Review: The Grump Who Stole Summer by Ella Fields

January 16, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

THE GRUMP WHO STOLE SUMMER
Author: Ella Fields
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 7, 2022

USA Today bestselling author, Ella Fields, returns to contemporary romance with an all-new angsty enemies to lovers standalone.

I never meant to hurt her.
Okay, so that might be a lie. The truth is, I just… panicked.

My soul died when I was fourteen, and there was no reviving it. But when the one person who’d tried made headlines, got dumped by her Ivy League college, and was forced to work in my bookstore, I began to wonder if I needed it when my heart beat faster at just the sight of her.

I began to wonder if I’d been wrong to push her away three years ago, and if she was as I’d hoped and feared—different. If maybe, she could truly accept a guy like me.
All of me. Every vile, cruel, tattered piece.

First, I had to find out a few things.
Would she still smile and laugh when I said something acidic?
Would she still melt beneath the pads of my inexperienced fingers?
Did she still want me as much as I wanted her?
And finally, could she ever forgive an undeserving prick like me?
Something told me I’d regret not finding out.

Told in dual POV, The Grump Who Stole Summer is a full-length standalone, enemies to lovers second chance romance. It contains some sensitive subject matter.

AMAZON

Did I hurt you?”
“No, but you have ruined me.” He kissed under my jaw. “The score is finally even.”

When I think of angst, Ella Fields immediately comes to mind. The woman has ruined me when it comes to her particular brand of angst. And like the masochist that I am when it comes to her books, I eagerly scream “hurt me” every time she releases a book. I have no shame in my game. She writes an asshole like no other. *dreamy sigh*

Now this one was a bit different and not quite what I expected. It was an enemies to lovers with a twist, but not as rip your hair out angsty as Ella’s usual. The story itself took me a bit to get into. The characters, while unique, didn’t click with me right away. Though they certainly did grow on me.

Smith is a not just a grump, he’s a recluse. He hates everything and everyone, and barely manages to keep his book store afloat because he can’t be bothered to smile or be polite to a customer.

Alice is a bit of spoiled princess, though not all is at it seems with her. After going a bit too wild in college and getting caught with her boobs out on display in a paparazzi shot, well, suffice it to say her business mogul mother is non too pleased. Her punishment? A volunteering gig at a local book store. What Alice doesn’t realize until she gets there, is that the reclusive grumpy owner and her have a history, and it’s not the kind she wants to think about again. Once upon a time, he broke her heart.

These characters, though they come off a bit…strange at first, are incredibly multi layered. Not all is at it seems, and with each new chapter, I found myself growing deeper under their spell. Though the pacing of the book was a bit slower for me, I can’t complain too much, because the end more than made up for it. I loved the flashbacks of Smith and Alice interwoven into their present. Smith is still the broken, tortured, and grumpy asshole he was when Alice first met him. But still waters definitely run deep with this man, and when the truth finally gets revealed? DAMN.

I loved that Alice’s parents weren’t the stereotypical rich a-holes. They loved her and I loved seeing her mother’s conniving sweet side come out at the end. The twisty ending definitely made the book for me, though. Right out of a soap opera drama, but damn was it delicious.

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

Review: Return All by Eve Dangerfield

December 14, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

RETURN ALL
Series: Rebirth #2
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Author: Eve Dangerfield
Release Date: December 14, 2021

“Return All is one of my top reads of the year. Soooooo wickedly good. ” NYT bestselling author Annika Martin

“Nobody does Daddy kink quite like Eve Dangerfield. A fantastic read every time!” USA Today bestselling author Ainsley Booth

Hundreds of women have tried to win Derek Hardiman over, but the only girl he’s loved is nowhere to be found…
After ten years in the game Derek Hardiman has been crowned a football prodigy—but success came at the cost of his dorky high school sweetheart, Mara Temple.
A decade after she left town, he still can’t imagine marrying someone who isn’t her.

“Kink, heart, and sass all in one delightful package!” USA Today Bestseller, Amy Andrews.

Travelling for most of her twenties, Mara has returned home with a designer wardrobe, a sweet puppy and a new last name. What better to keep her surly ex-boyfriend from recognising her?

“Return All is the book you need right now. Deliciously dirty, sweet, and so real it hurts.” Adriana Anders, Award-winning author of Whiteout

When Mara and Derek are thrown back into each other’s lives the obsession that began when they were teenagers returns in full force.

Derek can hardly believe the goddess his once-awkward lover has become, and he’s determined win her back.

But Mara is determined not to give into the hype surrounding her bachelor superstar ex. Unfortunately, Derek Hardiman has always lived up to the hype. After all, a girl only has one daddy…

Return All is a standalone second chance romance by the critically acclaimed romance author Eve Dangerfield.

AMAZON

Derek Hardiman had kissed her like no one had kissed her. Touched her in ways that made her shake. He’d held her and talked to her. He’d loved her in a way that ruined her for anyone else. And there he was. Her big, brutal ex-boyfriend.

Oh but I’ve missed me some Eve Dangerfield brand of kinky f*ckery.

*smutty swoon*

I live for a good second chance romance. But I absolutely hate when you find out that while the guy was out there ploughing through the entire female population, the woman has been pining away letting dust collect. And I’m so happy that Eve Dangerfield would say f*ck you to all that with Mara.

Derek Hardiman is grumpy personified. He’s a famous rugby star who never lacks in female attention. He goes through women like there’s an unlimited supply, but not because he doesn’t want to settle down. It’s because none of them call to him and make him want it. He was in love once, and that sweet and shy poor girl from the wrong side of the tracks stole his heart. He never got over his high school sweet heart. Even though he left her behind, it never felt settled. And when he runs into Mara again ten years later, he barely recognizes the girl he knew in the stunning and clearly successful and well off woman.

But when Derek is determined to get another chance, Mara is just as determined to escape him. Derek broke her heart ten years ago and she’s not exactly eager for a repeat. This time, she’ll be the one to leave. She’ll do it on her terms and she’ll do it with no regrets. But there’s a reason that no other men have been able to do it for her through the years. Derek has a little something that no one has been able to give her. And daddy’s back…

Tell me what to fucking do,” Derek muttered, slapping her ass. “Never could keep your mouth shut. I can fix that. I’ll fuck you until you can’t say anything but My. Fucking. Name.”

Man but I loved this book. I loved the new confident Mara. This is not the same shy introvert who couldn’t believe the most popular boy in their school was interested in her. I loved how she made Derek work for it. And boy did he work for it.

Now I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; the daddy kink is not generally my cuppa. Unless of course, Eve writes it. And you better believe I loved it here. I loved their filthy sex almost as much as I loved their romantic connection. But where Derek knows what he wants; forever, Mara is not so easily convinced. Especially given their history.

I did struggle a bit to forgive Derek his stupidity not only ten years ago, but also the now. The man is simply daft at times. But he definitely redeems himself and that’s all that matters. This was everything I’ve come to expect from Eve and more! Quirky, silly, kinky, and so much fun! If you love a filthy second chance romance, you don’t want to miss this one.

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

Review: The Lost Fisherman by Jewel E Ann

October 14, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

THE LOST FISHERMAN
Series: Fisherman #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Jewel E Ann
Release Date: October 14, 2021

It’s been five years since I’ve seen him.

 

An unexpected event takes me back to the place where it all began.

But I’m no longer the naive young woman he once knew.

 

 

And he’s no longer the man who took nearly everything from me.

 

Can this be our time?

 

Or is it too late?

 

Did I find myself only to lose him?

AMAZON

I love you today.

Did I feel like I may pop a blood vessel in my week long wait until book two? Yes.
Did I start this book the second it landed on my kindle? Yes.
Did I stay up until the buttcrack of dawn finishing it? Also yes.
Do I have any regrets? Absolutely not!

I thought we were strong enough to make it through. I thought it was finally our time. I thought wrong.

So how do I even begin to review this book when one of the most integral parts of the story is a huge spoiler? Well, I don’t. I’m not going to tell you much details beyond what you can gather from that blurb, and you’ll thank me for it. Trust me.

What I can tell you, is this book takes place five years after the first one. It’s one of my now favorite second chance romances. And I devoured it in one sitting.

I fell hard for Fisher and Reese in The Naked Fisherman. I loved Fisher and his unapologetic crudeness. I loved the way that Reese got to see a side of him that no one else saw. Fast forward 5 years, and I think I loved these two even more. Reese is now a young woman rather than the naive child she first met Fisher as. She’s seen the world. She’s lived. She’s experienced. She knows her mind and isn’t afraid to speak it or go for what she wants. Her personality really shone through this story. She was more self assured. She also just grew into her own in a way that she never could have as an 18 year old girl.

The romance element was one of my favorites. It still echoed a bit from the forbidden parts of book one, but in a different way. I lived for the angst. I loved the emotion. And I died for the chemistry.

So why not 5 stars even while I clearly loved it? Well, I couldn’t help but feel like there was just a little something missing for me. I wanted to know more about Fisher, and while I get the POV is constructed the way that it was for a very specific reason, I still couldn’t help but wish for more. Yes, we got to learn him through Reese, but I would have loved to be in his head just a bit more than what we ultimately got. Now the part that we did get was extremely potent, but still.

That very minor detail aside, I loved this duet. I loved the feels, the chemistry, the once in a lifetime love. It was as beautiful as it was painful and I devoured every page.

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

Review: Storm by Serena Akeroyd

July 29, 2021 by · 4 Comments

STORM
Genre: Contemporary, MC Romance
Series: Dark and Dirty Sinners’ MC #8
Author: Serena Akeroyd
Release Date: July 29, 2021

STORM

You hate me.

I deserve it.

The day I betrayed the love of my life was the day I lived up to every messed-up thing my haters say about me.

But I’m tired of feeling like a POS.

I’m tired of being broken.

I’m tired of life not being worth living.

It’s time now to make amends, and to earn my woman’s love back.

To be the father my kid deserves,

the Old Man I should always have been.
Join me for the ride as I become worthy of my family.

Maybe, just maybe, I’ll surprise you.

This book deals with infidelity. If this is a trigger for you, but you loveA Dark & Dirty Sinners’ MC series, please be assured, that this is the ONLY book that can be skipped in the reading order.

AMAZON

I was trying to live like a fucking priest, but I was a sinner. There was no hiding from it. No evading it.”

I’m speechless right now.
Ruined.
Wrecked.
Completely overwhelmed with feels.

This book. THIS. BOOK. I don’t even have the words for all that I feel right now.

I have never read this author. I also haven’t read any of the other books in this series. But when I read the blurb to this book, I had zero chill. I had to read it and I took a chance to read it completely out of order without having read the rest of the series. And you know what?
I’m a sucker for a redemption story. I’m an even bigger sucker for a gritty MC. And I’m absolutely gone for a cheating redemption story. So long as it fits the story, of course. And this story? It was all of the things.

So you’re just being possessive?”
“No.”
“What is it then?”
“I want what’s best for her. I just wish that were me.”

This story was a kick straight to the feels. Storm was emotional, gritty, unapologetic, and completely unforgettable.

Now let’s address the elephant in the room. This series is not really read as standalones. But you can easily read this book and enjoy it without having read the others because there’s perfect amount of background given.

Let’s not address the other elephant in the room. Cheating. If that’s not your thing, don’t read this book. Seriously. But I happen to love the angst of a good cheating story. The book starts out with Storm and Keira already separated following the events of his f*ckups. The story is told in part present and flashbacks to the past. You’re taken deep into the heart and soul of an incredibly broken and damaged man. You get to wade throw his pain, his regrets, and ultimately his redemption.

Now you’re probably saying to yourself, cheating is never acceptable. Well, in the case of this book, I disagree. I love reading redemption stories and I love seeing the ugly side of love. And Storm’s story is not a light one but man was it good. He’s not a perfect man. He’s not even a good man. But he’s a man that would do anything for his family and would break himself apart for his estranged wife. Including tattooing “Property of Keira” and piercing his dick with a padlock that only Keira has a key to. Even though they’re not together and he has no hope they ever will be.

They met when Keira was just 19 and the growth they both go through is painful and uplifting all in one. Storm is a man with vices. He’s a recovering addict and so far from perfect, but man my heart just went out to him. Watching these two slowly find their way to each other again is one of the most painful and fulfilling experiences I’ve had from a book in a long while. I also loved the way the cheating is handled. Look I get that it’s not everybody’s cuppa, but if someone was going to write a cheating hero and redeem him, there is no better book than this one. And that extra epilogue? Wrecked me.

Keira and Storm’s love story is not a pretty one. It’s definitely not a smooth one. These are both incredibly broken and damaged characters. They’re not perfect and they’re not innocent. But watching the growth they both go through was incredible. And watching them find their way back to each other while facing all the odds against them was an experience unlike any I’ve had in a long while.

I could probably write an entire novel for my review with all the feels I have for this book, but I won’t. What I’ll tell you is this is a book that you simply need to take a chance on. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever read. It’s a slow burn. A painful and beautiful second chance romance that owned me from beginning to finish. The last time I had this many feels with a book, I was reading Undeniable. Serena just got herself a new stalker….erm…fan. Because I just grabbed the rest of this series on KU and see a binge on the horizon.

4 Comments · Filed Under: All Reviews, Bikers, Dark · Tagged With: , , ,

Review: Blame It on the Tequila by Fiona Cole

May 27, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

BLAME IT ON THE TEQUILA
Series: Blame It On The Alcohol #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Fiona Cole
Release Date: May 27, 2020

The world loves him and his music, but I loved him first. 

It started on a dance floor after too much tequila and ended with looking into the handsome face I never thought I’d see again. In-person, at least.

I saw his face all the time on magazine covers.

To the world, he’s Parker Callahan- famous rockstar.

To me, he was the boy I loved, the stepbrother who left me behind to follow his dreams.

After our tequila-fueled encounter, he wants me back but that’s not a road I’m ready to walk down again. He broke my heart once, and even five years later, I’m not sure I could handle another blow.

When a once-in-a-lifetime offer comes my way, even my broken heart isn’t enough for me to be able to turn it down. I agree to join the band’s tour and help Parker write his next album–but this time I’m not falling in love.

This time I’ll walk away.

If there is one thing life has taught me, it’s that love never goes to plan–especially when Parker is involved. 

  Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
AMAZON

I’d never had the all-consuming urge to go, go, go until we were one. I’d never had the urge to crawl inside someone and never come out. Until him

I’m a sucker for a second chance romance. Something about the feels and angst of it just does it for me. Add a rockstar into the mix, and I’m so sold!

This one had a bit of a mystery element to it that hooked me from the very first page. The story is told in alternating past and present, with the majority of the story taking place in the present.

Parker and Nova first met as teens. They had an immediate chemistry and pull that both of them tried desperately to avoid because they were step siblings. Their mutual love of music brought them together, but then seemed to ultimately tear them apart. Parker and Nova fell hard and fast, until they fell apart and everything changed.

Years later, Nova is still not quite over Parker, but she’s moved on and determined not to think about that part of her life again. But then a night of tequila and a bit of fate bring them into each other’s orbits again.

Parker is determined not to let Nova walk away this time, and Nova is just as determined to run from all of it. She’s pretty hell bent on avoiding Parker, until fate intervenes once more and puts them as close to each other as possible.

While I enjoyed the story, I didn’t love it as much as I did the first book. I think part of it stems from my frustration with Nova and her inability to tackle anything head on. She runs from any confrontation and while I understood it at the very end when the big part of the mystery gets revealed, it was no less frustrating. Ultimately, I can’t place my finger on exactly what it was or why, but it was just missing a little something for me. That spark just wasn’t there. I liked the couple and the romance, but I wasn’t riveted to the pages. Would I recommend it? Absolutely. It was a fun and engaging read. It just won’t be anything I’d come back to.

Fiona Cole is a military wife and a stay at home mom with degrees in biology and chemistry. As much as she loved science, she decided to postpone her career to stay at home with her two little girls, and immersed herself in the world of books until finally deciding to write her own.

 Connect with Fiona

Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Facebook | Facebook Group | Instagram | Twitter | Bookbub | Pinterest

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

#DGRFave & Review: For Lucy by Jewel E. Ann

May 23, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

FOR LUCY
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Jewel E. Ann
Release Date: May 23, 2020

From USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jewel E. Ann comes a novel so heartfelt and real it redefines the meaning of love. I’m the wrong guy in the right place the night I steal Tatum Bradshaw from another man. When she mistakes me for her blind date, I decide she deserves a man who shows up on time … like me. Emmett Riley, Mr. Punctual. Once I confess my true identity and convince her I’m not a creep–just a thief–it’s only a matter of time before my sexy smile and quick wit claim her heart, her hand in marriage, and the perfect life. Unfortunately, perfection is an illusion, like the promises of our wedding vows. No one can prepare for the unimaginable–the heartbreaking exception to all the rules in life. When thirty seconds destroys everything, I have to find a new existence and keep my promise to always love our daughter, Lucy, the most. For Lucy, I will keep a secret, and I will watch my wife drift into the arms of another man. Given the chance … can I reclaim my wife and the pieces of our life? *This story contains sensitive subject matter.

 AMAZON

It’s never been my hands keeping her hostage. I’ve always loved her with open arms. My love has never been forced. It’s always been free. She’s the one who cannot walk away. And she knows she needs me to take the blame for that too. So I do. Because that’s how I love her

This. Book. It emotionally eviscerated me. I was sobbing into my pillow at 2 am, completely incapable of setting it down, and totally wrecked by the story. This was a second chance romance unlike any I’ve every read. It was raw, devastating, heart wrenching, and so full of depth I felt like I was drowning in it. I think what struck me the most is that you can easily see yourself in the couple. In the devastation and what ifs that they go through, you feel it on a soul deep level that just stays with you and burrows so deep, it hurts even when you finish.

No matter how hard we try to be perfect, we are not. No matter how hard we try to do the right thing, the wrong thing manages to trip us up. No matter how undeserving one might feel of forgiveness, no one is unworthy of it.

While I’m not usually a fan of time jumps, it’s done absolutely flawlessly here. Jewel effortlessly weaves the past into the story where it doesn’t detract from the time line but adds a morsel of understanding with each new detail of their past that gets unveiled. I’m not going to tell you what the story is about. Read the blurb and go in with just that. Trust me on this. This a book that you simply need to experience blind. What I will tell you, is that I already somewhat knew what I’d be getting into and avoided starting it for that reason. I wasn’t sure I was ready for the type of feelings I knew it would invoke. However, the author handled the incredibly delicate subject matter so incredibly well, that I kicked myself for waiting to start. She gives details without going into too many details. I can’t tell you more so as to not ruin it, but I’ll say that the way it was written was sheer perfection. It was depth without being too much that I would be bawling my eyes out. All the while I still bawled my eyes out, but for other reasons.

Emmett?” “Hmm?” “Thank you.” “For what?” “For being in my corner.” Swallowing my pride, my pain, and a lifetime of emotions, I nod several times. “Always.”

When Emmett met Tatum, he knew she was the one. And no it wasn’t the corny insta love sort of thing. It could have easily been that way. But instead it was endearing and emotional and oh so good. The book is told entirely in Emmett’s POV which I really loved. Being in his head was unlike anything I’ve experienced. The man is flawed but also perfect. He loves selflessly. He gives everything. And he’s impossible not to love wholeheartedly. The story spans years, the majority of it in the present, where Tatum and Emmett have been divorced for 5 years, still dealing with the fallout of their marriage. I hated Tatum for a good portion of this book. While a deeper part of me understood her, I still couldn’t help but hate her for the things she says and does. Emmett is just so flawed yet perfect, that it was impossible to hate her a little being in his head, even though he loves her selflessly through all of the pain.

You can’t love me,” she whispers. “You can’t tell me who to love.”

The story is incredibly emotionally charged and raw. It’s full of love and pain, mistakes and forgiveness. If you’re looking for a second chance romance that will own you, heart and soul, look no further. Dare I say this may have been my favorite Jewel E Ann book to date.

Jewel is a Wall Street Journal & USA Today best selling author a with a quirky sense of humor. When she’s not saving the planet one tree at a time, you can find her role modeling questionable behavior to her three boys, binge-watching Netflix with her husband, and writing mind-bending romance.

Connect with Jewel 

Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Facebook | Facebook Group | Instagram | Twitter  |Bookbub | Pinterest

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

Review: The Hate of Loving You by Maya Hughes

May 6, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

THE HATE OF LOVING YOU
Series: Falling #23
Genre: Contemporary, New Adult Romance
Author: Maya Hughes
Release Date: May 6,  2021

Six years ago, in the dead of night, I woke up to a cold bed and an even colder future without her.

I would’ve followed her anywhere and she left.

I thought I’d moved on and left all she meant to me behind. But a first love is never easy to forget. Even harder when I once felt our love is inevitable–inescapable. And I’ve been proven right once again.

One night brings us back together and derails our lives. We’re sent on a collision course with a future apart and even scarier–a future together. I’m back basking in the warm glow of her gaze and burning with the unquenchable fire of her touch.

We’ve walked this path before and our shattered hearts have been pieced back together. As easy as it would be to run again, I can’t stop wanting her.

This is our final chance to have what we’ve always wanted–each other. Or it’ll be our ruin.

The final book in the Fulton U universe sports romance, Falling trilogy.

AMAZON


CHECK OUT THE FULTON U SERIES

#1 The Perfect First | #2 The Second We Met | #3 The Third Best Thing | #4 The Fourth Time Charm

Read for Free with Kindle Unlimited

We’d both made our choices. It was only fair we lived with them, no matter how much we hoped we could take it all back. There was no erasing the past.

What an emotional ride this trilogy has been. Dare I say, it’s one of my favorite stories from Maya Hughes to date? Because man, this is just not a story I’d be forgetting any time soon. Bay and Dare are simply unforgettable.

The overwhelming feeling of our past collided with my present, making it hard to breathe. But I needed him to hear it, needed him to know I still thought about him.

Their story was beautiful, tragic, and oh so epic. Spanning years and plenty of heartbreak, it was both infuriating and heart warming. And yes, I guess that combination was possible. what I’m trying to tell you here is that I felt all of the things. ALL OF THEM. And all of them hurt.

This book takes place six years after the events of The Sin of Kissing You. Bay is now a famous musician with plenty of loyalty fans. But she’s also the woman that never got over the loss of the love she left behind. A chance encounter brings her and Dare together again, but this time they’re both different.

My heart broke for Dare throughout the entire trilogy. I wanted to hate Bay for her decision in book two, but I also understood it. The woman put him through the wringer, and I get it. He definitely had to work for it, but a part of me wished she’d taken it easier on him. This book really went a long way into humanizing and endearing her. You felt her heartache. You felt her pain and you definitely felt her love for him. Dare may be a little older, but he still has the heart of gold. This really put their situations in reverse of book two, and I appreciated it. It was a nice little twist that went a long way into setting things right. Dare is no longer the tortured boy who’s angry at the world. He’s a man who knows what he wants and he’s not afraid of it. Bay really had to work for him here, but he gave it all back. Their connection is just something so heart warming that I couldn’t get enough of it.

It was an epic, unforgettable, and entirely satisfying confusion to an amazing trilogy. If you’re looking for a beautifully written second chance romance with plenty of feels and imperfectly perfect characters, look no further.

Maya Hughes, that’s me!, can often be found sneaking in another chapter while hiding in the bathroom from her kids! 🙂 I’m a romance writer who loves taking inspiration from everyday life, namely my husband and biggest fan. Inspiration also strikes when I hear a song, meet someone new or daydream while at soccer practice.

I love writing stories that capture the possibilities of the paths less travelled and enjoy experiencing life through my characters’ eyes. 

I’m the mom of three little ones, the wife to an amazing husband and also work full time. Some of my favorite things are cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, white wine, laughing until I can’t breathe, traveling with my family and Jeff Goldblum. 

AUTHOR LINKS

Goodreads | Instagram | Facebook | Bookbub 

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

Review: The Sin of Kissing you by Maya Hughes

April 8, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

THE SIN OF KISSING YOU
Series: Falling #2
Genre: Contemporary, New Adult Romance
Author: Maya Hughes
Release Date: April 8,  2021

 

I don’t deserve her forgiveness, but I can’t stop fighting for it.

Bay ran from me four years ago and I can’t blame her.

I broke her heart and my own with one split second mistake.

Now we’re thrown together for four weeks.

Training camp after the draft is the final step to cement my pro football careers, but after seeing her again, she’s the only future I want.

If I were a better guy, I’d walk away and let her live her life.

Maybe I haven’t learned my lesson yet because I can’t stop thinking about her.

And I won’t stop until she knows how much I still love her.

The sins of my past are hard to run from, but I’ll battle every single one, if it means one more chance with her.

The Sin of Kissing You is the second book in the new Fulton U universe sports romance, Falling trilogy.

AMAZON

CHECK OUT THE FULTON U SERIES

#1 The Perfect First | #2 The Second We Met | #3 The Third Best Thing | #4 The Fourth Time Charm

Read for Free with Kindle Unlimited

 

A beat, and then another. I was so close to her. So in love with her still, even though I had no right to think I had a place in her heart after what I’d done.

My god. This trilogy. This story. I don’t even know where to begin. How do I even attempt to review this book without spoilers?

For me, it’s so important to see great plotting when I’m investing myself in a trilogy. What I mean by that, is that the story warrants three books. It’s not full of filler and drama for the sake of drama. There’s something driving the plot. And in the case of this trilogy, it’s all of those things and more.

Where The Art of Falling For You tells the story of how Story and Dare meet, fall in love, and ultimately have a heartbreaking end of their relationship in high school. This book reunites them 5 years later. Where Bay is still filled with heartache and hurt, Dare is filled with undeniable love and regret. He’s ready to crawl on his knees to earn Bay’s forgiveness, even at the cost of his dream career.

Dare is what I would call the imperfectly perfect man. He loves Bay so much and has sacrificed and been through so much, that you can’t help but love him. But you also see his inner demons that he still can’t beat. Demons that haunt him at every turn and the remnants of his fiery anger getting the best of him no matter how much he tries to turn a different page.

Their reunion is anything but smooth, but it was also heart achingly sweet and emotional. No matter how much anger Bay has, her love for Dare never really went anywhere. She finds herself at a crossroads with her life and her career and Dare pulling her in a different direction.

While I wasn’t as glued to the pages of this book as I was in the first one, I was still beyond invested in the story. And that ending?!!! To say that I’m dying for book three may be a HUGE understatement. I need the conclusion like YESTERDAY!!!Maya Hughes, that’s me!, can often be found sneaking in another chapter while hiding in the bathroom from her kids! 🙂 I’m a romance writer who loves taking inspiration from everyday life, namely my husband and biggest fan. Inspiration also strikes when I hear a song, meet someone new or daydream while at soccer practice.

I love writing stories that capture the possibilities of the paths less travelled and enjoy experiencing life through my characters’ eyes. 

I’m the mom of three little ones, the wife to an amazing husband and also work full time. Some of my favorite things are cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, white wine, laughing until I can’t breathe, traveling with my family and Jeff Goldblum. 

AUTHOR LINKS

Goodreads | Instagram | Facebook | Bookbub 

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

Review: Dotted Lines by Devney Perry

March 2, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

DOTTED LINES
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Runaway #5
Author: Devney Perry
Release Date: March 2, 2021

Clara Saint-James is completing a journey started by an old friend. She’ll return a Cadillac to California, a place she’s avoided for more than a decade. But it’s time for closure and to put old ghosts to rest. And it’s time to find out if the feelings she’s cherished for the boy from her past are just fanciful memories—or if there’s a chance they are real.

Timing was never on her side, especially when it came to Karson Avery. The two of them lived in a junkyard as runaway teens, and though she wanted more than his friendship, he always belonged to another—until that one night when he was hers.

When Clara finds Karson living in a small, coastal town, she’s not surprised the beautiful boy from her past grew into a stunning man. His smile is as captivating as ever. His eyes have the same roguish glint. But timing is still working against her.

Clara must decide how far she’s willing to go to battle for Karson’s heart. Or if it’s time to let him go and surrender to the dotted lines that have always kept them apart.

 AMAZON | iBOOKS | NOOK | KOBO

The boy I’d loved before his life had gone one direction and mine had gone the other. And between us streaked those dotted lines.

It was such a bittersweet thing to read this book. I fell so hard for this series and as much as I was anticipating Karson’s story, I hated to see it come to an end.

She made me feel like I could move mountains. Like I could swim across the ocean and back.
She was . . . she was my Clara.
Maybe that was why it had been so easy to fall for her, even when I’d known I shouldn’t. Twelve years ago. Today. Here I was, still hanging on her every step. Clinging to every word. Every smile.

Now I’m not usually a reader that loves sweet romance, but something about this one just grabbed me. Maybe it was the emotional punch of the second chance romance? Maybe it was the innocent love that formed between two teens that have been through hell and found safe haven in one another. Whatever it was, it just worked. And I devoured it.

It’s finally Clara’s turn with the Cadillac in this book and her journey takes her back to Karson, the boy that she once shared a tent in a junk yard with. Clara loved Karson as a young girl but she never thought he’d return her feelings. I loved getting a glimpse into young Karson and Clara and watching their sweet friendship bloom to something more.

Older Clara hasn’t changed much. She’s a little wiser, and now with an adorable son. But one thing that hasn’t changed, was her feelings for Karson. But their reunion doesn’t go as she planned and timing has never been on their side. It seems like their reunion still isn’t the right time.

There’s so much emotion that’s packed into this book. I especially loved the deeper insight into Lou through the memorabilia and notes. I cried like a baby at one part in particular. Karson is not my typical alphahole. He’s sweet and caring, and he loves DEEP. He’s just a genuinely nice guy that never stopped loving Clara but their timing just never seemed right. I loved their slow burn journey to a HEA. And that epilogue? OMG it was perfection!

Devney is a USA Today bestselling author who lives in Washington with her husband and two sons. Born and raised in Montana, she loves writing books set in her treasured home state. After working in the technology industry for nearly a decade, she abandoned conference calls and project schedules to enjoy a slower pace at home with her family. Writing one book, let alone many, was not something she ever expected to do. But now that she’s discovered her true passion for writing romance, she has no plans to ever stop.

Connect with Devney

Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Facebook |  Facebook Group |  Instagram | Twitter | Bookbub | Pinterest

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

Review: Once We Were Starlight by Mia Sheridan

March 1, 2021 by · Leave a Comment
ONCE WE WERE STARLIGHT
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Mia Sheridan
Release Date: March 1, 2021

A bed posed on a stage under a dazzling spotlight. An audience of hungry eyes. And him, the other half of my soul, our supple bodies moving as one . . .

 

Sundara: the lush and forbidden oasis in the desert where men travel to watch acts of sexual deviancy, and the only existence seventeen-year-old Karys has ever known. But despite a life where secrets and sin are in high supply, and freedom remains far beyond their reach, Karys and her partner Zakai find safety in each other, their passionate love the light that helps them both survive the darkness.

 

Very suddenly, Karys and Zakai find themselves in the bright and confusing world of New York City, navigating separation, school, and relatives who are all but strangers. If they’ve been found, why do they still feel so lost? As their new lives threaten to drive them apart, and Zakai spins out of her grasp, Karys must figure out who and what can be trusted in this strange city, seemingly filled with more venom than the desert they once called home.

AMAZON 


We are two halves of the same beautiful star, broken in the heavens. We fell to earth, separate, yet yearning to be together.”

Once We Were Starlight was an incredibly poignant, beautiful, and captivating story that I don’t think I’ll be forgetting any time soon.


Once we were starlight. But now, now we were a universe.

The story is told in separate parts of past and present and nothing prepared me for the emotional roller coaster that was this story.

At one point Zakai and Karys were each other’s everything. The desert setting of Sundara, all young Karys having ever seen. She’s sheltered, uneducated, and with her wings clipped but without really realizing it. Zakai is older and seems more jaded. He understands what the outside world holds while Karys has no knowledge of anything outside of Sundara. As the story progresses, you’re taken on an emotional journey of Karys realizing what her life really is. It covers incredibly poignant subjects like sex trafficking and handled flawlessly. Karys and Zakai are as much in love as two young people who only have each other could be. They’re also part of a sex show for rich visitors of Sundara. But Karys doesn’t realize just how wrong this is for her. Yet she yearns to be with Zakai, while Zakai dreams of escape.

When they’re rescued from Sundara and thrust into a brand new world in New York, their lives have a ripple effect that pulls them both in separate direction. You’re taken on the journey to witness ultimately how they tragically fall apart, only to be reunited years later.

Mia Sheridan is a master with crafting one incredibly emotional and unforgettable story. I spent parts sick to my stomach and in tears. Most of the book is spent with their time in Sundara and focused on their lives when they fall apart. Having said that, I would have loved to get more time from their reunion at the end. If you’re looking for a beautiful and emotional story of second chances and survival, this is an absolute must read.

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

%d bloggers like this: