime boss Vasily Tarasov. Vasily needs someone he can trust in Seattle to protect his estranged daughter, Eva Jacobs, while he avenges the murder of the young woman’s mother. Gabriel is unstoppable in a fight, whether he’s using fists, blades, or bullets; but innocent, onyx-haired Eva may just be the most dangerous—and beautiful—thing he’s come up against.

Intense sparks fly between the two, tempting Gabriel to mix business with pleasure while in the Emerald City. But once word gets around that Gabriel has shown up in New York, Stefano—his vengeful brother and the de facto head of the family—decides that Eva is the key to ending the feud between them…permanently.

In this pulse-pounding romantic thriller set against the backdrop of New York City’s storied underworld, loyalties will be tested, secrets will be told, and mob justice will be served.

WANTED MEN series

A LOVE OF VENGEANCE | THE SALVATION OF VENGEANCE | AN OBSESSION WITH VENGEANCE


LUCIAN (Filthy Marcellos #1) by Bethany-Kris

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Lucian Marcello is aware of the expectations following him as the oldest son of one of North America’s most infamous Cosa Nostra Dons. Family in his world is more than blood and sharing a last name. It’s the honor, respect, business, and the life. Being a Capo is just a stepping stone until it’s time for him to take on the role of underboss but a chance meeting with her could be the one thing he’d risk it all for.

She is exactly what he didn’t know he was looking for.

Jordyn Reese spends her time trying to stay under the radar of a man who wouldn’t think twice about killing her. Unwillingly affiliated with a dangerous MC gang, her life is dominated by the men surrounding her and her future rests solely in how useful she can be for them. The last thing she needs is some Mafioso gaining her more unwanted attention from the club.

He is everything she should stay away from but can’t.

Notoriously violent when it comes to getting what he wants, Lucian will stop at nothing to make the target on Jordyn’s back disappear. But sometimes the worst threats are the ones you can’t see until it’s too late. The truth behind Lucian’s history is about to take center stage in more ways than one, and it’ll either save him … or kill him.

This world leaves everyone a little filthy.

Filthy Marcellos, Book One

FILTHY MARCELLOS series

LUCIAN | GIOVANNI | DANTE


CROW (Boston Underworld #1) by A. Zaverelli

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He’s a killer. A mobster.

The last man on earth I’d ever want to be with. I won’t lose my head just because he’s hot, Irish, and has a wicked accent to boot.

He’s one of the only leads in my best friend’s disappearance, and I don’t trust him.

So I’ve got a few rules in mind when it comes to dealing with Lachlan Crow.

1. Keep a clear head and don’t get distracted.
2. Do what’s necessary and never forget why you’re there.
3. Never, and I mean never, fall for him.

Fourth and final rule?

Throw out the book altogether. Because the rules don’t apply when it comes to the Irish mafia.

It was only supposed to be temporary, but now Lachlan thinks he owns me. He says he’s not letting me go.

And I believe him.

***
Lachlan.

I don’t know who she is. I don’t know why she’s here.

But if it’s my attention she wants, she has it.

The Russians want her dead, and now it’s up to me to look out for her. This girl is trouble. A distraction I can’t afford.

So why have I already decided she’s mine?

I’ve claimed her and there’s no going back now.

This is a full-length standalone novel full of hot Irish bad boys with accents. Steamy and dark mafia themes throughout. HEA included.

BOSTON UNDERGROUND series

CROW | REAPER


HIGH STAKES (Vittorio Crime Family #1) by Vanessa Waltz

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There are a million reasons why I should stay away from Vincent Cesare.

This was supposed to be temporary. I was supposed to deal for his illegal card games and get some quick cash. That was it. I wasn’t supposed to fall for him.

Little by little, I see the monster grinning at me through the cracks in his pretty suit. He won’t tell me what he does, and I’m not sure I want to know. The darkness in his eyes terrifies me. He’s seduced me into his web of lies with his charm, and now I’m trapped in his life. He’s taken control over me without me even realizing…or resisting.

I’m in way over my head.

He promised that nothing would ever happen to me. The Vittorio family wants me dead and there’s only one person I can turn to. But what scares me is what I’ll have to do.

I’ll need to become his.

VITTORIO CRIME FAMILY series

HIGH STAKES | DOUBLE BLIND | END GAME | HIS WITNESS


FOOTSTEPS (The Pagano Family #1) by Susan Fanetti 

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Carlo Pagano Jr. is the eldest son of a large Italian-American family in Quiet Cove, Rhode Island. He’s a disappointment to his father but a hero to the young son he is raising alone, after his wife abandoned them.

Sabina Alonzo-Auberon is a beautiful Argentine native married to one of the most powerful and wealthy men in New England. Though James Auberon is highly esteemed, the power and glamour the world sees hide a darker reality that exists within the walls of their home. Sabina is trapped in a life of control and abasement, living with a man too powerful and vengeful to escape.

Sabina doesn’t wish to be rescued and whisked away on a white horse. She’s not looking for a fairy tale hero; she knows the fairy tale is a lie. She’s waiting for the chance to save herself. But she won’t turn down help if it comes.

A fateful meeting with Carlo brings Sabina the chance to break free and make a life on her own terms. If any name demands respect and strikes fear more than Auberon, it’s Pagano. Carlo’s uncles head one of the most powerful ‘families’ in the Northeast, and they will offer their help—for a price.

What begins as an offer of assistance deepens into an intense bond, but before Carlo and Sabina can be together, they must overcome the obstacles in their path.

Together Carlo and Sabina seek true and honest love, and freedom from the demons of their pasts, but no quest was ever without its trials.

THE PAGANO FAMILY SERIES

FOOTSTEPS | TOUCH | ROOTED | DEEP | PRAYER


MAFIA CAPTIVE by Kitty Thomas

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Faith Jacobson was in the wrong place at the wrong time. After witnessing a mob hit, she’s only moments from death when Angelo Raspallo decides to give his brother an unlikely gift. Leo has avoided involvement with the family business, but it doesn’t make him a saint. He’s troubled and ashamed by his darker sexual desires, one of which is to own a slave. But when his brother throws Faith at his feet, repainting the scenario to make Leo the hero rescuing her from certain death, his moral fortitude will be tested. If Faith were kinky, it would be easy to live out his fantasy, but she’s not. Not even a little bit. Even the mildest spanking sparks terror in her that Leo can’t bear. The gift soon becomes a burden as he fights with himself over how to handle the addition to his home. He could release her, but his brother doesn’t do loose ends. The only thing keeping her out of the bottom of the harbor is Leo’s mercy. She’s like a beautiful piece of art he keeps in a glass case but can never touch. Is possessing her enough?


ROUGH (Chicago Underground #1) by Skye Warren

GOODREADS | AMAZON (Currently FREE on Amazon)

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I’m a cautionary tale. A statistic. A victim. A single teenage mother from the poor part of town. Most of the time I’m too busy working and struggling to care what people think. Survival doesn’t come easy.

I have a dark secret, a pressure valve, a rare moment just for myself. On these nights I visit a club. There I find men who give me what I need. Men who aren’t afraid to take what they want.

Men like Colin.

But he takes more than a few stolen hours. He demands more than my body. He wants my heart and soul–my happily ever after. I never thought I’d be Cinderella. I never thought a man that rough could be my prince.

THE CHICAGO UNDERGROUND SERIES

ROUGH | HARD | FIERCE | WILD | DIRTY | SECRET | DEEP


BOUND BY HONOR (Born In Blood Mafia Chronicles #1) by Cora Reilly 

GOODREADS | AMAZON (Currently FREE on Amazon)

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Born into one of the leading Mob families in Chicago, Aria Scuderi struggles to find her own path in a world where no choices are given. Aria was only fifteen when her parents betrothed her to Luca – The Vice – Vitiello, the oldest son of the head of the New York Cosa Nostra to ensure peace between the two families.
Now with eighteen, the day Aria has been dreading for years is looming dangerously: her wedding to Luca.
Aria is terrified of marrying a man she hardly knows, especially someone like Luca who got his nickname ‘the Vice’ for crushing a man’s throat with his bare hands. Luca might be one of the most sought after men in New York thanks to his good looks, wealth and predator-like charisma that radiates power, but the society girls throwing themselves at him don’t know what Aria does: that the bad boy aura isn’t just a game; blood and death lurk beneath Luca’s striking gray eyes and arrogant smile.
In her world a handsome exterior often hides the monster within; a monster who can just as easily kill as kiss you.
The only way to escape the marriage to Luca would be to run away and leave everything she’s ever known behind but Aria can’t bear the thought of never seeing her family again.
Despite her fear, she decides to go through with the marriage; Aria has grown up among predators like Luca and knows that even most cold-hearted bastards have a heart and she has every intention of working her way into Luca’s.

Born In Blood Mafia Chronicles series

BOUND BY HONOR | BOUND BY DUTY | BOUND BY HATRED | BOUND BY TEMPTATION


HOLD YOU AGAINST ME (Stripped #4) by Skye Warren

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Once upon a time the daughter of a mafia king fell in love with a foot soldier.

This fairy tale didn’t have a happy ending.

My sister and I barely managed to escape alive, and we’ve lived in relative hiding ever since. I’m safe now, but I can never forget the boy who gave his life to save mine.

Except there’s a chance that he’s still alive. And he’s fighting a war.

Even knowing the risks, I have to find him. I have to find some way to protect him, the way he protected me. But he isn’t the boy I left behind. He’s a violent man. A criminal. And he’s been waiting for me—the final pawn in a dark game of survival and love.

