Review: The Heroes We Break by Natasha Knight

April 9, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

THE HEROES WE BREAK
Series: Heroes & Villains Duet #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Natasha Knight
Release Date: April 9, 2024

She doesn’t belong to me.

I am the illegitimate son, unwanted and despised.

Ophelia Hart is the girl next door. I’ve watched her grow up. And rescued her countless times from my half-brother.

I’ve been gone from her life for two years and when I run into her again, she’s no longer a girl.

Only problem is, she’s wearing his ring on her finger.

But there’s always been something between us. I’ve always been her protector. Especially when it comes to him. And that pull is stronger than ever.

She no longer thinks me the hero of her story, though.

But I know something she doesn’t. A secret from her past. And she’s in danger.

She’ll fight me.

I’ll fight for her.

If she hates me for what I have to do, so be it.

Because there is no way in hell I will let my half-brother have her.

AMAZON 

“I used to think you were some kind of hero growing up, you know that?” she says, voice sad, tears streaming. “But heroes break. And you’re broken, Silas. You’re so broken that you’ve become the villain of your own story.”

What is it about Natasha’s writing that is total book crack each and every single time? And this book was certainly no exception. I devoured it in a matter of hours and am now at a loss of what to do with myself until the conclusion.

At first I was a little worried after reading the blurb that this would be a love triangle. But it’s the furthest thing from it and I’m so invested.

Ophelia Hart is the sweet girl next door. When her family moves next door to the Fox’s, two boys come into her life; Ethan Fox, the toxic, selfish, rich boy and Silas Cruz, his illegitimate half brother that the family doesn’t claim. The tension between the two boys is evident, and it only grows worse through the years. The story is told in numerous flashbacks from present adult Ophelia, to the progression of her relationship with the two boys over the years from her teens.

The adult Ophelia finds herself in a strange situation of being engaged to a man who doesn’t love and her beloved father behind bars for what she never imagined him doing. And Silas Cruz? He’s determined to save her despite the mysterious animosity he carries for Ophelia from years past. As the reader turns the page, you learn more about what took place between these two and you fall more and more for them even when the odds are stacked against them.

Adult Silas is no longer the boy who was willing to take abuse from his father to protect his beloved mother. He’s a man who found success and money on his own and is so desperate for revenge against those who wronged him, that he can practically taste it. And Ophelia? She’s the key to it all.

The chemistry is incendiary and the story is suspenseful with a splash of grit and I am wholly obsessed! I can’t wait for the conclusion because that cliffhanger was absolutely painful.

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: , ,

Review: Wild Love by Elsie Silver

April 9, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

WILD LOVE
Series: Rose Hill #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Elsie Silver
Release Date: April 9, 2024

Rosie Belmont has been driving me wild for years. The good kind of wild. The bad kind of wild. But mostly the kind of wild that comes with wanting your best friend’s little sister and knowing you can’t have her.

After living in the city, she comes blasting back into Rose Hill like a storm. Beautiful, messy, and chaotic.

And one wide-eyed desperate plea for a job is all it takes for me to hire her.

Forbes may have labelled me the World’s Hottest Billionaire but all I care about is opening my new recording studio. Something that comes to a screeching halt when I end up face-to-face with a young girl who claims I’m her biological father.

Now I spend my days balancing business with parenting a sullen twelve-year-old all while trying desperately to keep my hands the hell off my best friend’s little sister.

I vow to keep Rosie at arm’s length. I try to stick to scowls and grumpy one-liners. But with her verbal sparring is merely foreplay—friction that turns to blistering heat.

I know damn well I shouldn’t cross that line.

But shouldn’t and can’t are two very different things.

And the only thing I truly can’t do is resist her.

AMAZON 

I’m unaccustomed to not getting what I want. And I want Rosie Belmont. It has become downright torturous pretending I don’t.

The way I have been waiting for this spinoff and I can hardly believe it’s in my grabby little hands. Did I love it? YES. Am I already dying for more in this series absolutely!

Now if you’ve read Elsie’s Chestnut Springs series, you’re going to be obsessed with this spin off. And the MMC is Willa’s brother from Heartless (my favorite in that series) so obviously I immediately loved him. This is a bit of a different and unique spin on the single dad trope but I’ll get to that in a second.

Ford is the quintessential nice guy. A boy who took his awkward teenager years and made himself a successful billionaire in adulthood without losing any of the wonderful qualities about himself. Rosie is his best friend’s little sister and his teenage crush. He hasn’t seen her in years but when she shows up in his town, it brings all those feelings right back for him. And oh my god the pining! The pining was so good.

