A VENGEFUL OCCASION
Series: The Fallen Kings of Eden #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Kristy Marie
Release Date: April 26, 2024

Urban legend.
Ruthless Attorney.
Hateful Billionaire.

Tobias Hale is surrounded by rumors, most of which are true. Underneath that three-piece suit is a cold, callous man who rules the courtroom with an iron tongue. Judges hate him with the same passion he hates me.
He hasn’t always been that way, though.
We were once star-crossed lovers who sat by the water’s edge—me wearing his jacket and him dreaming about a future far away from my family—a place where I wasn’t American royalty, only his queen.
I never thought I would see him again.
Years later, a chance encounter brings us face to face.
The sweet and compassionate man I once knew is long gone. The man before me now is a vicious and calculated billionaire.
Once upon a time, he was my fairytale prince.
Now, he has become the legend everyone knows as Tennyson—my husband, my killer.

A Vengeful Occasion is a second chance, romantic suspense standalone.

AMAZON 

They say the sins of the father are the debt of his children. For Spencer Pemberton, that’s exactly the case—plus more.

I was immediately intrigued by these brothers in A Vicious Proposal but when we got a sneak peek into Tobias Hale, suffice it to say I was feral for his book. This series just keeps getting better with each book! I live for a second chance romance trope, and when you throw in suspense, revenge, and a lovers to enemies to lovers vibe? I am SOLD.

I’m sorry, what? Did you say that your wife is in your trunk?” Maybe calling Van—or Alistair, as most people know him—wasn’t such a great idea.
“Don’t get all righteous on me, brother. As I recall, you kidnapped your wife, as well.”
“Blackmailed,” he corrects. “I blackmailed her into marrying me. I didn’t toss her in my trunk the second I saw her.”
“I didn’t take her the minute I saw her,” I retort. “I grabbed her after I stalked her for a week!”

This is the story of Tobias and Spenser, and as much as I loved Tobias, I was absolutely obsessed with Spencer and her sassy fierceness. Twelve years ago, Tobias was her escape and love of her life. But when her life tilted on its axis because of her dangerous family, the last thing Spencer expected is to see the man again. Even though she never stopped loving him.

Spenser was a firecracker. This is a woman who survived hell at the hands of her family and never stopped fighting. She also never stopped trying to escape her circumstances and the life that she never wanted. But when the latest attempt suddenly lands her in front of the only man who ever meant anything to her, it’s not exactly a happy reunion. Spencer has secrets she can’t share and an agenda that is life or death for her. And Tobias is determined to make her pay for what he thinks was her role in ruining his life all those years ago.

We were a cliché poem, fighting for the past we had lost in a future we didn’t trust.

The chemistry between these two was incendiary. Theirs is a slow burn but when it fires up, it crackles!

I’m going to fuck you out of my system,” I warn. “I’m going to fuck you how you make me feel: unhinged.”

I absolutely loved this book. It brought a bit of everything; suspense, action, a fiery romance, and so much hate lust. And you know that I love me some hate lust. My only quibble is that the ending felt a bit rushed after all the build up and I would have loved to see the impact on the pages rather than off. But it was still seriously satisfying and was an absolute page turner of a read.

A VICIOUS PROPOSAL
Series: The Fallen Kings of Eden #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Kristy Marie
Release Date: January 17, 2024

Bestselling Author Kristy Marie brings you a brand new standalone with a morally gray hero who sentences his past love to six years of marriage to serve as punishment for her betrayal.

I knew him only as Van Gogh.
A tortured artist who owned the night as he moved through the shadows, cloaked in hate and madness.
He was a vicious vigilante—a serial arsonist who thrived on the fear he triggered with a single match between his tattooed knuckles.
We were told to lock our doors and stay inside.
I wanted to. I really did.
But then I saw his eyes, burning like embers as he watched me through the smoke.
And like the flames at his feet, I delighted in his attention.
I became his muse.
His passion.
His obsession.
His perfectly flawed flower.
But that was years ago.
Before my seaside town became his canvas…
Before the ashes of my enemies became his paint…
Before he hated me… and made me his wife.

AMAZON 

For the crime of betrayal, Reese Carmichael, I sentence you to six years as my prisoner.” I flash her a wink and a smile. “I believe society calls that a marriage.”

I have been eyeing this author for so long and when I saw the blurb for this book, I knew this would be my first Kristy Marie book. And I can say I’m officially hooked. I need more from this author and I definitely need more for this series.

She’s always been mine to ruin and love as violently as the flames that dance between my fingers.

Admittedly, I felt darker vibes from the book than the story itself ended up being. If you’re expecting a dark romance, it’s not really that. It has dark undercurrent, but it’s really more gritty and gray.

Reese once thought “Van” was her everything, until he disappeared as suddenly as he appeared in her life. Van spent six years in prison and he’s convinced that Reese is the one responsible for his arrest and ultimately his conviction. Now I will say, I was generally confused about all of the things up until well into 75% of the story. The way that it starts thoroughly threw me. It felt like we were diving head first not the middle of a book. The author cleverly continues to peel back the layers throughout the story, but where it worked for some of the things, for parts of it, it was frustratingly confusing. I would have loved a flashback to when they first met. As it was, it took me a while to fully click.

Now the banter in this book was everything. Reese is a spitfire and a half and this woman sure knows how to give as good as she gets.

This is why he hides in the shadows. Everyone wants to kill him for being a giant pain in the ass.

The chemistry between the two of them was seriously delicious. Though again, I would have loved to see flashbacks of them to really connect with their relationship. I did have to suspend my disbelief, since Van is now an ADA after a 6 year prison sentence. Did I care? Not in the least. It was so entertaining.

The author keeps you guessing about everything until the last few chapters and then the plot twists leave you reeling. It wasn’t quite what I expected but it hooked me hard on the series and it hit the spot just right.