DGR Top Fave: ★The Spiral Down★ by @AlyMartinezAuth

review-TSDTHE SPIRAL DOWN
Series: The Fall Up #2
Genre: MM Contemporary Romance
Author: Aly Martinez
Release Date: May 17, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

The Spiral Down

Standalone M/M romance.

I was afraid to fly.
He made me soar.

After years of climbing the ladder of success in the music industry, I finally had everything I could want.
Yet I still found myself wandering through life alone.

Captain Evan Roth was the one man I never saw coming.
Tall, dark, mysterious… Straight.

We were both damaged beyond repair and searching for something so elusive we weren’t sure it even existed.

But, when two broken souls collide in midair, falling is a given.

I just never expected to crave the spiral down.

Buy LinksAMAZONReview5 starsThe Spiral Down-DGR

This doesn’t make you gay, Evan. It just makes you mine.

Book slump officially over! #DoublePeenForTheWin

It’s no secret that I’m gaga for pretty much every Aly Martinez book that I read. There’s just something about her writing that simply clicks with me. She manages to create heroes that have me head over ovaries for them each and every single time. Henry Alexander was the lovable secondary character from The Fall Up that I absolutely fell in love with. When Aly announced she’ll be writing his book, I may or may not have done a pervy dance of excitement around my living room. What? This chick just happens to seriously love her some delicious MM, mkay?

But I digress. Henry Alexander has lived a hard life but now has everything he can ever desire; an amazing best friend that he sometimes performs with, a successful singing career, fame and fortune. Henry is also openly gay and happens to get his kicks by seducing straight men. There’s just something about that rush that does it for him, no matter how badly it ends at the end of the night…

Those forbidden encounters were a drug. And I was a junkie. The hunt of finding that perfect blend of brute masculinity and subtle curiosity.

One of the things I adored about this book was the banter. Man. The banter. It was amazing. With Henry neuroses and his fear of flying, I found myself giggling like a school girl at his antics though most of the book.

I swear to God, if you get us kicked off this flight, I will kill you. We have to get home. Take a deep breath, grab your fucking balls, and act like a man. It’s a flight. Not a death march.”
Another loud bang made me flinch. “What the hell was that?”
He sighed. “Man. Up.”
“I’d like to meet the pilot before we take off. Get his credentials and all. Maybe he’s willing to take a bribe.”

Fate has some irony in store for Henry, when the man that has a horrific fear of flying ends up lusting for a sexy pilot that just happens to be straight…or is he?

It wasn’t supposed to happen like that. But, for reasons lost on me, Evan could strip whatever disguise I attempted to hide behind. Fame, fortune, fear. He saw through them all.

TSD-DGRAly serves up some of the best sexual tension I have ever read with this book. Oh my GOD but it was utterly delicious. The very second that Henry and Evan appear in a scene together you can practically feel the crackle in the air. It was electrifying. The chemistry between them was instantaneous and just got better and better with every turn of the page.

Grasping his wrists, I pressed them to the wall on either side of him. He moaned, and I swear to God I tasted it. His pure, carnal need filled my senses.

Written in dual first person POV, you get equal time in both Henry and Evan’s heads and it just makes the story that much better.

Henry is the lovable goof to Evan’s dark brooding. Together they’re sheer magic. They balance each other out and the sexual chemistry between them is so hot, I swear to you I actually felt an electric shock each time I turned a page. The author did a perfect job balancing just the right amount of steam that it adds to the story as opposed to distracting from it. The character development was absolutely fantastic. I fell so hard for both of these guys.

I also loved the cameos from Sam and Levee. I adored the friendship between Levee and Henry in the previous book and it only manages to get better here.

Please don’t call it a penis. You know he prefers his formal title.”
“Yes. Sorry. I forgot. Please relay my apologies to Prince Everhard.”

The Spiral down was everything I had hoped it would be and so much more. It was emotional and angsty perfection. I was glued to the pages from beginning to finish with the biggest case of book butterflies I have had in a very long while. Evan and Henry were absolutely magnetic together. If you haven’t read anything by this amazing author yet, you’re seriously missing out. And if you haven’t yet read The Fall Up, I can’t recommend it enough. However, you may easily read The Spiral Down as a standalone.

Gay. Straight. Bi. None of them fit me the way “mine” did rolling off Henry’s tongue. Suddenly, it was the only label I’d ever wanted.


DON’T MISS THE FIRST BOOK IN THIS AMAZING SERIES!

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Spotlight, Author Interview & Giveaway with @authorerinwatt

Spotlight-Paper Princess

When was the last time you read a book that sucked you in so bad, you couldn’t put it down for even a second? I’m talking the worst kind of book crack kind of book. You know what I’m talking about here; the kind that will leave you shaking in withdrawal once you finish with your skin practically itching for the next fix? Oh yeah. That, dirty birds, was Paper Princess to me. I don’t remember the last time I read a book in quite literary one sitting. My kindle went with me everywhere. Hell, I’m surprised I only walked into a door and a wall twice considering I couldn’t be bothered to lift my nose from my book long enough to see where I’m going. So suffice it to say that ever since I finished, I’ve been going through the worst book hangover OF MY LIFE! And no I’m not being melodramatic or exaggerating even a little bad. It hurts, dammit!

So when I got the chance to chat with the super talented duo, Jen Frederick and Elle Kennedy; who are writing as Erin Watt and are the masterminds behind this little cracktastic masterpiece, of course I jumped at the chance. I couldn’t wait to pick their brain on all things Paper Princess, the Royals series, I may have also tried to bribe them an inner organ or two for an early release of Broken Prince (The Royals #2). Oh and if you missed it, you can find my 5 Star review of Paper Princess HERE.

Now without further ado, let’s get to the interview, shall we?


 

DGR: So, first things first, you both have some super addicting book series going individually, what made you decide to come together for this project?

EW: Deciding to work together was a spur of the moment thing that occurred after various emails back and forth. We started with football talk (serious business!) and it somehow turned into a mutual desire to write an over-the-top-omg-drama YA novel.

DGR: How did you come up with this pen name?

EW: We’re both huge football fans so the name is a tribute to our favorite players: Aaron Rodgers and J.J. Watt.

DGR: Now let’s just jump right into things, can you tell the readers about Paper Princess and The Royals series?

EW: The Royals series is a super angsty, drama-filled series that starts with our heroine Ella being plucked from a world where she’s fending for herself and deposited into the midst of a broken Royal family and a bunch of super-wealthy, snobby, image-driven teenagers. It’s YA Gossip Girl, Cruel Intentions and Mean Girls rolled up into one!

DGR: Now be honest, did you sit down and say to yourself, I’m going to write the literary equivalent of crack that will hook readers fast and quick and then leave them quivering messes while suffering from the worst kind of withdrawals known as the book hangover to beat all hangovers?!

EW: We knew this book was going to be fun to write, but we had no idea the effect it was going to have on our readers! We are considering putting together some sort of “#RuinedByRoyals” support group.

DGR: Side note; if I promise you my first born and a kidney, any chance you’ll release Broken Prince early? How about if I throw an ovary into that mix? No?

EW: You’d probably have a better chance if you offered puppies and famous athlete signed footballs, but sadly, no… 🙂

DGR: Back to business then, did you have any inspiration for the characters in Paper Princess?

EW: No, we didn’t have any particular actors or actresses in mind. We started with Ella and the characters grew from there.

 DGR: Did you have a favorite part to write about the book?

EW: Can we say all of it? LOL Pretty much any scene involving Reed and Ella was a joy to write.

DGR: I have to admit this was by far one of the most addicting and captivating books I’ve read in a long damn while. Was it just as fun to write as it was for me to read?

EW: We had a blast writing it! It was a mixture of wanting to pour everything we loved into the book, and the anticipation of seeing what the other person was going to write. We ended up writing it in about 2 weeks!

DGR: Are you closet sadists? Because that ending hurt like a mother, and I’m pretty sure you like knowing that, no?

EW: Our goal was never to make our readers suffer, but we definitely wanted them to feel. Whether it was cheering for Ella or getting mad at something someone did (stupid Jordan!), we wanted our readers to really be invested in the soap opera we were trying to create. Sorry for the hangover? 😉

DGR: Right now there’s 3 books listed for The Royals series; so will it be a trilogy or do you plan to write more?

EW: Right now the Royals is slated to be a trilogy, but we’ve already had numerous requests to expand on different characters, so who knows what lies ahead…

DGR: Now let’s talk about all things Royal: Callum, Easton, and the twins are very intriguing characters. They’re all equally unique and captivate the reader, any chance you’ll be giving the rest of the Royal boys a book?

EW: The great thing about the Royal men is they have so many layers. The problem is, everyone has their favorite. Elle is obsessed with Easton, while Jen is Team Reed all the way. We haven’t decided yet about who will get a book, because really… how do you even begin to choose?

DGR: I absolutely loved Ella. She’s such a firecracker yet she still maintains this vulnerability to her and she doesn’t take any shit from anyone. What’s your favorite part about Ella? How would you describe her to readers that haven’t met her yet?

EW: Ella’s tough! She’s a street-smart survivor who’s done what she had to do to get by. But she’s not hardened—she’s still a teenage girl trying to figure out herself and her new surroundings.

DGR: Now let’s just talk about the broody object of my obsession: Reed. Because GAH! Can you possibly write a more perfect alpha-hole? How would you describe Reed?

EW: Reed is complicated. He’s broken, distrustful, yet man enough to admit when he’s wrong and try to make things right. He’s also incredibly loyal, and dangerous to mess with. If you were to get in a fight, he’s the guy you’d want at your side.

DGR: Was there a part of the book that you struggled with or had a tough time writing?

EW: This was a dream project. From start to finish, it took about two weeks so no, there wasn’t any struggle in this story. We suppose the struggle was ending it, but we started the next one almost immediately after so even that wasn’t very tortuous.

DGR: If you had to describe The Royals to readers in 10 words or less, what would they be?

EW: Angst, Drama, OMG-The-Feels, No-It-Didn’t!, YA Goodness

DGR: But seriously though, what if I put the second ovary into the mix? Still no earlier book release?

EW: Um… No :p

DGR: Did you have a favorite character to write?

EW: Easton! He’s incredibly playful yet exasperating at the same time. He bounces between manic and destructive periods, but when he puts his mind to something, he’s getting his way. He’s also super cute.

DGR: If The Royals was ever made into a movie or a TV series, and let’s be honest here, that’d be one cracktastic and kickass series I’d love to watch! Who would be your dream cast? (I’d love to make a casting image board to go along with this answer)

EW: Goodness! What a great question. Reed could be played by a dark-haired Kellan Lutz. Gideon by Aaron Taylor-Johnson. The twins by Nathan Kress. Easton by Dylan O’Brien.

As for Ella, it would have to be a really special actress. J-Law? Emma Stone? Emma Watson? Chloe Moretz?

DGR: Alright, I think I’ve harassed you with enough questions 🙂 Anything you’d like to leave the readers with?

EW: Paper Princess is a roller coaster of emotions and events. You may want to have your chocolate handy 🙂 Happy Reading!


About The BookPaper Princess
Series: The Royals #1
Genre: YA/NA Romance
Author: Erin Watt
Release Date: April 4, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

The-Royals-Paper-Princess-cover-Erin-Watt-Elle-Kennedy-Jen-Frederick

From strip clubs and truck stops to southern coast mansions and prep schools, one girl tries to stay true to herself.

These Royals will ruin you…

Ella Harper is a survivor—a pragmatic optimist. She’s spent her whole life moving from town to town with her flighty mother, struggling to make ends meet and believing that someday she’ll climb out of the gutter. After her mother’s death, Ella is truly alone.

Until Callum Royal appears, plucking Ella out of poverty and tossing her into his posh mansion among his five sons who all hate her. Each Royal boy is more magnetic than the last, but none as captivating as Reed Royal, the boy who is determined to send her back to the slums she came from.

Reed doesn’t want her. He says she doesn’t belong with the Royals.

He might be right.

Wealth. Excess. Deception. It’s like nothing Ella has ever experienced, and if she’s going to survive her time in the Royal palace, she’ll need to learn to issue her own Royal decrees.

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Giveaway

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Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: ★The Enforcer★ by @Kele_Moon

The Enforcer-Blog Tour BannerTHE ENFORCER
Series: Untamed Hearts Book 3
Author: Kele Moon
Genre: Erotic Romance, Romantic Suspense
Release Date: March 22, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

The Enforcer Cover

They are the lost boys.

Sons of mafia mistresses expected to keep their fathers’ sins in the shadows. The lucky ones are forgotten.

Unfortunately for Valentino “Tino” Moretti, his brother Nova was too smart to be forgotten, and too valuable to risk when he resists a life of crime. So they punished Tino instead. Forced into the cruel world of the Sicilian Mafia at twelve, Tino was broken before he was old enough to know the man he was supposed to be. Now he’s what the mafia made him.

The enforcer.

A trained killer forbidden to love, but he did anyway. He’s loved Brianna all along.

Raw and beautiful, their romance was all consuming and far too dangerous. They were ripped apart a long time ago. It’s not until the borgata puts out a hit on her that Brianna falls back into Tino’s arms, churning up their dark past and unraveling all the Moretti brothers’ closely guarded secrets.

This isn’t the end of the story. It’s only the beginning, and it is brutal.

There’s a reason enforcers are considered too deadly to love.

“We have to be better than them. Stronger. Faster. Smarter. Lost boys have to fly.” ~Carlo Moretti, original lost boy 

The Enforcer-Now Live

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Review

READ MY FULL 5★ REVIEW HERE


 THE ENFORCER SPOTIFY PLAYLIST


UNTAMED HEARTS Series

 The Viper (Untamed Hearts Book 1 )

The Viper Cover

Marcos Rivera is a fighter. A gang member. Someone who has seen the dark side of humankind and survived. He has lost family and gained enemies. He has stolen cars and destroyed hearts, stripping one for money and the other for pleasure. His past is haunted and his future is bleak.

Until her.

Katie Foster is a high school history teacher. Smart, strong, and sexy. She is a woman Marcos shouldn’t want. Shouldn’t touch. Shouldn’t love. He met her in Garnet, a backwards, hick town that’s the last place in the world he wants to be, but he finds himself going back, all for a taste of the forbidden.

Katie represents all that is good in the world, and Marcos knows he’s nothing but trouble for her perfect life. He fights and he screws. He commits crimes and he breaks the rules. He will never change and he will never escape his gang lifestyle.

Or can he?

What happens when two different people from two very different walks of life risk it all by giving into the passion that threatens to consume both of them? Can a woman who only knows how to play it safe give her heart to a man who lives hard and loves harder?

Can she survive The Viper?

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 The Slayer (Untamed Hearts Book 2)

The Slayer Cover

To Chuito the apartment was a self-imposed prison for a lifetime of sins. To Alaine, the girl next door, it was salvation from her overbearing, religious father.

He was a devil.
She was an angel.

Two people who should’ve never met, let alone become friends, but it’s not until they give into the dangerous passion that’s been simmering under the surface for five years that things go to hell.

On the outside, Chuito ‘The Slayer’ Garcia is on top of the world. He’s successful. He’s wealthy. He’s a champion MMA fighter surrounded by friends who support him, but they don’t know what he was before he came to Garnet.

A gangster.

A thief.
An addict.
A murderer.

Now his past is churning up demons he can’t ignore. Chuito knows he needs to go back to Miami to end it, but there’s something holding him back, a single temptation he can’t resist before leaving.

Alaine.

She’s the one drug he can’t give up…even if it destroys them both.

“To me you’re coke. Fine. Smooth. Perfectly white. Very bad for me, but so fucking sexy I don’t give a shit. It’s worth going down for.” – Chuito Garcia

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Haven’t read Battered Hearts yet? Book 1 is now only $.99 or free on KU!
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Defying the Odds (Battered Hearts Book 1)

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Star Crossed (Battered Hearts Book 2)

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Crossing The Line (Battered Hearts Book 3)

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About the Author

Kele photo

A freckle-faced redhead born and raised in Hawaii, Kele Moon has always been a bit of a sore thumb and has come to enjoy the novelty of it. She thrives on pushing the envelope and finding ways to make the impossible work in her story telling. With a mad passion for romance, she adores the art of falling in love. The only rules she believes in is that, in love, there are no rules and true love knows no bounds.

So obsessed is she with the beauty of romance and the novelty of creating it, she’s lost in her own wonder world most of the time. Thankfully she married her own dark, handsome, brooding hero who has infinite patience for her airy ways and attempts to keep her grounded. When she leaves her keys in the refrigerator or her cell phone in the oven, he’s usually there to save her from herself. The two of them now reside in Florida with their three beautiful children, who make their lives both fun and challenging in equal parts—they wouldn’t have it any other way.

Author Links:

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DGR Top Fave & ARC Review: ★Paper Princess★ by @authorerinwatt

Review-Paper PrincessPaper Princess
Series: The Royals #1
Genre: YA/NA Romance
Author: Erin Watt
Release Date: April 4, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

The-Royals-Paper-Princess-cover-Erin-Watt-Elle-Kennedy-Jen-Frederick

From strip clubs and truck stops to southern coast mansions and prep schools, one girl tries to stay true to herself.

These Royals will ruin you…

Ella Harper is a survivor—a pragmatic optimist. She’s spent her whole life moving from town to town with her flighty mother, struggling to make ends meet and believing that someday she’ll climb out of the gutter. After her mother’s death, Ella is truly alone.

Until Callum Royal appears, plucking Ella out of poverty and tossing her into his posh mansion among his five sons who all hate her. Each Royal boy is more magnetic than the last, but none as captivating as Reed Royal, the boy who is determined to send her back to the slums she came from.

Reed doesn’t want her. He says she doesn’t belong with the Royals.

He might be right.

Wealth. Excess. Deception. It’s like nothing Ella has ever experienced, and if she’s going to survive her time in the Royal palace, she’ll need to learn to issue her own Royal decrees.

Buy LinksPRE-ORDER 

iBOOKS | AMAZON PAPERBACK

Review5 starsPaper Princess teaser

You should know whatever game you’re playing, you can’t win. Not against all of us.
If you leave now, you won’t be hurt. If you stay, we’ll break you so bad that you’ll be crawling away.”

Let’s talk about things that trigger my one-clicker for a second here, shall we?

Authors: we have a book that’s basically an angst filled love child of Cruel Intentions and Gossip Girl. There’s YA kind angst but with NA kind scenarios. There’s hate lust, an incredible tough as nails heroine, a bunch of sexy rich and entitled brothers that have enough issues to fill up Grand Canyon, a broody as hell alphahole hero that you’ll love to hate but secretly mainly love, and all of it is wrapped up in a story that’s more addicting than crack.

Me:

That about sum it up for you then? Good. Because if ever there was ever a book that was custom written for me, this is that book. At first the YA tag turned me away because I’m not a reader that enjoys YA. But the only thing YA about this book are the characters’ ages; the heroine is 17 and the setting is in high school. However, the events that take place are focused towards a more mature NA, which just happens to be my catnip.

Some kids dream of traveling the world, owning fast cars, big houses. Me? I want my own apartment, a fridge full of food, and a steady paying job, preferably one that’s as exciting as paste drying.

Ella Harper is exactly the kind of heroine I love to read about. She’s led a hard life in her young 17 years. Her mom may have been flighty and jumping from one boyfriend to the next all her life while struggling to support the both of them, but she’s all she’s ever known. Now that her mother has passed away, Ella has nothing and no one and struggles to make ends meet just to make it through high school so she can go on to college. When a man shows up at her school claiming to be her legal guardian and her father’s best friend, she’s rightful skeptical. But Callum is determined to help once he sees the way Ella’s been living and it’s not long before she arrives on the Royal doorstep much to the disgruntlement of Callum’s five sons.

The Royal boys are not what I expected. They don’t look like rich pricks in preppy clothes. They look like terrifying thugs who can snap me like a twig.

To say they’re not happy to see her, is an understatement. The Royals rule the school Ella now goes to and what they say goes. They’re determined not to go easy on the new girl, especially one that clearly doesn’t belong in their world. But Ella is no wilting wallflower. This girl gives as good as she gets and boy does that make for some entertaining reading.

This will never be my home. I don’t belong in splendor, I belong in squalor. That’s what I know. It’s what I’m comfortable with because squalor doesn’t lie to you. It’s not wrapped up in a pretty package. It is what it is.

This book was the perfect combination of angst with a slow burn of hate/lust all wrapped around an undercurrent of a slow burn sexual tension. Reed Royal is a character that you can’t help but love even while you love to hate him. He’s not nice to Ella, not at all, but yet the way that he’s written you can’t help but know there’s something beneath the surface of what he lets you see.; something dark and deep and you’re just itching to scratch at it to know what it is.
Paper Princess teaser-DGR

Here’s the deal,” he says. “My brother and father are off-limits to you. If you have an itch, you come to me. I’ll take care of it.

I absolutely devoured this book, and by devoured I mean I couldn’t put it down for even a second. It’s been a long while where a book has managed to suck me in as much as this one did. It’s filled with teenage angst and drama and characters that you can’t help but fall for. The authors did a phenomenal job creating these characters that are so real they practically jump off at the pages. I was enamored with the story. I was hooked on each page like a junky craving their next fix and angst just happens to be my drug of choice.
As for that ending? Well let’s just say I may or may not be rocking myself in a corner as we speak while I wait for July 25 to finally get here

Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: ★Finley★ by @EllaFrank2012

FINLEY banner Title: Finley
Author: Ella Frank
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance
Release Date: March 22nd, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

Finley-EllaFrank-CustomDesign-JayAheer2016-WM-Ebook-finalimage

It’s time to come home, Finn.

It’s been seven years since Daniel Finley left his hometown in Florida for the hustle and bustle of Chicago’s city life.

Since then, he’s worked hard for his position at the prestigious law firm Leighton & Associates, even when it’s caused distance and isolation from his family and friends. But that’s all about to change.

On his thirtieth birthday, he receives the one thing he never dared hope for. Something that was promised to him years earlier—a note. One simple sentence from the man he’s never been able to forget.

Six words will forever change the course of their lives.

Brantley Hayes has it all. Or so he thinks. When he first made the decision to take a job down in Florida, his family thought he was crazy. But, after years of living in the quiet beach town, he finally feels a sense of community. He’s surrounded himself with friends who are like family, has a job he loves, and owns a spectacular beachfront property that is his sanctuary.

Yet he still feels unfulfilled, as if a piece of the puzzle is missing, and he knows exactly which piece it is. On an impulse, he follows through with a promise he made years earlier. A promise to call home the one he sent away.

Nothing is as simple as it seems.

After years of separation, the former lovers are reunited, but Brantley wasn’t expecting to encounter the high walls now guarding Daniel’s heart.
Daniel may not be the same person he was when he left, but he knows that the first step to healing is the note in his hand.

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Finley-teaser3-jayAheer2016Excerpt

BRANTLEY KEPT A discreet eye on the final student to leave for the morning as Mr. Finley strode down the stairs to the front of the classroom. They were three weeks into the semester and he was ashamed to admit that, with every day that passed, his fascination with the young man grew.At first, he’d tried to convince himself that it was purely academic. The kid was smart. He’d aced all the weekly quizzes, and Brantley was more than aware of the way he watched him lecture with keen, intelligent eyes that never strayed from him.

Oh, he was fascinated, all right, but he made sure to tell himself at the end of every class that it had nothing to do with the mischievous grin Daniel would flash at his friends or the easygoing laugh that would bubble up out of him at any given moment. But he knew he was lying. Daniel was quite possibly the happiest person he’d ever met, and his joy of life lit up the room and everyone in it. Including him.

When Daniel stopped in front of him and dropped his paper on the desk, Brantley acknowledged him with a glance before returning his gaze back to the notes he was going over.

“Any big plans this weekend, Professor?”

The question had been so unexpected that he didn’t think to catch himself before he replied, “Nothing too big. Just going out with some friends. You?”

Daniel smiled at him as he shoved his arms through the loops of his backpack, and Brantley couldn’t help but look at his shirt as it stretched across his broad chest.

“I’m going to hit the beach. Such great waves right now.”

“Ahh, you like to surf. That explains it.”

When the side of Daniel’s mouth crooked up, the effect was charming as hell. The kid was a knockout.

“Explains what?”

Annoyed that he’d made such a stupid slipup, he looked back at the papers in front of him, hoping Daniel would get the message and leave. No such luck.

“Explains what?” he asked again.

Brantley sighed and rested his arms on the desk as he studied Daniel’s inviting face. “It explains your hair.”

“My—oh,” he said, touching the ends of it. “Do you like it?”

Stunned by the direct question, he sat back in his chair and fought the smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Do I like your hair?”

“Yeah.

“Does it matter?” Jesus, fuck. Stop it. Stop flirting with him.

But it was too late. Daniel put his hands on the desk and leaned forward, Brantley toed the ground, shoving his chair back.

“It could…”

“No. No, it couldn’t,” he said as he got to his feet, shaking his head.

Daniel straightened and tucked his thumbs into the straps of his backpack, no doubt to taunt him. His eyes were too knowing for someone his age, and when they held his longer than was acceptable, Brantley’s heart skipped a couple of beats.

“Was there something else, Mr. Finley?”

“You said you were going out with friends this weekend…”

Shit, did I? “Yes, that’s right.”

As Daniel ran his thumb down the left strap of his bag, he admonished himself for noticing every little move he made. He needed to get a fucking hold of himself.

“Are any of them more than a friend?”

If he hadn’t been watching Daniel quite so closely, he wouldn’t have believed the words that had just come out of his mouth. But he had been. So he did.

“I don’t believe that’s any of your business. You better hurry or you’ll miss your next class.”

Satisfied that he’d firmly dismissed Daniel, he sat down and made a show of focusing on the books lining his desk and didn’t dare look and see if he had left this time or not. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if he was still standing there.

He reached up to adjust his tie, which suddenly felt a little too tight around his neck, and with each passing second that he was consciously not checking to see if he was alone, he swore that it was getting tighter.

“Professor Hayes?”

His head snapped up at his name, and when Daniel had his attention, he continued.

“Are you gay?”

Brantley’s eyes widened, and he wondered how his mouth hadn’t fallen open at the blunt question. Instead, he went with, “Excuse me?”

“I asked if you were—”

“I heard what you said. But I don’t see how that is any business of yours, either. You should think before you speak, Mr. Finley. I’m your teacher, and it’s time for you to leave. This conversation is over.” He flipped open one of the books on his desk and shook his head. He couldn’t believe the audacity of the kid—or the fact that he was so damn forthright. As he sat there, grinding his teeth in an effort not to look at his student—who was still standing in front of his desk—a bead of sweat ran down his collar and he cursed the fact that his nerves were getting the better of him.

“I only asked because, well, I am too. And I thought it would be nice to have someone to talk to.”

Well, hell. He couldn’t fault him for that. The only problem was…talking wasn’t what sprang to mind when he was around Daniel Finley.

He clasped his hands on the desk and stared into the anxious face peering down at him. Daniel was worrying his lower lip with his teeth, and he suddenly looked very much the young man he was.

“Are you?” he asked again, and there was no way he could deny that hesitant curiosity.

“Yes, Daniel. I am.”

As his words drifted between them, Daniel’s mouth slipped into a smile. “Oh.”

Brantley laughed at that. He wasn’t sure what Daniel was thinking right then. He’d thought for sure with the way he’d been looking at him earlier that, if he’d admitted this, he would be fending off—or at least putting up a good show of fending off—an unwanted pass. But, instead, Daniel appeared thoughtful.

“Does that bother you?”

Daniel adamantly shook his head. “No.”

“Are you sure?” he pressed, and the look that entered Daniel’s eyes then was so hot that he thought he may overheat.

“Yes. I’m very sure.”

Oh, fuck. Okay. Where the hell did the nervous guy disappear to? One minute, Daniel was endearingly awkward, and the next, he was looking at him like he wanted to strip him out of his clothes and—“Stop right there,” he said, and he wasn’t sure if he was telling himself that or the contradiction eyeing him with newfound knowledge. “Whatever you’re thinking, stop thinking it.”

“Why?”

Yep, he was fucked. That wasn’t a word he generally used, but in this case, he was well and truly fucked. He should’ve just stuck to the runalongnow speech.

“Because I’m your teacher.”

“This isn’t high school. I’m an adult.”

He sighed. “That may be true. But I’m your professor and this conversation is inappropriate.”

“How? I just asked if you were gay and you said yes. I don’t see what the problem is.”

When Daniel aimed a mischievous grin at him, Brantley knew he was very aware of what the problem was.

“Out,” he said, pointing to the door. “Time to leave, Mr. Finley.”

This time, he made sure to watch Daniel so he knew he was actually leaving. He walked to the door, but at the last minute, he turned around to look back at him. Not willing to back down and show weakness, Brantley kept his eyes on his student as Daniel ran his tongue along his lower lip.

“You should call me Finn. Everyone else does.”

Christ. The kid was going to drive him to an early grave, but damn if he didn’t laugh at his audacity.

“Out,” he said again, and this time Daniel pushed out the door and disappeared into the hall.

Copyright © 2016 Ella Frank

Book Trailer

Review5 starsFinley-DGRteaser

Their past and present collided spectacularly, and as they collapsed onto the rug in a tangle of arms and legs, he wondered if they would ever be able to disentangle themselves long enough to find a new place to begin.


Did you know that Ella Frank is an ovary whisperer? It’s true. The woman can make them rev from 0 to 60 in just one chapter and keep them roaring the entire book.
And if there’s one thing that I’ve come to love from her it’s her incredibly sexy MM that she somehow manages to pack full of so much feeling, it practically jumps off the pages at you. And this book? This fantastically written, utterly unputdownable book may be my favorite book by her yet. I never thought I’d say this, but Finley and Brantley took my number one spot from Tate and Logan, and let me just tell you that I LOVED Tate and Logan.

And since we’re on the subject of Tate and Logan, while those that read The Temptation series with remember Daniel Finley, this book is a spin off and a full standalone. You don’t have to have read Temptation to enjoy this, but I highly recommend you do because it’s so worth the read. Now onto the review…

Daniel Finley is a successful Chicago attorney. He’s left behind his home and everything he knew to make it in the Windy City, and he’s certainly earned his success. But there’s always been something missing for him, and when he gets a note from someone in his past that he’s never forgotten or gotten over, he doesn’t think twice before packing his stuff and taking a vacation to his home town where everything started…

Brantley Hayes is a successful professor, but seven years ago he watched his heart leave with the man that still holds it. The years have done nothing to diminish those feelings, but he also knows that it’s done nothing to diminish Finley’s anger over how everything went down as well. But now Finley is back, and their time together may be on a timer, but Brantley knows that he’ll take anything for another chance. Daniel is not the same young man he left, he’s guarded, jaded, angry, and a whole lot more potent than he remembers. But that only serves to make the tension and chemistry between them that much hotter.

I want you. And I’m selfish enough to keep you for as long as you let me.”

The chemistry between Daniel and Brantley was palpable, as was their emotional connection. I absolutely loved the way that Ella Frank managed to flawlessly weave very well times flashbacks to work with the story. I’m a picky reader when it comes to flashbacks and I can easily say the way they were written here was my absolute favorite. They were well paced and perfectly timed to work with the story and drive the plot.

I adored Daniel and Brantley together. I loved the flip of their roles considering they first met as professor and student and Brantley was the more experienced one. That’s not to say Daniel ever paled in comparison. Oh no! He was just as dominant, but a lot more easy going and flirty in nature. The Daniel of today is…intense…to say the least and man did I gobble that up!

Now I’m right back where I was before I left.”
“And where’s that?”
“Tangled up in you,” he whispered against his ear. “It’s always been you.”

This book had everything I love in a romance; a touch of angst, emotion, and enough sizzle to set your kindle on fire! It was perfection with two of the most endearing alpha males I’ve read in a while. It was swoony and sexy and totally addicting. I tried to pace myself because I simply didn’t want it to end. I only hope Ella continues this (possible series?) with a secondary character she introduced in this book because I NEED IT!!!

About the Author

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Ella Frank is the author of the #1 Bestselling Temptation series, including Try, Take, and Trust and is the co-author of the fan-favorite erotic serial, A Desperate Man. Her Exquisite series has been praised as “scorching hot!” and “enticingly sexy!”

A life-long fan of the romance genre, Ella writes contemporary and erotic fiction and lives with her husband in Portland, OR.  You can reach her on the web at www.ellafrank.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ella.frank.author

Some of her favorite authors include Tiffany Reisz, Kresley Cole, Riley Hart, J.R. Ward, Erika Wilde, Gena Showalter, and Carly Philips.

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DGR Top Fave Review & Giveaway: ★The Enforcer★ by @Kele_Moon

The Enforcer-ReviewDGRTHE ENFORCER
Series: Untamed Hearts Book 3
Author: Kele Moon
Genre: Erotic Romance, Romantic Suspense
Release Date: March 22, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

The Enforcer Cover

They are the lost boys.

Sons of mafia mistresses expected to keep their fathers’ sins in the shadows. The lucky ones are forgotten.

Unfortunately for Valentino “Tino” Moretti, his brother Nova was too smart to be forgotten, and too valuable to risk when he resists a life of crime. So they punished Tino instead. Forced into the cruel world of the Sicilian Mafia at twelve, Tino was broken before he was old enough to know the man he was supposed to be. Now he’s what the mafia made him.

The enforcer.

A trained killer forbidden to love, but he did anyway. He’s loved Brianna all along.

Raw and beautiful, their romance was all consuming and far too dangerous. They were ripped apart a long time ago. It’s not until the borgata puts out a hit on her that Brianna falls back into Tino’s arms, churning up their dark past and unraveling all the Moretti brothers’ closely guarded secrets.

This isn’t the end of the story. It’s only the beginning, and it is brutal.

There’s a reason enforcers are considered too deadly to love.

“We have to be better than them. Stronger. Faster. Smarter. Lost boys have to fly.” ~Carlo Moretti, original lost boy

 Buy LinksAmazon US | Amazon UK | Loose ID 

I was utterly obsessed with everything about this book, but what truly made the experience was reading it along with this incredible playlist! If you want an extra punch in the feels, you need to check it out!

 THE ENFORCER SPOTIFY PLAYLIST


Review5 starsThe Enforcer-teaser 1

Together they were like a firework.
Beautiful in the night. A dusty smear of ash in the morning when reality crashed in and ruined the high. They just weren’t ever meant to be more than one brief, amazing explosion of memories that should’ve been enough to sustain them. But it hadn’t been. Not even close.

Powerful.
Emotional.
Gut wrenching.
All consuming.
Gritty.
And so raw it’ll make your heart bleed.


I say this each and every time I finish a book by Kele Moon, but unbelievably she only continues to get better and better. And that’s saying a lot considering how much I loved The Slayer. But Tino’s book? This was something else entirely. Kele truly takes you to the dark and violent underbelly of the New York mafia. She spares no details. None. You’ll read it with your gut twisted and your heart in your throat the entire time just like I did.

Prepare for much darker undertones than the previous books. Tino’s story is not for the faint of heart. It’s incredibly gritty and at times almost unbearably difficult to read. There are no parts that the author glazes over. When she gives you a story, she gives you everything.

I fucking love you, Brianna…
I wouldn’t just bleed for you… I’d bleed motherfuckers out for you.”

The Enforcer -Teaser4In case you didn’t know already, The Enforcer will be part 1 of 2, and with good reason. Tino’s story is not one that could be told in two books, nor should it be. I think it would almost be too much to handle. There is not one small dose of filler here. Each tiny detail is a plot driver and I am beyond blown away at the forethought this author gives every single one of her characters. If you want my advice, you’ll appreciate it so much more if you read the series this was a spin-off from, Battered Hearts.

The Enforcer will take you back to the very beginning. To the years when Tino, Nova and Romeo were just small boys. It will take you step by devastating step through the events that made them into the men that they are today. It will tell the story of how Tino and Brianna met. It’s incredibly powerful and easily one of the best books I’ve read not only from Kele but period.

I don’t remember the last time a book effected me on such a visceral level, but I swear I felt this in my bones, my blood, my very being. These characters are so real to me, and I’m beyond invested in their stories. I cannot wait for you all to fall in love with Tino even more, just like I did.

The Enforcer takes you back to the very beginning. To the days and the events that set everything in motion and what made Tino and Nova Moretti into the men that they are today. There are parts that will gut you; there are parts that will make you laugh, and through all of it you’ll be glued to the pages unable to focus on anything else.

Gino’s story was equal parts tragic and beautiful; tragic in terms what he’s been trhgouh and beautiful in terms of his love for Brianna. I cannot describe to you just how much this man loves Brianna. He’d do anything for her; sacrifice anything…even his own happiness to make sure she’s safe. Young Tino was a gut wrenching to read about. His story is so tragically brutal. He yearns for a different life but he lives in a nightmare of his father’s making…
The enforcer -teaser3Kele did such an incredible job navigating the reader through the years. So much so that you feel everything right along with the characters and by the time you get to the end, you’re yearning for their HEA as much as they are. God, it was amazing!

Their love had been wild, unpredictable, and so unbelievably raw and sensual it would likely never stop haunting her.

The Enforcer-teaser 2I adored Brianna. She’s such strong heroine but in an understated way. She truly understands Tino and everything that he is and accept and love him in spite of it. She’s the perfect match for his light and especially his dark sides.

I love you. Please remember that, okay?”
“I know….
I know, baby. It’s okay. I’m good…
I’m strong, remember?”
He did remember. So he fucked the shit out of her.
Hard. Angry.


You get not only Tino and Bri here; you get more Chu, a whole lot more Nova and a few other secondary characters that will capture your hearts.

Prepare for one hell of an emotional rollercoaster. This is a book you don’t just read you experience it.

Never forget that. You take from whores. Use them. Don’t love them”
“Why?”
“‘Cause they’re love starved. They’ve been hurt and beaten for so fucking long they are desperate for kindness. Love them, really love them, and they’ll die for you. They’ll bleed for you.

One of the best books I’ve read all year. If you haven’t yet discovered the talent that is Kele Moon, you are seriously missing out. This series is an absolute must read for any lovers of true anti-heroes with hearts of gold. I can’t recommend it enough!

Learn to fight your own battles. We have to be better than them. Stronger. Faster. Smarter. Lost boys have to fly.”


ARC provided by author


UNTAMED HEARTS Series

 The Viper (Untamed Hearts Book 1 )
The Viper Cover
Marcos Rivera is a fighter. A gang member. Someone who has seen the dark side of humankind and survived. He has lost family and gained enemies. He has stolen cars and destroyed hearts, stripping one for money and the other for pleasure. His past is haunted and his future is bleak.

Until her.

Katie Foster is a high school history teacher. Smart, strong, and sexy. She is a woman Marcos shouldn’t want. Shouldn’t touch. Shouldn’t love. He met her in Garnet, a backwards, hick town that’s the last place in the world he wants to be, but he finds himself going back, all for a taste of the forbidden.

Katie represents all that is good in the world, and Marcos knows he’s nothing but trouble for her perfect life. He fights and he screws. He commits crimes and he breaks the rules. He will never change and he will never escape his gang lifestyle.

Or can he?

What happens when two different people from two very different walks of life risk it all by giving into the passion that threatens to consume both of them? Can a woman who only knows how to play it safe give her heart to a man who lives hard and loves harder?

Can she survive The Viper?

Buy LinksAmazon US | Amazon UK | Loose Id | All Romance Ebooks | B&N


 The Slayer (Untamed Hearts Book 2)

The Slayer CoverTo Chuito the apartment was a self-imposed prison for a lifetime of sins. To Alaine, the girl next door, it was salvation from her overbearing, religious father.

He was a devil.
She was an angel.

Two people who should’ve never met, let alone become friends, but it’s not until they give into the dangerous passion that’s been simmering under the surface for five years that things go to hell.

On the outside, Chuito ‘The Slayer’ Garcia is on top of the world. He’s successful. He’s wealthy. He’s a champion MMA fighter surrounded by friends who support him, but they don’t know what he was before he came to Garnet.

A gangster.

A thief.
An addict.
A murderer.

Now his past is churning up demons he can’t ignore. Chuito knows he needs to go back to Miami to end it, but there’s something holding him back, a single temptation he can’t resist before leaving.

Alaine.

She’s the one drug he can’t give up…even if it destroys them both.

“To me you’re coke. Fine. Smooth. Perfectly white. Very bad for me, but so fucking sexy I don’t give a shit. It’s worth going down for.” – Chuito Garcia

Buy LinksAmazon US | Amazon UK | Loose Id | All Romance Ebooks | B&N


Giveaway

The Enforcer is quite easily one of my most favorite books I’ve ever read. Period. And when I find a gem like this, I have to shout it from the rooftops. So I want to give a chance for one lucky follower to win an ebook of this incredible book. You can enter the GIVEAWAY on my Facebook page HERE.

★DGR’s Ultimate List of Second-Chance Romance★

DGR-Ultimate list of second-chance romance

Let’s talk second chance love and all the reasons why this particular read loves it…

Angst? Check! a grovel oftentimes being one of the best I’ll read? Double check!

There’s plenty of reasons I love this particular trope, but not all second chance romances are cut from the same cloth. Some are swoony, some are rip your hair out angsty. Luckily, I’ve been able to compile (what I think) is a balanced combination of both! As always, the books on this list are those that I have personally read and loved. If there are any favorites that you see missing, please drop me a rec in comments! I love to hear from you guys and you know I love me my book recs <3

If you’re new to my blog, this a monthly feature I do on the last Saturday of each month! Check out the previous features here:

★ULTIMATE LIST OF DIRTY TALKERS★

★ULTIMATE LIST OF ROCK STARS★

★ULTIMATE LIST OF FIGHTERS★

★ULTIMATE LIST OF ANTI-HEROES★

★ULTIMATE LIST OF HATE TO LOVE ROMANCE★


But now, without further ado, let’s get to my list. These are in no particular order…


WILD CARD by Lora Leigh

AMAZON | GOODREADS

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It was supposed to be simple. All Navy SEAL Nathan Malone had to do was rescue three young girls from a Colombia drug cartel, then allow himself to be captured just long enough to draw out a government spy. That was before his mission went disastrously wrong…and before his wife, Bella, was told that Nathan was never coming home.

Bella’s mourned her husband’s death for three long years. But she has no idea he’s still alive. Forced to assume a new identity, the man Nathan was is now dead. If he can get back to his wife, can he keep the secret of who he really is…even as desire threatens to consume them? And as danger threatens to tear Bella from Nathan’s arms once more?

What kind of list would it be without my very first erotic romance book? It also just so happens that it had the delicious second chance love romance in the shape of husband coming back form the land of the dead to woo his wife back while pretending to be another man. Is your head spinning yet? Don’t worry, it’s not as complex as I make it sound. But if you like uber alphas and super hot sex with dirty talk galore all wrapped around a second chance romance I’m not sure why you haven’t read this book yet!


LOVELY TRIGGER by R.K. Lilley

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“Love doesn’t let you walk away clean. Love is messy. Love takes a fucking piece of you before it’s done.”

Sweet mother of angst! I have no freaking idea how I survived this trilogy with even half my sanity intact…. or did I? *babbles incoherently*

But seriously though, it’s not often that a trilogy manages to suck me in as much as this one had. My book ADD typically kicks in right around book two with a major case of feeling-like-book-filleritis. But something about this one just worked for me. The angst, the hate, the lies, all of it built up into this amazing conclusion of one hell of a second chance romance! If you haven’t met Tristan and Danika yet, you’re in for one hell of a ride!


A HUSBAND’S REGRET by Natasha Anders

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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Revenge, they said was a dish best served cold. He’d been waiting for two years. And how much sweeter the payback would be no that he had her very firmly within his grasp. 

OK, so this is not your typical second chance romance because the hero isn’t exactly groveling back right away. Let’s just say there are some assumptions and he wants revenge on his wife that he kicked out two years ago. But when he finally understands the enormity of his mistake? Second chance grovel goodness!

 

 


BELONG TO ME by Shayla Black

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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She’d never required someone for her next breath the way she did Logan in that moment. God, she’d been hoping to bring them both closure, but now he felt like a part of her… so necessary to her existence.

Uber and super possessive alphas, BDSM, and a hot lot of smexy? This series has it. Belong To Me was probably my favorite in the series and two words why: Second. Chance.

The main couple were high school sweethearts that were torn apart by a dangerous secret, to be reunited as adults. Yumminess ensues.

 


UNLAWFUL CONTACT by Pamela Clare

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“No, Hunt, it’s simple. If right now is all we have, if this is all we get, then I’ll grab it with both hands and take all I can.”

Firstly, if you haven’t met Marc “Hunt” Hunter, you haven’t lived. No really. Trust me on that.

Sophie and Hunt were childhood sweethearts. She was the good girl, he was the elusive bad boy. Now he’s the elusive escaped convicted murderer that’s taken her hostage. Sound delicious? Because it totally is!

 


NO CHANCE by Christy Reece

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“Sometimes she wondered if those who felt too deeply were the ones who, when hurt, shut down their emotions even tighter than others.”

If you’re a fan of steamy romantic suspense, you need to read Christy’s Last Chance Rescue series. No Chance is book 4 in the series, but it’s easily read as a standalone. I highly recommend reading the entire series because I loved it!

Here’s the book blurb to entice you further:

DO OR DIE

Skylar James told a lie to the man she married, and eight years later she still bitterly regrets the deception. Unknown to Skylar, her husband, Gabe Maddox, now lives in the dangerous shadows of elite operatives who rescue victims. When Skylar tries to save a naïve young beauty, kidnappers come after her. For Gabe, Skylar had been his last shot at trust and love. But news of her disappearance battens down his anger and launches him into action. Saving Skylar is Gabe’s only chance for peace and his last chance for happiness.


THE DARKEST HOUR by Maya Banks

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“She laid her head against his collarbone, and he kissed her temple. To her shock, she felt a shudder roll through his body about the same time she registered wetness against her skin. Tears. His tears.
She started to turn around, but he tightened his grip.
“Stay,” he said in a choked voice. “Just let me hold you, baby. Just let me hold you.”

A wife he believed is dead for a year is very much alive and ex-Navy SEAL Ethan Kelly will stop at nothing to get her back. But when he does, the battle for her heart and memories might be even harder than the battle to rescue her! What a swoony read this was. Don’t expect Maya’s typical erotic romance with this, because this was more mild on that scale. But boy the feels of it all!


NOW AND THEN by Mira Lyn Kelly

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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There was something primal about the way he felt with her. It was unreasonable. Irrational. And he didn’t fucking care, because that feeling was so good, the only thing that mattered was making sure he got more.

Does the title not give it away? Because it totally should! If you haven’t read the fun and steamy Dare to Love series by Mira Lyn Kelly, then get yourself some. The book before this one was a great friends-to-lovers! And each book is easily read as a standalone.

 

 


There’s one author that’s given me plenty of favorite second chance romances and that’s Kristen Ashley. I should really just dedicate a list just for her…


 

GOLDEN TRAIL by Kristen Ashley

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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Tanner Layne and Raquel Merrick fell in love young, hard and fast and both of them knew a beautiful life they thought would be forever.

Until Rocky left Layne, no explanation, no going back.

Layne escapes The ‘Burg only to come back years later because his ex-wife has hooked herself to the town jerk and Layne needs to make sure his sons get raised right. Layne manages to avoid Rocky but when Layne gets three bullets drilled into him while investigating a dirty cop, he can’t do that because Rocky stops avoiding Layne. They make a deal to work together to expose the dirty cop but they have no idea the strength of their enduring attraction or the sheer evil at work in The ‘Burg.

As Tanner Layne and Raquel Merrick play their game and dance around the pull that draws them together, Layne has to discover the dark secrets buried so deep in Rocky’s heart she doesn’t even know they’re there at the same time untangle a sinister web of crime so abhorrent it has to be stopped… at all costs.

And to do it, Layne has to enlist everyone, including his ex-CIA mentor, Rocky’s detective brother, the town’s unpredictable informant and Layne’s two teenage sons all the while stopping Rocky from doing something crazy and keeping their game secret so Layne won’t get himself dead.


PLAY IT SAFE by Kristen Ashley

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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No connections. Play it safe. These were the rules Ivey lived her life by.

Until she hit Mustang, Colorado, a perfectly imperfect town where the citizens were welcoming and one of them included the tall, beautiful, macho man rancher cowboy, Grayson Cody.

On the run for a decade, Ivey knew she was supposed to play it safe. But she was tired of being on the run. She wanted a normal. She wanted real. She wanted a home.

And she wanted Grayson Cody.

And Grayson Cody wanted Ivey.

No one who looked at them couldn’t see they belonged together. There was one man in this world for Ivey and one woman in this world for Grayson Cody.

So they fell in love.

But just as quickly as they fell together, they were betrayed and torn apart. Separated for years, Ivey was certain her life would not include her rancher cowboy. Until the town of Mustang reached out to her when Gray was in trouble. Even though she thought he broke her heart, she charged in to help. Then Gray and Ivey discovered they were betrayed and, not only that, Gray had an enemy who would stop at nothing to defeat him.


CREED by Kristen Ashley

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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Way too young, eleven year old Tucker Creed and his six year old neighbor, Sylvie Bissenette, find they have something awful in common. Creed then decides he’s going to do everything in his limited power to shield his Sylvie from her ordeal. So he does and Creed and Sylvie form a bond that grows and blossoms with their ages.

They plot to leave their lives behind, the town they live in that will hold them down and the histories they share that, unless they break free, will bury them. Sylvie goes to their special place, Creed never shows and she doesn’t see him again until it’s too late.

With Creed gone, Sylvie is forced to endure a nightmare and do the unspeakable to end it. To deal, she develops a hard shell with sharp edges that very few can break through. So when Creed again finds his Sylvie, he discovers the girl he loved is locked away and he has to find his way back into her heart without getting shredded in the process.


ROCK CHICK RECKONING by Kristen Ashley

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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Stella’s the lead singer and lead guitarist of The Blue Moon Gypsies and Stella used to be Mace’s girl. Mace broke up with her, though, and the loss of him rocked her world. But Stella gets a call, late at night (again) from one of the members of her crazy band. She has to go play clean up (again) and runs into Mace and a shed load of police, and ends up getting shot.

Mace finds he doesn’t like it much that his ex-girlfriend got shot right in front of him but it’s worse. A very bad man has thrown down the gauntlet and all the Rock Chicks are in the firing line. Stella doesn’t want Mace to be the one to keep her alive, but she has no choice. Mainly because Mace isn’t giving her one.

 


WALK THROUGH FIRE by Kristen Ashley (and holy ugly cry, batman!)

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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The flame never dies . . .

Millie Cross knows what it’s like to burn for someone. She was young and wild and he was fierce and even wilder-a Chaos biker who made her heart pound. They fell in love at first sight and life was good, until she learned she couldn’t be the woman he needed and made it so he had no choice but to walk away. Twenty years later, Millie’s chance run-in with her old flame sparks a desire she just can’t ignore. And this time, she won’t let him ride off . . .

Bad boy Logan “High” Judd has seen his share of troubles with the law. Yet it was a beautiful woman who broke him. After ending a loveless marriage, High is shocked when his true love walks back into his life. Millie is still gorgeous, but she’s just a ghost of her former self. High’s intrigued at the change, but her betrayal cut him deep-and he doesn’t want to get burned again. As High sinks into meting out vengeance for Millie’s betrayal, he’ll break all over again when he realizes just how Millie walked through fire for her man…


And now back to regularly scheduled programming with the rest of my list!


REKINDLE THE FLAME by Kate Meader

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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Nine years on, and nothing had changed. Beck Rivera was still the boy who heated her from the inside out….

Don’t let the slightly cheesy cover fool you, this book is super steamy and super fun! If you follow my reviews, you already know my love for this author. If you’re looking for a taste before you jump into her entire backlist, this novella is the way to go 😉

Did I mention the hero is a smokin’ hot fire fighter? No pun intended. Ha! Who am I kidding? It totally was

 

 


FIGHTING TO BREATHE by Aurora Rose Reynolds

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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I wanted her fifteen years ago, and I still fucking want her now. There isn’t a single part of me that doesn’t know she’s my future…

Aurora Rose Reynolds is a total guilty pleasure read for me. Her uber OTT alphas and swoony and sexy romances seem to hit the spot for me every time. They’re nothing crazy and the stories aren’t exactly something I haven’t read before…and yet? They seem to do it for me every time.

 

 


UNTIL LILLY by Aurora Rose Reynolds

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“I’m going to make you fall in love with me again.”

This has to be one of my favorite books by this author to date. While it’s book 3 in her Until series, it’s also easily read as a standalone. Nothing like those Mayson brothers and their Boom. If you want a good dose of sexy alpha, this is a go-to.

 

 

 

 


ONE MORE SHOT by Victoria Denault

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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Hockey was the only thing in my life that made me feel right. It used to be hockey and Jessie, but then I lost Jessie. It had been hockey and only hockey ever since.

Hot hockey player? Check! Friends to lovers turned second chance romance? Check! Angst? Check and double freaking check!

 

 

 

 


FISHER’S LIGHT by Tara Sivec

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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I’m going to fix this. I have to fix this… I hate every moment that I’m away from her, but I will do whatever it takes to find the man she once loved and bring him back to her.

Oh the swoons! Oh the feels! Oh mylanta! Gawd but this book packed a hell of punch…straight to the mother effin feels! I adored every single wonderful page of it. The hero is suffering from crippling PTSD and the crumbling of his marriage to his beloved wife. Now he wants to fight like hell to get his woman back and he’ll stop at nothing for that second chance.


How about some rockstar second chance romances now? You can never go wrong with rockstars!


FOREVER MY GIRL by Heidi McLaughlin

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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I was never supposed to be a rock star. I had my life all planned out for me. Play football in college. Go to the NFL. Marry my high school sweetheart and live happily ever after.

I broke both our hearts that day when I told her I was leaving. I was young. I made the right decision for me, but the wrong decision for us. I’ve poured my soul into my music, but I’ve never forgotten her. Her smell, her smile.

And now I’m going back.

After ten years.

I hope I can explain that after all this time.

I still want her to be my forever girl.


ROCK HARD by Olivia Cunning

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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An ultimatum can break your heart…

Every night lead singer, Sed Lionheart whips thousands of women into a frenzy with his voice alone. But the stage is the only place Sed feels any passion since he lost Jessica…

If you’re not willing to break all the rules…

It shattered her heart, but law student Jessica broke off her engagement to Sed, determined to be successful on her own terms. But no other man can ever hold a candle to Sed…

Then a chance meeting and tortuously close quarters lead to uncontrollable flares of passion and rediscovery of their unique penchant for public encounters. Now, in addition to the risk of mutual heartbreak every time they get together, they’re in danger of truly scandalous public exposure…


TORN FROM YOU by Nashoda Rose

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Love is like an avalanche. It hits hard, fast and without mercy.

At least it did for me when Sculpt, the lead singer of the rock band Tear Asunder knocked me off my feet. Literally, because he’s also a fighter, illegally of course, and he taught me how to fight. He also taught me how to love and I fell hard for him. I mean the guy could do sweet, when he wasn’t doing bossy, and I like sweet.

Then it all shattered.

Kidnapped.
Starved.
Beaten.
I was alone and fighting to survive.
When I heard Sculpt’s voice, I thought he was there to save me.

I was wrong.


And now back to regularly standard programming with the rest of my list…


SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE by Monica Murphy

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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*Sequel to the USA Today Bestseller ONE WEEK GIRLFRIEND*

New Adult Contemporary

Lost. That one single word best describes my life at this very moment. I lost the last games of the season and both my team and my coach blame me. I lost the last two months because I drowned in my own despair like a complete loser. And I lost the only girl who ever mattered because I was afraid being with me would destroy her.

But now I realize how truly lost I am without her. She has become my story…and even though she acts like she’s moved on, I know she still thinks about me just as much as I think about her. She’s beautiful, sweet–and so damn vulnerable, all I want to do is help her. Be there for her.

Love her…

If only I could convince Fable to give me a second chance. Then I wouldn’t feel so lost anymore, and neither would she. We could be found together.

Forever.


AXEL by Harper Sloan

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Fate hasn’t always been friends with Isabelle West. In fact, fate has been a downright bitch.

Isabelle has learned the hard way how hard life can be when fate isn’t by your side. It can hand you dreams on silver platters, but it can snatch them right back and hand you nightmares. One thing Isabelle knew for sure fate was consistent with was taking away everything she ever loved.

For the last two years Isabelle has been slowly clearing the clouds of her past. Happiness is finally on the horizon. She has a thriving business, great friends, and her life back. All she has to do is jump over the last hurdle…her ex-husband.

When problems start causing her to fear her new life, and memories that are better left forgotten start rushing to the surface the last thing she needs is a ghost from her past to come knocking on her door.

Axel never thought he would look into the eyes of Isabelle West again, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to now. He’s carried his anger for so long he isn’t sure he can just turn it off, but when he is faced with protecting her and an unexpected desire to have her again, life gets a little more complicated.

How will Axel and Isabelle deal when all their cards are put on the table and everything they thought was true blows up in their faces?


THE EDUCATION OF CAROLINE by Jane Harvey Berrick

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“Caro… I don’t understand – why do you love me?”
“Just because… because the sky is blue and the sea is green.”

One of the most memorable and emotional second chance romances I’ve read, and it’s not available in one single edition for only $3.99. This is a duet that begins with The Education of Sebastian. The heroine is older, and trapped in a loveless marriage. The hero is just 17 at the time. Their love story truly takes off in the second book which takes place ten years later. This was the book that first made me fall in love with this incredibly talented author.

 

 


NO REVERSE and FAST FORWARD by Marion Croslydon

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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Cassie used to make me feel. She also used to keep me from thinking straight. Some things didn’t change. 

This is a duet about love, second chances and forgiveness. It’s more emotional than steamy with a healthy amount of angst thrown in.

This was my chance- our chance- to make things right. I’d made a promise to Cass and damn it all to hell, I’d never break it. 

Book 3 in the series, You Turn, is another great second chance romance with a different character that was first introduced in the duet. I highly recommend that one as well.


ALL I WANT by J. Daniels

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“It’s possible to hate someone, to look at them and wish you weren’t aware of their every move, and to want them more than you’ve ever wanted anything in your life.”

Luke *pervy sigh*

If you follow my reviews you already know I’m obsessed with all things J. Daniels and her Alabama Summer series just so happens to be one of my favorites. While Luke and Reed from When I Fall are my top 2 favorite heroes she’s written, there’s just something about Luke that makes him my number one. Maybe it’s the addition of hate/lust in this book in addition to the second chance romance? Whatever the reason is, this book and this series are an absolute must read!


CROSSING THE LINE by Kele Moon

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Every story had an innocent beginning, even theirs, and Tabitha found herself wishing she had a chance to go back and relive it one more time, because she didn’t want to let go any more than Wyatt did.

Speaking of authors I’m obsessed with, Kele Moon is at the tippy top of that particular list. I stalk the loving hell out of the poor woman and she still puts up with me. She’s a saint on top of an incredibly talented author, clearly. But I digress…

Crossing The Line is book 3 in her Battered Hearts series, and while you technically could enjoy it as a standalone, I highly recommend reading this amazing series in order…and quickly following that up with her Untamed Hearts series (anti-heroes FTW). CTL was an incredibly emotional and erotic second chance story and to this day continues to be one of my all time favorites.


LOVE AND LET DIE by Lexi Blake

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He was going to kill her. He was going to wrap his hands around her pretty throat and squeeze. Except the minute he had the vision of killing his back-from-the-dead wife, she was suddenly naked and he wasn’t thinking about throttling her anymore. Maybe he could fuck her to death. That would be a better way to go.

Since we’re on the subject of series/authors I’m obsessed with, we need to talk about Lexi Blake and her Masters & Mercenaries series because OMG! I lurve this series so freaking hard, it’s not even funny. Now this is definitely a series I highly recommend reading in order because while each book is a different couple, at times there’s a plot arc that continues through several books. Love and Let Die centers on my favorite Dom and his reunion with the wife he thought was long dead and still mourning. Oh yeah. It IS as good as it sounds!


BLIND FAITH by Rebecca Zanetti

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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He was an experiment created in a test tube, maybe without a soul, perhaps without any hope. But for a brief time, with this woman, he’d felt whole. Real. Good. Even if they just had the night, he wanted that feeling again.

Blind Faith is book three in Rebecca’s Sin Brothers series and easily my favorite since…second chance and everything. Nate reunites with the one woman he gave his heart too that also happens to be the daughter of his mortal enemy.

Based on a band of brothers who carry unnatural powers genetically engineered into them by a black ops military unit, the series  has a little PNR twist to it, but mainly it’s pulse pounding romantic suspense. I recommend reading these books in order for maximum effect 😉


THIN LOVE by Eden Butler

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“You were mine and I never loved anything more. I never wanted anything or anyone like I wanted you. Like I still want you. My always, Keira. You’re still my always.”

Sweet mother of angst! The angst! All of the angst! It hurt so good. If you want a book that will rip the heart out of your chest through your throat and then slowly put it back together, this is the book you NEED to read. Man on man but I loved it. It’s told it two parts; the first being when the H/h meet and fall in love when they’re younger and the story of what leads to the falling apart of their relationship, and the second part is their reunion. Both parts are equally amazing and if you read one book from my list, this should be at the very top!


HARDER by Robin York

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“Because I love you. I don’t want to, okay? I think there are some things that are so hard, you shouldn’t have to do them, only no one can take them from you. There are feelings so sick, so obviously unhealthy, you shouldn’t have to feel them. But there they are. I still love you, and I’m not ever going to see you again, not ever. You did that to us. Not your dad or your family. just you. So I could hit you. I could rage at you right now, and call you every ugly name I know, and I know a lot. I could tell you how much I’m hurting, or I could get out of the car, slam the door, hitchhike to the airport because fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, West, how could you do this to me? How?

Speaking of angst….this book got it. In spades! Holy shit but it has it! And it’s utterly delicious. This is book two in a duet and must be read after DEEPER.


POWER PLAY by Mallery Malone

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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This was much more than she remembered. He was much more than she remembered.

Firstly, if you’re looking for a deliciously smutty and yet well developed series of novellas, you need to check out the entire The Billionaire’s Club.

Power Play is a a super sexy second chance romance about rich MMA playboy and the woman from his past that he never forgot.

 

 

 


THIS HEART OF MINE by Brenda Novak

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She’d wanted him so badly seventeen years ago. And now that he wanted her, regardless of what anyone said, she wouldn’t come near him.

I can’t describe to you just how much I loved this crazy emotional romance of redemption and second chances. The heroine has spent years in prison for a crime she didn’t commit and now she’s back in town where everyone hates her and her high school sweetheart and father of her son is at the top of that list.

This book had everything; the feels and the swoons. And one of the most unforgettable stories of redemption I’ve ever read.

 


FORGETTING AUGUST by J.L. Berg

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“Loving me destroyed you…”
“Loving you brought me back to life.”

A woman trying to move on from a man that shattered her. A man that wakes up from a coma not remembering who he was or how he ended up there. What do they have in common? A turbulent and unforgettable love. This is not the typical second chance romance but man I loved this. August, the hero, has amnesia. And the heroine is engaged to a different man now. But there’s a magnetic force that still draws them together while August struggles to regain his memory.

 

 


MY ONE AND ONLY by Kristan Higgins

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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“COME ON FLOREANCE !” I yelled out of the window. “CAN YOU MOVE IT?”
The driver of the car extended and arm….and a finger.
It was a male arm and a finger.

And then the car door opened,with my ex husband stepping out.

If you want sweet and funny, and I’m talking laugh out loud kind of funny, this book is a must read. Simply a must read for any contemporary romance fans.

 


TAKING FIRE by Cindy Gerard

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And there they stood, locked in an embrace of emotions that bound them together with a common history, a common fear, and a common goal.

Romantic suspense with a sexy hero and an amazing kick-ass heroine? Oh yeah! This book definitely had it! It was also a wonderful second chance romance as well. The hero first meets the heroine on a mission overseas and they share one steamy night between the sheets…only for him to wake up the next day and realize her betrayal. Now six years later, love throws them together again with one hell of an explosion…both literally and physically!

If you haven’t read any books by this author, you’re seriously missing out. Taking Fire is book four in her One Eyed Jacks series, but also easily read as a standalone.


PAPER HEARTS HEARTS by Claire Contreras

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“Some say I loved her to the point of madness, bordering on obsession. She said I put her on a pedestal that her real self couldn’t attain. Perhaps they’re all right. Perhaps I am mad. And if that’s the case, to be frank, I don’t give a damn. What I know is that she sets me on fire, and if you were to perform an intradermal test on me, you’d know when she was in it because you’d see the trails of blaze she left behind. Because that’s what I feel at the mere thought of her, and I’d rather live my life in flames than be numb without her.” He paused, and I let out a breath, but then he said one last thing. “Come back to me, my little Road Runner, my world is cold and boring without you.”

Easily one of my favorite second chance romances I’ve read to date. Period.


 

That’s about it for my list. But I’d like to do something different this time around, and also include some recs from fellow readers in my DGR’s Den of Iniquity group for this trope! Thank you Maria, Emma, Seyna, Carolin, and Jennifer <3

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Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: ★Fighting Solitude★ by Aly Martinez

fighting solitude book tourFIGHTING SOLITUDE
Series: On the Ropes #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Aly Martinez
Release Date: February 2, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

I was born a fighter. Abandoned by my parents, I spent my life forging my own path—one guided by my fists and paved with pain.

Untouchable in the ring, I destroyed everyone who faced me, but that’s where my victories ended. Outside the ropes, I repeatedly failed the few people who loved me. Including my best friend, Liv James—the one person I’d die to protect.

Even though I didn’t deserve her, Liv never stopped believing in me. Never gave up. Never let go. After all, she understood what I’d lost, because she’d lost it too.

Liv was everything to me, but she was never truly mine.

That was going to change.

I lost my first love, but I refused to lose my soulmate.

Now, I’m on the ropes during the toughest battles of my life.

Fighting to be the man she deserves.

Fighting the solitude of our pasts.

Fighting for her.

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