Review: Kingdom Fall by A. Zavarelli

November 9, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

KINGDOM FALL
Genre: Dark Mafia Romance
Author: A Zavarelli
Release Date: November 9, 2021

Kingdom Fall is part of the Underworld Kings Universe. A multi-author series of standalone books filled with mafia families waging war, danger and violence, arranged and forced marriages, angst, love, and everything in-between.

Light or dark, twisted or sweet, the Underworld Kings has something for every reader.

I was a nanny in need of a job.

He was darkness personified.

I had little to call my own.

He was filthy rich, powerful, and dangerous.

The assignment was simple, and my goal was too.

Take care of his son. Keep my head down. When he least expects it, destroy him.

It should have been easy. I thought it would be until I looked into his stark blue eyes.

Kissing the enemy is a bad idea, but so is falling in love with him.

He doesn’t know my crumbling foundation is built on lies.

When he discovers the truth, I’ll find out if he’s as brutal as I believe.

I came here to steal his life.

I didn’t count on him stealing my heart.

AVAILABLE NOW!! FREE IN KU!!

AMAZON

I don’t know what the fuck she’s doing to me, but I know it’s going to be a problem.

It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with everything that A Zavarelli writes. When I finished Resurrection of the Heart, I became completely obsessed with the IVI world. I kept hoping for more, and this book delivered.

Alessio and Natalia’s story is everything I want in a dark romance. It’s gritty, dark, twisted, and unpredictable.

They call Alessio a Debt Collector for good reason. Not only is he a member of The Society, but he’s a Sovereign Son. His position comes with power, and his ability to turn his humanity off makes him one hell of a debt collector. He’s a man with no emotion, married to his duty, and no desire for the messy complexities of anything beyond gratifying his baser urges. While his lack of emotion and ruthless nature make him a name that’s feared within the criminal underground, it doesn’t particularly endear him to his son. And with the loss of his last nanny, he’s interviewing for a new one.

Natalia is a woman on a mission. She arrives to interview for the nanny job, but you already see that her waters run deep. This is a woman harboring some dark secrets, and a nanny job is her in for something much darker. She’s looking for revenge and for answers, and Alessio holds the key to both.

I was immediately sucked into the story. The pacing was immaculate. The character development was intricate. And the romance? Deliciously dark. It’s an enemies to lovers with enough push and pull to have you desperate for them to give into the obvious chemistry between them. A woman harboring dark secrets and a man that doesn’t have entailments or emotions? Delicious! What kept me glued to the pages was the continuous twists and turns. This story caught me completely unaware. I never saw the twists coming and it kept me at the edge of my seat until the very last page. There are some secondary characters introduced who I’m desperately needing a book for. But as for this one? I couldn’t get enough!

It’s everything I’ve come to expect from this talented author and so much more. Alessio was dangerous and tortured. You get just enough of a glimpse into his light side to get you hooked on him and then he sucks you deep into his darkness. Natalia is a subtle sort of fierce. This is a woman who has been through hell and back and has come out swinging. She’s not an in your face sort of fierce. It’s subtle in a silent strength way, and I absolutely loved her.

If you like secret society, dark romance, bad men with good hearts, and fierce heroines, you need this book.

A. Zavarelli is a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author of dark and contemporary romance.

When she’s not putting her characters through hell, she can usually be found watching bizarre and twisted documentaries in the name of research.

She currently lives in the Northwest with her lumberjack and an entire brood of fur babies.

Connect w/A. Zavarelli: 

Facebook | Facebook Group | Instagram | Twitter | Mailing List | Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Bookbub 

Check out more information on the books and authors coming this fall HERE—> https://under-world-kings.com

Keep up-to-date with all things Underworld Kings in the Reader Group HERE—> https://bit.ly/3ArB5vx

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

Review: Dangerous Temptation by Giana Darling

October 26, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

DANGEROUS TEMPTATION
Series: Dark Dream #1
Genre: Mafia Romance
Author: Giana Darling
Release Date: October 26, 2021

He arrives all dressed in black.

 

Diamond cufflinks.

A watch on his tanned wrist that cost more than we would ever see in a lifetime of work.

He carries a single red rose for my mother.

Months later, Tiernan Morelli lays red roses on my mother’s grave.

That same day, he tells me that he is my new guardian.

I should have known from the very start that he had more in common with the thorns than the rose.

Now I know the truth: I’m a pawn in his dangerous game of revenge.

I was too young and naive.

Now it’s too late to save myself from his clutches.

 

Now I belong to him.

AMAZON

Poor little thing thought I was her salvation when all I intended to offer her was ruination.

Oh.
My.
GOD.

All of the ways that I loved this book. But I can summarize why in just two words. Ready? Tiernan Morelli. Need more words? OK, I got you.

I’m the kind of man that finds pleasure in pain. I’m the kind of man who makes a woman scream and cry because she doesn’t know how to take the intensity of the things I do to her body. I’m the kind of man that would make a woman crawl and beg for me before I deigned to put her out of her misery by setting her on my dick.”

This book was my trope crack for me. TROPE CRACK. Age gap. Mafia. Guardian/ward. Revenge. Enemies to lovers. ALL OF THE THINGS. And it was simply finger licking good.
Now I will say that any age gap has to have a strong heroine. If she’s too naive or too sheltered, there’s an ick factor in it for me. But Bianca was a heroine that I instantly connected with. She’s a young woman who was forced to grow up too quick because of her flighty mother who’s been hopping from one man to another since the loss of her father. But when her mother’s new man shows up at the door and spares no niceties, she’s not exactly thrilled. Tiernan is rude, crude, and seems to hate the sight of her. He’s also harboring a dark secret and a revenge plot years in the making.

Now at first I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about a hero that dates the mom first. But those concerns were quickly wiped. It just worked here. Don’t ask me how or why. It just did.

When Bianca’s mother passes, they have no one. She has her sick younger brother to think about and she’s months shy of 18. So when Tiernan shows up and says he’s their new guardian, it’s the devil you know. Doesn’t mean she doesn’t defy him and doesn’t fight him at every turn. But Tiernan is not exactly nurturing himself. He has inserted himself into their life with a dark agenda and his secrets can cost Bianca everything. The chemistry between them is also downright incendiary.

This. This was what I wanted. Rough-edged, teeth-bitten love. A body against mine like a weapon, inside me like an invasion. I wanted to be filled up and used because he couldn’t get enough. Couldn’t help himself. Couldn’t be a gentleman. Now, I understood that love wasn’t soft and warm. It was fire and brimstone and if I wasn’t careful, it would burn me alive.

This story was pure book crack. I devoured it in one sitting. I couldn’t bear to put it down for even a second. It was addicting AF and I couldn’t get enough. And the wait for book two? TORTUROUS.

Giana slayed me with this story and I cannot wait for the conclusion.

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

Review: The Bratva’s Heir by Jane Henry & Sophie Lark

October 15, 2021 by ·

THE BRATVA’S HEIR
Genre: Mafia Romance
Series: Underworld Kings
Author: Jane Henry & Sophie Lark
Release Date: October 15, 2021


A stand-alone novel in the Underworld Kings series

Prison’s a dark, bleak place.

But Clare brings me light.

My sweet little bird will be my ticket to freedom.

The first time I saw her, I had to have her.

From her big, dark eyes, to the curves she can’t conceal…

The way she can only hold my gaze so long.

The way she shivers every time I move inside these chains.

And most of all, the way she’ll bend the rules when I order her to…

I know a natural submissive when I see one.

Her degrees and titles don’t change who she is: a woman who will bend to my will.

She doesn’t know it yet, but Clare is mine.

Mine to train.
Mine to protect.
And mine to control…

AMAZON

I know you better than you know yourself. You think you want a gentleman? A Prince Charming? Someone to buy you flowers and rub your feet?
…You want permission,” I say. “To be as bad as you want to be. You want to be told to get down on your knees, to open your mouth, to do as you’re told… so you don’t have to feel guilty. Because you’re just doing what Daddy said…”

Ummm excuse me?! THE AUDACITY. The sheer AUDACITY to write something this hot and not to put a warning that I shouldn’t read it in public? Jane and Sophie, I demand to speak to your manager!