Rosie moved to the city to make herself a success. But when she stands up for herself to her grabby boss, she finds herself jobless and licking her wounds in the small town she grew up in. I absolutely loved Rosie. I loved her tenacity, her perseverance, and her sass. She things that her and Ford hate each other and no one knows about her pining. But turns out the pining is quite mutual and their chemistry is incendiary. I loved their sassy fighting almost as much as I loved when they gave into the inevitable.

Stop playing that game with me. We’re not kids anymore.”
“What game?”
“The one where we pretend to hate each other.” S
he tips her chin up defiantly. “You do hate me. That’s our safe place. You have to hate me. It’s easier that way.”
I shake my head, molars grinding. “I definitely don’t hate you, Rosie. Not even close. But I can fuck you like I do if that’s what you need.”

When Ford offers Rosie a job at his label, this only brings them closer together and suddenly their sassy barbs turn into something so much more.

The single parent part of this book was rather unique and I really loved the way that Elsie wrote it. I adored Cora; she was such an endearing secondary character who brought everything together so flawlessly. She was the perfect addition to an already wonderful story and I loved it!

If you’re an Elsie fan and enjoyed her Chestnut Springs series, you will certainly fall in love with Rose Hill. And if you haven’t had the pleasure of reading this author yet, this is a perfect book to start with. A sassy heroine, a sweet and caring man with a dirty mouth and a heart of gold, wonderful secondary characters, small town feel, and a swoony romanced with plenty of sizzle. What more could you want?

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: , , ,

Review: Lawless God by Lola King

April 4, 2024 by ·

LAWLESS GOD
Series: North Shore Stories #4
Genre: Dark Romance
Author: Lola King
Release Date: April 4, 2024

I sent a psychopath to prison. Now he’s out and back for revenge.
They call me Kayla ‘The Ruthless’ King. The Queen of the North Shore and leader of the Kings’ Crew.

Because of the sacrifices I’ve made and the merciless way I run my crew, the North Shore belongs to me.

In our town, you can only thrive if you’re the worst of the worst. But that all ended when the psychopath I put away returned with a target on my back.

If I’m The Ruthless King, Nathan White is The Lawless God. The biggest and baddest of them all. He’s heartless and cruel, and everyone is safer out of his way. Including me.

When he comes back to the North Shore with only my name on his lips, I know my days are numbered. Or so I thought until he took me.

Nathan doesn’t want me dead. He wants me to suffer. And what better way than to keep me captive as he destroys my crew and legacy.

I’m fighting a war that I’m unprepared for, and in the midst of chaos, my feelings blur with the need for survival. My secrets aren’t safe anymore, and neither is my heart.

You know what they say? Never fall in love with the enemy.

Too late for that.


This book is a standalone in a series of interconnected standalones. It can be read on its own.

AMAZON 

Nathan White. Ruthless leader. Cold-blooded killer. Brutal, merciless, lawless god. My husband for however long he wishes.

If you thought Caden King was a psychopath, just wait until you meet Nathan White. Because this man will make Caden look like a tame kitten in comparison. So obviously I loved this book.

I have been waiting for Kayla’s book for the longest time. She’s one of the most fascinating secondary characters in the series. You just know that beneath the rough and deadly shell there’s something more to her. And boy was there. And I’m not talking about dimensions, because there are so many layers to Kayla. I’m talking about her desires that just so happen to fit Nathan’s penchants to a T.

I might be known as the woman who isn’t scared of death, but he’s different. Death makes him ecstatic.

Nathan White is so much more than the Kings or the NSC. He’s more dangerous than both gangs combined; a cold and lethal mastermind. And when Kayla lies on the stand to put him in prison for what she hopes is the rest of his life? It only takes him 4 to get out and to plot his revenge. He’s going to make her pay by stealing four years from him by making her suffer, making her his, and making her bend. He’s going to drag her to the altar kicking and screaming, keep her his prisoner, and make her admit all of her dark and hidden desires that only he can raise to the surface.

He fucks me hard with a need to possess me. He makes me come with an obsession that defies reason. And he kisses me with something that resembles love so closely… I could be fooled into believing it.

Kayla is ruthless in her own right. You don’t get to be the fearless leader to a notorious gang without it. She’s got her own killer tendencies, but they’re definitely not the level of Nate’s psychopath. She doesn’t just take her captivity lying down and she gives as hard as she gets. And let me just tell you that the woman gets it HARD. Nate is determined to crush her independence and her independence to worship at his altar and he’s not exactly sweet about. If you don’t love your MMCs pitch black, this may not be for you. But what I absolutely loved about this book is that Lola still manages to make you fall for him and show a small side of Nate that you can’t help but love. Is he redeemable? Barely. But you get just a touch of his humanity to make you fall and fall hard.

Your body is mine, and I’m going to hurt it. Your soul is mine, and I’m going to taint it. I’ve already broken your mind, and I’ll do more, little sunflower. I’m going to crush your heart in the palm of my hand and order it to beat for me.”

This book was a non stop thrill ride, packed with action, suspense, and all the feels. The twists are shocking and jaw dropping and the romance is deliciously toxic.

I think I’m starting to like your crazy ass.” He smirks. It’s beautiful, devilish. “I know, baby. That Stockholm syndrome is doing wonders for you.”
I laugh. Truly, wholeheartedly laugh. “Bastard.”

Lola really said save the best for last with this one and I am wholly obsessed. If you haven’t read this series yet, you need to drop everything you’re doing and change that immediately!

· Filed Under: All Reviews, Dark · Tagged With: , , , ,

Review: The Veiled Kingdom by Holly Renee

March 19, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

THE VEILED KINGDOM
Series: The Veiled Kingdom #1
Author: Holly Renee
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Release Date: March 19, 2024

From USA Today Bestselling Author Holly Renee, author of the Stars and Shadows series, comes a scorching new fantasy romance that ignites the pages with relentless danger, forbidden passion, and the intoxicating allure of enemies to lovers.

Fleeing my father’s cruelty, the wicked king who robbed me of a future, I face death in the streets, caught between a rebellion and a tyrant’s reign.

Captured by those sworn to kill me, the rebels remain blind to my true identity—the missing daughter of the despised king. Faced with an impossible choice, I stand before them: join the rebels or face their blades.

Yet, Dacre, the son of the ruthless rebellion commander, becomes torn between suspicion and a desire that mirrors my own. He allows no one to touch me, tries to protect me, yet threatens me at every turn.

As secrets are weaved beyond our hidden realm, a fierce battle unfolds within me. As I get closer to the rebels, and their cause, my loyalty to my kingdom clashes with my undeniable devotion to Dacre and the burning connection between us.

In a world where love and hate are two edges of the same blade, I find myself caught in a delicate dance between forbidden desire and my looming destiny.

AMAZON

What do you want?” I asked, my voice barely audible. He turned his head, a glint in his dark eyes as they raked over my features with a predatory intensity. His lip curled into a sly smirk, and I couldn’t help but feel a shiver run down my spine. “Drop that bow and get on your knees.” He ran his tongue over his bottom lip, and I almost fell to them at that one movement. “Then I want you to crawl to me and beg.”

I’ve read and enjoyed Holly’s contemporary romances and now I’m seriously kicking myself for not reading her fantasy sooner. Because this book? OHMYGAWD.

I binge read this book in one nail biting sitting and I am not sorry! This is what enemies to lovers fantasy romance dreams are made out of!

Are you wet, little traitor?” he whispered in my ear, and a moan passed through my lips that I couldn’t stop.

Now generally, I struggle with the first installment in a fantasy romance because I lose myself in the world building and data dump. It’s no simple feat to create a unique and vivid world without overwhelming the reader. But Holly Renee did that so flawlessly, that I felt like I was watching it like a movie reel behind my lids as I read.

I’m a sucker for a forbidden romance and nothing screams more forbidden than a princess on the run and the leader of the rebels whose mission is to overthrow her father’s tyrannical rule. In a desperate attempt to escape her cruel father, princess Nyra runs from her kingdom, only to unwittingly land in the hands of the rebels who are working to overthrow her father. Rebels who would just as soon kill her if they knew who she really was.

The leader of the rebels, Dacre, was animal magnetism personified. When I tell you I was feral for this man, I mean I was completely obsessed. He’s mean, vicious, so obviously I fell head over ovaries for him. This was a delicious slow burn and I loved watching both Nyra and Dacre fight their chemistry. But when they give into the inevitable? YOWZA!!

This is not a standalone and that cliffhanger is going to leave you desperate for the next book. I’m still trying to get over it days after finishing. If you’re looking for a captivating, enemies to lovers fantasy romance, look no further.

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Fantasy · Tagged With: , , ,

#DGRFave & Review: Ruby Tears by Pepper Winters

March 14, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

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

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

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

AMAZON 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Dark, DGR Favorites · Tagged With: , , , ,

Review: Brutal Arrangement by Laurelin Paige

March 13, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

BRUTAL ARRANGEMENT
Series: Brutal Billionaires #3
Author: Laurelin Paige
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: March 13, 2024

He can have any woman he wants.
He wants his brother’s.

Alex Sebastian is the billionaire who knows exactly how to re-launch the pop career I walked away from to raise my little sister.

He knows everything, apparently, about what’s good for me. For my image. Even for my lingerie. Everywhere I turn, he’s there, smirking. I cannot stand him.

So why can’t we stop sneaking around?

Maybe it’s his filthy, bossy mouth that does things more wicked than his insults.

Maybe it’s that he does know what’s good for me when he uses it—backstage before my show, during a black tie event, in another man’s living room.

Because maybe deep down, I’ve never been the good girl the world sees, and the dirty, shameful things he makes me do are exactly what I crave.

The problem? Alex isn’t the Sebastian billionaire I’m dating––I’m dating his brother.

Brutal Arrangement is a complete standalone enemies to lovers, forbidden, age-gap, brother’s girl, set in an intriguing world of billionaires, power, and scandal. While it is recommended to read Brutal Billionaire and Brutal Secret first for best reading experience, it isn’t necessary to thoroughly enjoy the story.

AMAZON

 

Alex Sebastian wasn’t just being mean for the kink of it—the guy is legitimately a fucking asshole.

Look, if you know me, then you know I love the mean MMCs. Like super mean. Like I want to hate them for a solid part of the book, mean. What? I have kinks too, mkay? Fictional ones anyhow *smirks*

If you’ve read any book by Laurelin, then you know she’s a master of the mean ones. She has written some of favorite alphaholes to date. But Alex Sebastian? May have just taken my number one spot of her heroes to date. Well, at least until she gives us the redemption arc of the biggest a-hole Sebastian, Alex’s brother Hunter. But I digress.

Alex grabs both sides of my head and holds me in place. “Breathe,” he says softly. “Breathe. Through your nose.” Then he calls out. “She needs five minutes.”
“She has three.” The sound of heels clicking down the hallway follows, and I practically melt in relief.
“We better hurry then because the only way you’re singing that song the way it needs to be sung is with my cum coating your throat.”

Got your attention now, don’t I. Now the premise of this book is deliciously forbidden because Mariah is dating Alex’s older brother. But that relationship is not all as it seems so if you’re thinking it’s a cheating trope, it’s not really. I don’t want to ruin it for you, but trust me when I say you won’t be rooting for Hunter in this book.

Mariah is a rising pop star who is trying to find her image that isn’t cookie cutter and decided on by her team. Desperate to break through, she’s willing to take risks she’s never taken before, including a vixen image that she most definitely connects with. Alex is her boyfriend’s brother and a man that gets under her skin like no other. And when he’s put in charge of her re-launch, it’s not long before the chemistry they’re both trying to suppress bubbles over. And OMG the sexual chemistry between these two is out of this world.

Alex is deliciously mean for the majority of the book. I loved to hate him and boy did I hate him in parts. But then you get a peak into the layers that he hides, and you can’t help but fall for him as hard as Mariah does.

This had so much heat! Alex is bossy, there’s a degradation kink, and all sorts of sexiness. Trust me when I tell you, you probably don’t want to read this book in public. It was a sizzler of a read that I binge read in one sitting and still find myself thinking about. Highly recommend!

With millions of books sold worldwide, Laurelin Paige is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author. She is a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however. 

When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Killing Eve or Letterkenny, or dreaming of Michael Fassbender. She’s also a proud member of Mensa International though she doesn’t do anything with the organization except use it as material for her bio. 

She is represented by Rebecca Friedman.

Connect w/Laurelin:

Facebook | Amazon | Bookbub | Instagram | Facebook Fan Group | Website | TikTok

Never miss an update! Subscribe to Laurelin’s mailing list:

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/LaurelinNews




Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance, Dirty Talkers, Erotic Rom · Tagged With: , ,

Review: Moonlit Thorns by P. Rayne

February 29, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

MOONLIT THORNS
Series: Midnight Manor #1
Author: P. Rayne
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 29, 2024

No one knows what happens up at Midnight Manor.

The home of the Voss brothers sits like a sentinel looking down on our small town, remaining a mystery. The four brooding billionaires rarely leave the confines of the iron gates, fueling rumors that have existed for decades.

When my father dies, all the security I’ve known is ripped away, forcing me to come face to face with the eldest brother, Asher Voss. His outward beauty is just as I’d heard—it belies a predatory nature, irresistibly drawing me in.

A bargain is made, and I have no choice but to live in the shadowy confines of his gothic manor to save my family. As time passes, it becomes harder and harder to deny our attraction.

Asher Voss might be too old for me, and he’s definitely cursed by his own demons, but an inferno of passion between us threatens to either consume or destroy us both.

MOONLIT THORNS is a dark contemporary romance Beauty and the Beast retelling.

AMAZON

…she’s a motherfucking flame, and I’m the moth who doesn’t care if my wings get burned.

A modern day Beauty and the Beast retelling with a broody hero, some D/s, gothic vibes, and an exclusive sex club? Sign me up immediately!

Am I fully obsessed with the Voss brothers after finishing this book? You bet, I am. But before I gush about the broody brothers who live in the dark manor with a dark history shrouded in secrets and murder, let me talk about this book. Moonlit Thorns is the story of Asher Voss and Annabelle; an age gap romance with some D/s, good girl meets tortured bad boy vibe. In true Beauty and the Beast fashion, Asher is a dark and broody man who doesn’t let anyone close besides his brothers. After the sudden death of her father, Annabelle is still picking up the pieces of her life and trying to keep her family in one piece. So when a notice shows up on her door that her family is about to lose their home, she’s desperate. So desperate, that she agrees to a deal with the devil. The devil being Asher Voss, the man who her father owes a debt to that he never repaid before his death. And the deal? Work for him for a year. Whatever he says, whenever he says it.

I loved that the story mirrored many elements of the fairy tale, including characters, scenarios, and vibes. I loved Annabelle’s mix of innocence and resilience. She’s 22 to Asher’s 36 but she’s no naive girl. She is drawn to Asher’s broodiness like a flame. But I don’t blame her. I love the mean ones myself and Asher was so hot and cold, I didn’t know if I wanted to kill him or hump him. Mostly both at the same time.

And while I loved Asher, I’m already dying to get my hands on Kol’s book. And after that set up at the end of this book, I’m absolutely ravenous for it. 

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: , ,

Review: Where We Belong by Ashley Munoz

February 23, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

WHERE WE BELONG
Series: Stone Riders MC #2
Author: Ashley Munoz
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 23, 2024

An Enemies to Lovers Romance

They call him the Wolf.

His club, his brothers, and even my best friend Callie.

I didn’t really care what they called him, not when the only name I had ever called him was, coward.

Because three months ago he snuck under my resilient heart, like the thief he is, and stole it.

Then he broke it.

Going home wasn’t an option, not when I promised Callie I’d stay. She swore I’d eventually feel like I belonged in this small town.

The club ensured I had a job, and a place to live which reluctantly earned my loyalty.

Until I discovered their little caveat.

The apartment technically belonged to the new president.

I was welcome to stay…as long as I understood it meant sharing.

And my new roommate?

The very man who turned avoidance into an Olympic sport.

AMAZON

What do you want from me, Killian?” His glare softened the smallest bit before hardening again. “I want you to stop being a complication. You’re a flicker in my peripheral vision, a glare, a goddamn floater that corrective lenses would fix. I want to erase you.”
Killian stepped closer. “But… I also want to wrap your soul around mine, feel the beat of your heart in my neck as I breathe, and carry you with me everywhere I go, all at the same fucking time.”

It’s been a hot minute since I read a book by Ashley and I have no idea why. But I know that I’ll be binging on her backlist immediately. Especially since I did myself a bit of a disservice by reading this book first. There is a lot of overflow from the first book in this series. And while it’s still an easy standalone read, you can clearly tell it would be an even better one if you read in order. So don’t be like me and read Where We Started first.

Now if you know me, then you know that I like my heroes mean…and I mean MEAN. Like I need him to hurt all the feelings before he makes everything right, ok? And Killian. This man was the perfect combination of mean and a heart of gold. You don’t know if you want to hug him or punch him but I absolutely fell in love with him.

You don’t care.” He stepped closer, so close my back was pinned to the truck. “I care about every eye that lands on you. Every breath that’s inhaled your scent. Every smile given to you, every hand that’s ever touched you. I care, Daisy. Too fucking much if we’re being honest.”

Killian always knew he can have only one love and focus, his club. Laura is a distraction he doesn’t need and he doesn’t shy away from reminding her of the fact. But Laura also doesn’t shy away from giving as good as she gets. The chemistry between these two was everything. I couldn’t get enough of them.

I craved his destruction, the devastation I knew he promised. I had some sick and twisted desire to hurt.

I loved their antagonism and back and forth almost as much as I loved when they gave into the inevitable. I spent my time equally wanting to throttle Killian and wanting to hump his leg. The man is sex personified but there are so many layers to him that makes him own all your attention. Every time you peel back a layer, he gets further and further under your skin and I loved having him there.

Laura was a great heroine and the perfect balance to Killian’s intensity. There was just enough grit to this MC romance that made it for one delicious page turner without getting too dark and I enjoyed every page of it. I’m hooked on this series and already salivating for the next book.

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Bikers, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: , , ,

Review: The Wallflower by JL Beck

February 16, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

THE WALLFLOWER
Series: Oakmount Elite Book 1
Author: JL Beck
Genre: Dark, New Adult Romance
Release Date: February 16, 2024

She needs me, because she needs money. 

I don’t need her. Just her complete submission…

Maybell Jacobs is the Wallflower: quiet, shy, socially awkward and hell-bent on hiding even from herself, that is until a chance encounter takes place between us.

Instantly she hates me and for good reason. I’m a walking-red-flag. Filthy rich jock, short tempered, and violent.

I can have anyone and anything I want.. except her.

Little does she know her disgust, anger, and hate for me fuels my obsession to own her, completely in every single way. 

Maybell resists, predictably… but her fight only makes her more desirable and I have plans that will lead her right into my lap and never want to leave. 

When she joins the sinful tradition put on by the elite of the town, the Hunt, I’m shocked. The pretty little thing has no idea how much danger she’s in if she decides to become my prey.

Sweet, innocent, and fragile like a flower. I’ll have to be careful or risk breaking her. 

Because I’m the ultimate predator and when I play there are no rules. 

I don’t chase. I capture.

And I like to own my bait.

★ Tropes include: secret society, college, touch her and die, CNC & chasing bait fantasy ★

AMAZON

I want you to scream for me because of me. I want you gasping for breath. I want you crying, your eyes shimmering with tears. I want you running, doing everything you can to escape me, while knowing deep down inside you’ll never get away. I want all of it. So I’ll give you one more chance to get away.”

Well then, clearly I have been sleeping on JL Beck, because this hit all sorts of spots for me. ALL THE SPOTS.
Enemies to lovers? CHECK
Bully/alphahole vibes? CHECK
DubCon/CNC? CHECK
Primal Play? CHECK
Bad Boy/Good Girl? CHECK
Obsessive hero and touch her and die vibes? CHECK CHECK AND CHECK

If your hate tastes this good, I can’t imagine what your desire tastes like.”

I live for a dark secret society read almost as much as I live for a good alpha hole and this was pure book crack. Drew is a bad boy that I loved to hate. Part of the elite, of course this is a guy who has broody and tortured down to a science. Every year, he and his friends host something called The Hunt. And yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. But it’s been a while since a woman truly gave Drew the chase he craves. A woman who doesn’t just pretend to run from him. The man is depraved with a capital D and I loved him for it.

Maybel (Bel) is the quintessential good girl. A scholarship student, she’s used to being unseen and blending in. In a school of the rich and elite, she’s the wallflower…until she unwittingly catches the attention of Drew. And now he’ll stop at nothing to have her, even if she doesn’t want anything to do with him.

Drew isn’t the person he plays or the mask he slips on. He’s unhinged, sinister, and dark. He’s hiding in plain sight, afraid of what the world will think of him if they see the monster beneath the beautiful exterior.

Their relationship is one of antagonistic push and pull. Bel runs and Drew chases. But somewhere along the road, the lines begin to blur and someone that Bel couldn’t stand, she soon unwillingly gets feelings for. But Drew’s family and history is a dark one and Bel lands in the middle of something she can barely comprehend.

This was a twisty, deliciously dirty story. I loved the chemistry between Drew and Bel. I craved every morsel of information about these two. And while we only graze the surface in this one, I think we’re in store for a great deal more with the next one. I’m fully hooked on the series and as much as I’m dying for the conclusion, I also can’t wait for the rest of the guys to get their story. Especially Sebastian. That boy will likely put Drew to shame with his depraravity. I just know it. And that ending? JAW DROPPING!

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, New Adult · Tagged With: , , ,

Review: The Wrath by Gena Showalter

February 6, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

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

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

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

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

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

Rise of the Warlords

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

AMAZON

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, PNR · Tagged With: , ,
Copyright © 2015 · Dirty Girl Romance

%d bloggers like this: