Review: So Hectic by Eve Dangerfield

May 24, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

SO HECTIC
Series: Silver Daughters Ink #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Eve Dangerfield
Release Date: May 23, 2024

A Super Spicy, Enemies to Lovers, Playboy, standalone romance from critically acclaimed author Eve Dangerfield

Tabby DaSilva’s life sucks. Her dad’s AWOL, her Prosecco-themed music festival ‘Sparkling Whine’ bombed and her big sister’s pregnancy means she’s officially transitioning from ‘youngest kid’ to ‘weird aunt.’
But hardest to take is her best friend Toby Tennant going pure evil.
Taking his virginity was supposed to seal their alliance. Instead, Mr. Nice Guy vanished only to resurface as a full-blown finance douche, complete with Lamborghini and a podcast shilling creatine every five minutes.
Frankly, it’s a fate worse than death.
But Tabby has the perfect solution; run away! All she needs is enough cash to start a new life in Colombia and since Toby’s petitioning for her to tattoo him, what’s a girl to do but slowly inject ink into her enemy’s rippling Ken doll torso?
Little does she know that her ex-best friend doesn’t really want a tattoo. Toby wants her, mind, body, and soul. He’s spent the last two years becoming the Sugar Daddy of Tabitha DaSilva’s dreams and he’s finally ready to show her that he can take care of her, and dominate her, in the ways she’s only ever imagined…

SO HECTIC is a full-length contemporary novel and is the third and final book in the Silver Daughters Ink Series.

AMAZON

She was an agnostic, but she’d happily praise at the altar of Toby Tennant’s God complex.

Ok so two things.
#1. If you haven’t read this series yet, you’re seriously missing out and
#2. This was the most fund I had reading a book in a long while.

Now for a serious question to Eve. Ma’am, can you kindly explain how it’s possible to create an MMC who is both a simp golden retriever and an uber possessive, dirty talking BEAST of an alphahole at the same time? Because I am unwell. UNWELL. And head over ovaries for Toby.

Tabitha,” he said slowly. “Either admit you want a fuck and come upstairs and sit on my dick or get the hell out of my house.”
She gasped, her bag strap sliding off her shoulder, the whole thing hitting the floor. “You’re such a cunt!”
“Yeah, and that’s got you soaking, hasn’t it? So, what’ll it be?”

Now the DaSilva sisters are a riot in their own right. Admittedly I wasn’t sure if I’d like Tabby’s book because she’s always seemed like the craziest of the three but oh how I am humbly eating my words. Because Tabby just so happened to be my favorite DaSilva sister of the series. I love her brashness that hides a soft center that is her heart. I loved her sassy mouth. And I also loved her journey back to Toby.

Toby and Tabby (hehehehehe I love saying that out loud by the way. But I digress) were best friends until one drunken night where Tabby offered to take Toby’s virginity and everything came to a screeching halt. Well, not the sex. that was hot, but the friendship. I’m not sure why but I really connected with Toby and his plight to be the man he thinks he needs to become for Tabby even when I wanted to junk punch him for it too. It’s a conundrum, what can I say.

Toby reappears in Tabby’s life two years later an entirely new man; a self made millionaire with a dirty talking mouth and only one agenda, to get her back into his bed. But Toby also has ulterior motives and has every intention to use the opportunity to weave his way into Tabby’s heart, not matter how hard she fights him or the connection that still tethers them together.

Shall I sit next to you?” Toby leaned back in the booth, and she noted how powerful his thighs looked in his blue suit pants.
“You’ll sit right here,” he growled. “And if I don’t?” He eyed her up and down as though considering whether it was even worth answering. “I’ll tear your fucking dress off.”

Now if you like your MCs mean and I mean MEAN, Toby is going to hit every spot. He’s mean only in bed and beneath the dirty talking exterior with bossy tendencies and a penchant for D/s is a heart of gold and a man who is obsessed with his woman. But holy mother was their role playing hot. I feel like I burned my fingers just turning the pages on my kindle kind of hot. Ya know what I mean? WOWZA

I loved seeing all my favorites from the previous books. And if you really want to enjoy this story to the fullest, I highly recommend reading them in order. This book had everything; emotion, humor, sizzle, and all the feels. It was Eve’s signature sort of delicious chaos and I loved it! Her characters are just so incredibly colorful and memorable and I enjoy the hell out of them, these two in particular. If you’re looking for something fun and super spicy but with a wonderful story and plenty of heart, you need this book.

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

Review: When Lies Unfold by RC Boldt

May 23, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

WHEN LIES UNFOLD
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Author: RC Boldt
Release Date: May 23,  2024

USA Today bestselling author RC Boldt delivers a seductive new romantic suspense filled with twists in WHEN LIES UNFOLD…

The moment I witness a murder, my quiet, careful existence goes up in smoke. I’m thrust into the world of Santiago Hernández, Central America’s most ruthless cartel leader.

In exchange for my life, I’m placed under his watchful eye. Day in and day out, he waits for me to betray my promise of silence.

The longer I stay in his world, the deeper I fall for the glimpses of the man beneath that handsome yet cunning exterior. The man whose possessive touch ignites a long-lost part of me.

But I should know better than to open my heart to a cold-blooded criminal with a laundry list of deadly sins and secrets. Especially when he has no idea who I really am.

Because when the lies unfold, he’ll discover I have a list of sins and secrets of my own.

TROPES:
Alpha hero
Anti-hero
Heroine in danger
Close Proximity
Forced Proximity
Enemies to Lovers
OTT Possessive Hero
Mafia/Cartel
Found Family
On-the-run
Opposites Attract
Tortured lead
Tragic past
Revenge
Redemption

AMAZON 

The freedom I’ve fought so hard for has vanished in the blink of an eye. All because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

O
B
S
E
S
S
E
D

You think I do horrible things to people?”
“I’m sure of it.”
“Mm.” That rumble in his throat holds the barest hint of amusement, and a glint of something far more dangerous edges its way into his gaze. “But you see, Miss Arias, I don’t always do ‘horrible things.’ In fact, certain people like what I do.” His voice drops an octave, skittering over me, and his fuller bottom lip grazes mine with each syllable. “Sometimes, they even beg me for more.”

When I tell you I devoured this book in one heart pounding sitting, I mean I never wanted it to end. And if you’re a fan of a sizzling romantic suspense with a morally gray anti hero and a fierce, survivor heroine who fights her own battles? Well, welcome to your next addiction, my friend.

If I believed in witchcraft or voodoo shit, I’d be convinced she practices it. ’Cause every fuckin’ time I put my mouth on this woman, I’m an addict who needs even more.

I simply adore everything RC Bolt writes. She has this knack for writing some of the most addictive, twisty suspense stories with the most incredible romance intertwined. What I appreciate most about her writing is the incredible ability to balance both those elements effortlessly and flawlessly. You get the perfect combination of a heart pounding suspense with twists and turns along with the most sizling romance. And the story of Santiago and Lola was nothing if not sizzling.

Need you to know somethin’.”
A trace of apprehension has her brows creasin’. “What?”
“I don’t get on my knees for nobody.” She swallows hard as the weight of my words settles between us. I lower my face closer to where I can’t wait to bury my tongue. “But I’m doin’ this for you.”

Lola is desperately trying to stay under the radar. You know she’s running from something and her secrets run deep, but the truth unravels slowly and in a way that has the reader so engrossed, it’s like you’re living her story. Lola is a house cleaner who happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and witnesses a murder. And when that murder is tied to one of the biggest narcos in Central America? Well, he’s not about to take her word for her silence. All of his attention is now on Lola and even though she fights him at every turn, her hands are tied…so to speak. *saucy grin*

Only a person with a dark, bloodstained soul can recognize another. They can easily identify the sacrifices made and understand the reasons behind them.

I absolutely loved the story arc between these two. Lola hates everything that Santiago stands for. But the longer she spends in his overwhelmingly intimidating presence, the more layers she peels back to discover there is so much more to the man. And unfortunately for her, the tether of mutual attraction and chemistry is at the center of it.

I truly mean that I devoured this book. I couldn’t stop reading. The story, the mystery, the slow burn romance, the chemistry, the enemies to lovers vibes, all of it was simply phenomenal. I cannot recommend this book enough. And that ending? *chefs kiss*

RC Boldt is a USA Today bestselling author currently living in part of the Costa Rican jungle with the love of her life and her mini-me.

If you’re in the mood for some killer mojitos or can’t recall the lyrics to a particular 80s song, she’s your girl.

Connect with RC Boldt 

Website: http://www.rcboldtbooks.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14543027.R_C_Boldt

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Kq1H9C

Facebook: http://bit.ly/RCBoldtFB

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BBBReaders/

Instagram: http://bit.ly/RCBoldtIG

Bookbub: http://bit.ly/RCBoldtBB

Verve: https://bit.ly/3jEf18z

Leave a Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance, DGR Favorites, Dirty Talkers, Romantic Suspense · Tagged With: , , , ,

Review: Heart Sick Hate by Eva Simmons

May 11, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

HEART SICK HATE
Series: Twisted Roses #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Eva Simmons
Release Date: January 12, 2024

I chose wrong.

While my future is promised to one man, my heart wants Crew Kingsley.

My enemy. My addiction. My boyfriend’s brother.

Crew isn’t the prince in any girl’s story. He doesn’t want to win my love, he wants to steal it—simply so he can make me regret ever letting him.

If only I wasn’t addicted to his pain.

Crew’s hate burns too hot.
His heart is too cold.
But his punishment… is just right.

When given two choices, a smart girl picks the safest. But Crew made me sick, I made my choice, and even if they think they already wrote our ending, the story is about to change.

 

AMAZON

My last piece of innocence, and I just offered it to a devil.

Have I already mentioned my newly found obsession with this series? I dove into Crew and Echo’s story immediately after finishing Lies Like Love. As an intriguing as Crew was as a secondary character, he stole the show as the main one. And while this is a standalone in a series, I highly recommend you read it in order because the story arc for these two begins in the first book.

The animosity and lust between Crew and Echo is obvious from the first time they appear on the pages. But Echo is with Crew’s brother, Rhett, and I couldn’t wait to dive into this deliciously twisted story. Now if you’re thinking this is a love triangle, it’s certainly not. The relationship between Rhett and Echo is in name only, for an arrangement and agreement made 8 years ago. Desperate to help her sick father, Echo agrees to tie herself to Rhett. Though, admittedly, outside of Rhett’s own ambition, I never fully connected to why Rhett’s father is so committed to this lie, but I digress.

As the day that she has with her life being her own disappearing looms in front of her, Echo is desperate to part with one last pesky piece of her past, her virginity. And who best to offer it to? Her “boyfriend’s” brother who seems to hate her. All joking aside, the connection between her and Crew has always been there so while it sounds outlandish it also made sense that she would go for him. And for those of you that like your MMCs obsessed and falling first and hard, you’ll love dirty talking Crew.

Now admittedly, there were parts of the story development that at times got overshadowed by the sex scenes for me. Don’t get me wrong, not to the point that I skimmed, because they were hot, and I’m not complaining. But I wished we got a bit more meat to the story. Both Echo and Crew were very complex characters, but I never fully connected with Echo the way I hoped I did and the way I did with Fel in the previous book.

That aside, I still binge read this book in one sitting. It was a fast paced, addictive type of read. And while the ending was mostly predictable, I still enjoyed it quite a bit. And now I immediately need Sage’s book because I have a feeling his story may be my favorite in the series. Because that set up at the end of this book? NEED.

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Review: Lies Like Love by Eva Simmons

May 10, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

LIES LIKE LOVE
Series: Twisted Roses #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Eva Simmons
Release Date: September 29, 2023

 

I made a mistake.

Hearts are the most fragile part of the body, and I trusted mine with Jude Carlisle.

My villain. My weakness. My stepbrother.

Fairytales have a way of turning the most innocent things wicked.

Jude lied through his teeth, and I fell for every word. Then he burned both our families to the ground in a sick game of revenge and never looked back.

When I see him again years later—tattooed, pierced, as vicious and lethal as ever—I should know better. Except this time, I’m not the girl looking for a hero. And I’m tempted to let Jude eat me alive if it means I’ll finally be his.

I thought I knew the truth.
I thought I unmasked all the monsters.
I thought I understood how our story would end.

But the trouble with wolves is they’re always lying. And what big lies mine told.


Lies Like Love is an emotionally twisted, dark, fairytale inspired romance with a morally grey hero, heavy subject matter, mature content, and explicit scenes. Content/TWs (which contain spoilers) can be found on author’s website. 18+ only.

AMAZON

Hearts aren’t born broken. They’re carved in the hands of those who aren’t careful with fragile things. And Jude is an expert at ripping holes in mine. He’s ruthless. Brutal.

This was my second Eva Simmons book, and y’all! I. Am. Shooketh. First of all, if you haven’t read this author yet, take my advice and have this one be the first one. Especially if you love suspenseful twisty plots with sassy MFCs and obsessed dirty talking MMCs.

Oh, god,” she moans, as I shove a finger inside, and her p*ssy tightens. “Cute.” I shove another finger in and appreciate how she loses her breath with my touch. “But I promise no one hears you like I do. So if you want your prayers answered, you better fucking pray to me, Red.”

Indeed. But I digress.

Jude and Felicity have a convoluted history. When they were teens, Felicity had a crush on Jude until she discovered he’ll be her new stepbrother and became the ultimate forbidden. But then Fel’s life tilted on its axis. Now eleven years later, Fel is trying to make a life for herself outside the influence of her wealthy family. In the hopes of selling her body jewelry, she allows her best friend to talk her to take a meeting with a popular tattoo parlor. But the last thing she expects is to see the blast from her past, only he’s not the same 17 year old boy she once knew. Jude is harder, darker, and he’s no longer her stepbrother.

This was such a deliciously entertaining story, told primarily in the present with glimpses into the past that are intricately woven in to peel back the layers of the mystery of why Fel hates Jude and what he’s ultimately hiding from her. The story definitely is true to its title and that’s all I’ll say because I don’t want to ruin it for you. Jude is a part owner in the successful Twisted Rose tattoo parlor along with his friends and he happens to get his kicks by fighting in an underground club. So obviously I was obsessed with him. Felicity may seem like a princess who was born with everything, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. And the more you learn about their past, the more you fall for these characters. Their romance was absolutely sizzling and their chemistry was incendiary. I loved the two of them together.

And that ending?! Holy wow! I love when a story manages to catch me by surprise and boy did it. I am officially obsessed and diving immediately into Crew’s book now!

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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.

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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?

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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.

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#DGRFave & Review: Ruby Tears by Pepper Winters

March 14, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

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

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

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

AMAZON 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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.

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