I’ve always had certain proclivities. I don’t like kissing, I don’t like cuddling, I don’t like murmuring sweet endearments in the dark. What I like is total obedience. Total control. .

Some girls like dirty talking alphas. Some girls enjoy the morally corrupt anti heroes. This girl? I want it all. But my true crack of choice is convicts. That sounds worse when I read it out loud, but you know what I mean. There’s just something about a dangerous anti hero who’s locked up but you just know he won’t be for long that just makes my blood run hot. I live for it. And the second I read the blurb for this book, I knew I needed it. But nothing prepared me for the sensual punch that it brought. Because mama! Or should I say, Daddy? *Evil grin*

Now admittedly, the daddy kink thing isn’t my fave, but GOD it just worked for me here. Constantine is the kind of uber alpha I die for. He’s a ruthless Bratva enforcer with a penchant for control, in all facets of his life, including the bedroom. And when he first lays eyes on the demure and innocent looking prison psychologist, he can read her desires a mile away. If you like praise kink and the hate everyone but her vibes, this book has it in spades.

Tell me I’m your good girl…”
“You’re my princess, my queen. I’ll slaughter anyone who lays a finger on you. Only I touch you. Only I look at you. You’re mine and mine alone.”

While what you see is what you get with Constantine, Clare is a bit different. She starts off demure but then really grows into her own. Watching her evolution through discovering more about her sexuality was satisfying as all get out. I love how she’s equally terrified of and turned on by Constantine when she meets him. I also loved her evolution into someone a lot more fierce towards the end.

This book was pure crack. There was action, twists and turns, and ALL OF THE STEAM. Oh my GAWD. The steam! THE STEAM! I devoured this book and licked my fingers afterwards. Hell I felt like I needed a cigarette after. Was the ending a little OTT on Clare’s side, a little. But did I care? Not even a little. This was pure mafia romance crack. CRACK I tells ya!

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

Review: Mafia Queen by CD Reiss

October 13, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

MAFIA QUEEN
Series: The DiLustro Arrangement #3
Genre: Dark, Mafia Romance
Author: CD Reiss
Release Date: October 12,  2021

What doesn’t kill you makes you a killer.

Santino DiLustro changed me.

You can’t spend time in bed with the devil without getting addicted to the heat.

Before him, I was a girl.

Innocent and weak.

Now, I’m a woman.

A fighter.

A killer.

I’ll burn the world down for him.

Shatter the sky.

But I will not break.

No.

I will rise up and destroy whoever dares to threaten what my king has built, because I am forever his queen.

AMAZON

Between us, he rules me with love, and my love for him rules my life.

Talk about ending a trilogy with a bang. What a twisty, action packed, high octane ride this book was. My head is still spinning.

Love rules without rules. You are outside expectations. Bigger than the law or tradition. A filthy sinner like me can never reign over a woman like you.”
“The only place I want to be reigned over is the bedroom…”
“This, I can do.”

Each book in this trilogy brought a little something different. And in this one, as the title already implies, is the full evolution of Violetta. She started out as a bit of a petulant child bride in book one. We saw her evolve a bit and come to some hard realizations in book two. But this one truly brought her in full force. We get to see this young woman grow into the queen that she is, and man was it satisfying.

Santino and his uber alpha qualities were always my favorite thing about this story. I loved his cold detachment almost as much as I loved his singleminded obsession with his wife. But what I appreciated was finally seeing his true devotion and feelings come out in this installment and seeing a different side of him. A softer side that did nothing to take away from his savage one.

There’s a lot that happens in this book, and at times it always felt a bit much with all the twists and turns. The pacing at times felt a little bit off for me as well. There’s so much happening, and some of it felt like it was happening all at once, that it was hard to wrap my mind around it. But that didn’t stop me from devouring this book. It was a bloody, violent bang of an end, and I was so here for it. What I loved the most was seeing Violetta’s savage and ruthless side come out. This is a mafia queen that doesn’t shy away from pulling the trigger when it comes to protecting those she loves. There’s twists you never see coming, and turns that leave your mind reeling. There’s also a hook for a new book with a secondary character that I’m practically salivating to get my hands on.

I’ve missed this side of CD’s writing and I lived for it with this trilogy. I’m even more thrilled to see we’ll be getting more in this world. If you’re looking for a sexy and gritty mafia romance with bite, look no further! Read this one!

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

Review: Stolen- Dante’s Vow by Natasha Knight

September 30, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

STOLEN: DANTE’S VOW
Genre: Dark, Mafia Romance
Author: Natasha Knight
Release Date: September 30, 2021

Five years.
That’s how long it took me to find her.

Five years after my world shattered, leaving me a scarred and broken man.

By then, the girl I knew was gone. In her place stood a woman. One who looked like an angel. An impossible, beautiful angel.

I killed for her. Soaked my hands in the blood of those who hurt her and rescued her from hell.

But hell has a way of following you. Becoming a part of you. Maybe the only part you recognize.

I had every intention of bringing her home. Setting her free.
I swear I did.

But the men who kidnapped her all those years ago weren’t done with her yet. They’d stop at nothing to get her back. And I’d kill any man who tried to take her from me.

She calls me her avenging angel.
But I know the truth.
I’m no angel.

Because even as I tell myself I’m protecting her I know one thing for sure.

I am a monster, too. No better than them.
Because just like them, I’ll never let her go .

Author’s note: Stolen is Dante Grigori’s story and although a standalone, would be better enjoyed after reading With This Ring and I Thee Take.

AMAZON 

 

I’m here now, Mara. And I may not be the boy you remember, but I am the man you’ll come to know. The man who will destroy your demons.”

I feel like I’ve been waiting for this story forever! The second that Dante appeared in With This Ring, I was intrigued. And when the revelations in I Thee Take happened, well, let’s just say I was damn near salivating for this story. When I saw Natasha post a teaser about writing Dante’s book, I was pretty much rabid in my need to get my hands on it. So is it any surprise that the second it landed on my kindle, I devoured it in one sitting? I think not.

I can’t have her. So much has been stolen from her already. I won’t steal a love I don’t deserve.

I highly recommend that you read the To Have and To Hold duet prior to this book. There’s a lot of overarching story arc that really sets the stage for this story. And while you can technically still enjoy this as a standalone, some of the big nuances may be missed on you if you do.

We met Dante’s brother in that duet and we learn quite a bit about the brother’s family and history. We get to know their years long vendetta for the gruesome death of their family. But at the end of the duet we learn that the woman that they thought died all those years along with their family, may not have. Stolen actually takes place five years after I Thee Take.

Dante has been tirelessly searching for Mara, who has been barely surviving her captivity to a monster all of these years. Sold into sexual slavery, she made a deal with her owner five years ago to save Dante’s brother’s woman. And it cost her. The book starts off pretty much right away with her rescue and the aftereffects of what she’s been through.

I loved Mara. She’s a fighter and a survivor, no matter the hell she’s been through the past 15 years. She may have grew up with Dante the boy, but she doesn’t recognize the man, and their connection takes a while to reestablish. I loved watching this ruthless killer handle this woman like she’s made of spun glass. He was her fiercest protector, even if that protection was against himself.

I’m not sure why I thought this was a duet when it’s a standalone. But a part of me kept thinking that I would have loved this to be a bit longer. I would have liked to get a bit more fleshing out with things at the end. But as it was, I still devoured it and loved every page. The connection between Mara and Dante was years long in the making. There’s a deliciously complex secondary character who gets introduced and I’m already hoping we get his story next, because DAMN.

But if you’re looking for a gritty mafia romance read, look no further. Knight delivers as always with packing a story full of emotion, darkness, and steam.

 

Natasha Knight is the USA Today Bestselling author of Romantic Suspense and Dark Romance Novels. She has sold over half a million books and is translated into six languages. She currently lives in The Netherlands with her husband and two daughters and when she’s not writing, she’s walking in the woods listening to a book, sitting in a corner reading or off exploring the world as often as she can get away.

AUTHOR LINKS

Website: http://natasha-knight.com
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/natasha-knight
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2kg2fRX
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/natashaknightauthor
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1752075498339742
Newsletter: http://natasha-knight.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natashaknightromance

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

Review: The Don by Serena Akeroyd

August 29, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

THE DON
Series: The Valentini Family Book 1
Genre: Mafia Romance
Author: Serena Akeroyd
Release Date: August 26, 2021

Blood stains my hands, my soul, my heart, yet I’ll shed more to keep her safe.

A chance meeting brings Jen MacNeill into my life—the woman born to reign at my side.

She just doesn’t know it yet.

How could my Lady be anything other than a silken promise taunting me with every breath she takes?

A new Don reigns over Manhattan.

But though I won the war, peace isn’t easily brokered.
Over a decade of avenging my father’s death, I made many enemies.
To each and every one, Jen’s a target.

But I’ll paint NYC red before I let them harm her.
I just never imagined I’d be in the line of fire first…

A heart broken by grief can feel no guilt or shame with the brutality in which vengeance is delivered.

This is the first part of ‘The Oath’ duet in The Valentini Family series.

AMAZON

She was a witch… A witch who’d enchanted me. Bedeviled me. Tormented me. I was more than okay with that, so long as I enslaved her in return.

So…real talk. When a book starts off with the butt stuff and still manages to deliver on the sexual tension, you know I’m all over it, right? Right.

But really, I’m a sucker for a good mafia romance. I got introduced to Serena’s writing with Storm and became an insta fan. The second I saw the promotion of this duet, I was itching to get my grabby little hands on it. I already knew the woman can deliver some grit and I needed my fix.

The Don is book one of The Valenti Family duet and interconnects with her Five Points series. Now I haven’t read that series yet, but had no problems understanding the nuances of the various relationships here. Jen is Aoife’s best friend from Filthy. This was a heroine I instantly connected with. And not just because she has the balls to barge into a Don’s office and demand butt stuff, but because the woman is simply kick ass. She’s a self professed gold digger and daughter of a whore, who has had to fight for everything she has. A chance meeting with Luciu inevitably changes the course of her life. She knows he’s mafia, she knows he’s dangerous but yet she can’t stay away from him.

Now I’m not usually a fan of insta anything. And there’s definitely some insta lust here that skates the edge of insta love, which isn’t usually my cuppa. And when I tell you that, I mean Luciu falls first which is my cuppa. So I’m invested here.

The majority of this book focuses on their budding relationship, which admittedly did feel a bit too lengthy for me. Don’t get me wrong, the sexy times were hot, but I wanted more meat to the bones of this story too, which only began to take place at the end. And then the cliffhanger hits you with all the subtlety of a ten by four and I’m dying for book 2. Did I enjoy this? Absolutely. Do I need book two? Desperately! Should you read it? Yes m’am. If you love a good mafia romance, check this out.

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

Review: The Bastard’s Betrayal by Katee Robert

August 27, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

THE BASTARD’S BETRAYAL
Series: Scandalous Scions Book 1
Genre: Mafia Romance
Author: Katee Robert
Release Date: August 25, 2021

She thought it was love.

Rose Romanov is a mafia princess, and everything that entails. Violently over-protective parents. A giant extended family, all ready to kill anyone who looks at her wrong. Learning to run a business that isn’t exactly on the right side of the law. So, naturally, when she meets a nice guy who isn’t in the life, she falls hard… Right up until the she discovers her new boyfriend isn’t a civilian at all.

But he betrayed her.

When Dante Verducci was sent on an undercover mission to evaluate the Romanov family for weakness, he never expected to have an instant connection with their unlikely heir. There’s something fierce and feral about Rose that calls to him. They’re alike, even if they’re both lying to each other during the months they date. Before he could figure out a new plan, Rose finds out who he really is, dumps him, and immediately enters an engagement with the heir of a rival family. Yeah, no, that’s not going to work for Dante.

Now he’ll do anything to reclaim her. Even go to war.

AMAZON

His gaze flicked to the gun in her hands. “You really think you’re going to shoot me? You were coming around my cock twenty-four hours ago.”
Fury nearly made her black out. Maybe she wouldn’t regret this after all. He was so fucking sure of her, of this situation, as if the gun in her hand didn’t mean a single damn thing. She’d prove him wrong. Rose steadied her stance, reaching for the one thing she could that would hurt him a fraction of as much as he’d hurt her.
“I faked it.” She pulled the trigger.

When a book starts with that quote, you know you’re in for a good time. I love me some Katee Roberts, and when I saw she’s releasing a spin off from The O’Malleys series, I was all over it. I love a good mafia romance, and throw in a bit of betrayal and hate lust into the mix and I’m done. STICK A FORK IN ME. I love it.

I loved the first half of this story. Rose Romanov is a heroine that you instantly love. The woman is a badass. She’s a mafia princess and the daughter of Dmitri and Keira from The Bastard’s Bargain. If you haven’t read that book, don’t worry, you can easily pick things up with this one as it is the launch of a new series.

Rose can’t seem to do right by her family. She knows that having a relationship with a sexy bartender who she recently met isn’t meant to be because of her family responsibility. But when she finds out that the bartender isn’t who he says he was and he happens to have ties to a rival mafia? Suffice it to say she’s pissed.

Boy meets girl. Boy betrays girl. Girl get pissed and shoots boy. Boy is determined and kidnaps girl on her wedding day (of her arranged marriage) and will stop at nothing, including plying her with orgasms to make her his.
Having said that, I loved the first half of this book. The kidnapping, the push and pull, the hate lust, the second chance romance vibes. All of it just did it for me. But then the story lost a bit of steam for me. I wanted more mafia action, but most of it was a bit on the meh side. Outside of a few brief glimpses and instances, not much else happens. I began to grow bored and to skim. I also found myself wishing we got some glimpse of how these two got together. That all takes place off the pages, and I would have loved a bit more fleshing out of their original connection. Don’t get me wrong, I still loved their chemistry, I just also wished for at least a flashback or two.

And then there’s the set up for the next book? GIMME! It sounds utterly delicious.

If you’re looking for a super spicy mafia romance, definitely read this. It’s not the usual grittiness that I prefer in my mafia romance, but the spice made up for it and I still enjoyed it quite a bit.

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

Review: The Spy by Sophie Lark

August 13, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

THE SPY
Series: Kingmakers #4
Genre: New Adult, Dark Romance
Author: Sophie Lark
Release Date: July 28, 2021


I’ve waited three long years for this…

Hiding. Lying. Spying.

Waiting like a spider for her to wander into my web…

Now she’s here, and I have to get even closer to her. I’ll help her. Befriend her. Seduce her, even.

The only thing I can’t do is fall in love with her.

Her father took everything from me: my money, my family, my life.

He has to pay for what he’s done. And she’s the only thing that can hurt him…

The Lark Notes:
I’ve been planting clues and Easter Eggs all the way through the first three Kingmakers books — now it’s time for the secrets to be revealed, and the mysteries to find their conclusions. The moment you finish “The Spy”, you’re going to want to go back and read the whole series all over again! – Sophie

“The Spy” is the final installment in the epic dark mafia Kingmakers series. It’s a forbidden romance, full of mystery, betrayal, and an explosive conclusion that will give you the biggest book hangover of your life!

AMAZON

Not all predators hunt in the open.

This series has been a guilty pleasure for me. It’s one of those suspend your disbelief sort of reads that manages to hit the spot even if it’s waaaay out there. I think I saw the comparison of Hogwarts school for criminals and it’s definitely apropos.

I’ve been waiting for this one with bated breath. I couldn’t wait for The Spy to be revealed because I just knew it was going to be crazy. And man, was it. The Spy was a character I fell for immediately. I was desperate for the details to his past and the more that got revealed, the more hooked I became. Nix was a bit of an acquired taste, that admittedly, I just never acquired a taste for. She was…just okaish. She seemed a bit two dimensional. I get her father’s story, but she just didn’t add up for me.

The other thing that lowered my rating was the romance. I hate to admit it, but I just never connected with the romance here. Admittedly, it’s something I’ve experienced with some of the other books I’ve read from this author. The romance just seems to come out of nowhere, with no real build up. For my tastes anyway. This is entirely a personal tastes thing, so don’t take my word as gospel here because I’m clearly in the minority. But for me they just seemed to go from 0 to 60 in the span of a chapter, and considering their history and who they are to each other, I just couldn’t wrap my mind around that. Nix’s choice in the end was also mind boggling. I just couldn’t believe her quick turn face and how easily she forgave and condemned.

I have to say my favorite part of the book was the secondary suspense story. Or not really secondary, but one that runs parallel to the romance and has some flashbacks. I lived for these two.

All in all, this was an entertaining read, but just not something that I’d come back to or find myself thinking about later.

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

Review: Dark Queen by Ker Dukey

July 7, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

DARK QUEEN
Genre: Dark, Mafia Romance
Author: Ker Dukey
Release Date: June 28, 2021

He was my boss.

Rich, ambitious, dominating.

I was a waitress, struggling to pay the fees for ballet school.

Poor, talented, desperate.

He needed to marry to appease his dying father, to inherit the family empire.

It wasn’t supposed to be real, or forever.

Until he changed the rules.

What Mafia king Luca Leto wants, he gets, and he’s crowned his queen.

Me.

I’m under his rule now.

And his reign is cruel and toxic.

They call him the dark king and to gain my freedom I’m going to have to become a dark queen.

#Standalone Mafia romance.

AMAZON

You’re how villains are made, little ballerina,” I growl. “Tempting fate, wanting to play with the wicked.”

I have a confession…
*whispers* this was my first Ker Dukey book *hides*
I know, okay? Clearly I’ve been living under a rock for some time. But in my defense, the second I read the blurb for this book, I knew I would be introduced to this author. I’m a sucker for a dark mafia romance and when that romance is between a down on her luck and trying to make something of herself ballerina and the bad boy mafia king determined to resist her? SIGN. ME. UP.

I love the fact that we’re given a young female heroine that isn’t a naive virgin. This is a female that knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it. Though I will say I didn’t particularly love her choices in the very beginning. After the death of her mother, Alyssa escapes her small town to chase her dreams to become a ballerina. The prestigious ballet school having a scholarship position for her is step one, but trying to afford her life in the big city is another. A job at a gentleman’s club is the solution she’s been looking for, but the mercurial and hot and cold owner is nothing she expected.

Luca is determined to fight the chemistry between them and the push and pull element had me hooked. Unfortunately, and I can’t quite put my finger on the why, the characters and their relationship failed to really draw me in. I just never fully connected to them. It felt surface level and something just always felt missing for me. What ultimately fell short was the extremely rushed ending, and particularly the strange bit at the end. I appreciated the twist that I didn’t see coming, but I really wished it was more fleshed out. As it was it felt like the story dragged for about 90% to ultimately feel like it was quickly wrapped up in one chapter that didn’t feel satisfying in the least.

But all that aside it was still an entertaining read and had me hooked on the author’s writing to want to read all her other books.

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

Review: Carnal Urges by J.T. Geissinger

June 30, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

CARNAL URGES
Series: Queens & Monsters #2
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Suspense
Author: J.T. Geissinger
Release Date: June 30, 2021

Carnal (adjective):
1) Relating to the pleasures of the body
2) Given to sensual indulgence
3) The man who kidnapped me

The devil has blue eyes, an Irish accent, and a hatred for me that runs deep.

He blames me for starting a war.
Consorting with his enemies.
Getting his men killed.

Though I’m innocent on all charges, he wants his pound of flesh.
With an eye on revenge, he makes me his captive.

But as we’ll both soon discover, there are more powerful urges than that for revenge.

 

When the devil meets his match but she’s his sworn enemy, that’s when the real war begins.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

AMAZON 

In a life full of unforgivable sins, sleeping with the enemy would be the absolute worst.

In case you were wondering, above is actual footage of me reading this book. BECAUSE OH MY HOLY BOOK CRACK. This was DELICIOUS.

Men say they love a strong woman, right up until they meet one.

The second Sloane appeared on the pages of Ruthless Creatures, I was instantly captivated. There’s just something about a strong, smart, fiercely independent woman that owns her sexuality and doesn’t feel bad about being one and done with men while leaving them all panting in her wake. And what I mean by that, is this woman was instantly my spirit animal. I loved her as a secondary character but I was nervous about her being the main one. Because it’s so easy to take a character like this and overdo it. Make her too much. But somehow, she was even better than I ever hoped.

I’m not the girl who gets butterflies. I’m not the girl who swoons or begs. I’m the one who moves on before things get complicated, who keeps moving on relentlessly without looking back, like a shark that has to keep swimming forward its whole life or it will die. I’m the one who doesn’t fall. Who doesn’t feel. Who doesn’t get attached.

And you may also remember Declan from Cruel Paradise. And if you haven’t read that series, you haven’t lived. Just sayin’. But I digress. Declan was the right hand man for the Irish mafia, and suddenly finds himself at the head of it in this book. He’s also the mortal enemy of Kage from Ruthless Creatures, who happens to be Sloane’s bestie’s new man. Complication, they has it. But I digress again.

This was enemies to lovers GOLD. Declan kidnaps Sloane and keeps her captive, only it doesn’t go as he planned considering the woman is opinionated, with a razor sharp tongue, and completely fearless. She challenges him at every turn and turns him on at every corner. Their banter was the thing mu bookish dreams were made of.

I’m probably going to die with only you for company. Can you blame me for being upset?” His eyes are narrowed, doubtful, arctic blue.
I throw my hands in the air. “I’m not invincible!”
“So that deal you made with the devil for the power to kill with run-on sentences didn’t include immortality?”

Y’all. When I tell you I lived for this banter, words can’t describe the level of goofy smile I had on my face reading it.

Now I liked book one, but also wanted more story and more tension and (whispers shamefully) less sex. What? Yes it happens even to me. But I digress again. This gave me the tension I had so needed. The buildup was fiery and delicious. And when these two finally collide? HOLY MOTHER!!!!! What’s the best thing you can imagine for a fiercely independent woman? Give her an uber dominant alpha with a penchant for kink. YES PLEASE.
I’ll bind you and blindfold you, probably gag you with my tie, too. And I’ll make you come, over and over. I’ll make you glad you let yourself submit. Are you ready?”


The steam, people! THE STEAM. I died for it. I loved Sloane slowly work her quirky charm on Declan almost as much as I loved his dominant side completely own her in bed.

In this moment, all I want is to let him run me over. To let him break me, savage me, tear me apart.

Carnal Urges was action packed, quick paced, filled with humor, banter to die for, and steam hot enough to set fire to your reader. When I tell you I died for this book, I mean I DIED FOR THIS BOOK. This was JT Geissinger in all of her amazing glory and I was so here for it. And the twist at the end? DIE. I DIE. Seriously. I need the next book like yesterday.

If you love a sizzling hot mafia romance with an uber alpha to die for and a sassy and strong willed heroine to challenge him at every turn, welcome to your next addiction. This book was all of the things! I cannot recommend it enough.

J.T. Geissinger is a bestselling author of emotionally charged romance and women’s fiction. Ranging from funny, feisty rom coms to intense, edgy suspense, her books have sold more than one million copies and been translated into several languages.

She is the recipient of the Prism Award for Best First Book, the Golden Quill Award for Best Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, and is a two-time finalist for the RITA® Award from the Romance Writers of America®. She has also been a finalist in the Booksellers’ Best, National Readers’ Choice, and Daphne du Maurier Awards.

Her first novel was published in 2012. Since then she’s written eighteen more novels. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, drinking wine, surfing the internet, and daydreaming about all the things she’s going to be when she grows up. She lives near the beach in Los Angeles with her husband and deaf/demented rescue kitty, Ginger.

Connect with J.T. Geissinger

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram |  Pinterest | GoodReads |  BookBub |  Join Geissinger’s Gang Reader Group |  Stay up to date by joining J.T.’s mailing list | Website 

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

%d bloggers like this: