Sharpest Edge, The Kidnapping of Roan Sinclair, Her Guardian Angel, and The Night Cap

Hello and Happy Wednesday. I hope your week is off to a great start!
I'm sharing four books I read and quite enjoyed and maybe you'll find something here to read too!

Sharpest Edge by Alessa Thorn

Contemporary Romance with magical elements; multiple pov 3rd person; forced proximity; explicit heat

Kon and Athena's revenge on the shady organisation Aurora has painted targets on all of their backs. Now the Edgeworth's dark and bloody past is catching up with them, and there's no way to escape unscathed...

Izabella Silversmith, hacker and budding magician, won't walk away from the family that rescued her from hell, and with her power now rising thanks to Kon's tutoring, she's got more to lose than ever. Iz is determined to see the fight through to the end, even if her secret feelings for Silas are burning her up inside.

Silas wants to get the bastards that are hunting them and put an end to his nightmares once and for all. He needs to keep his eyes on the prize, something easier said than done when he's forced to live with Izabella, the only woman he's ever wanted and will never be good enough for.

Silas and Izabella will have to deal with the darkest parts of their pasts if they are going to have a future, and with invisible forces massing against them, the whole of the Edgeworth Crew is going to have to draw together to defeat what's coming.

Rating - 1/2

So many things about this story worked well for me. It had a heavy tone, but it was punctuated with light and humor, gaining several of my smiles. Both protagonists shared a vulnerability they weren't afraid to face. Their pasts shaped them, creating such strong and meaningful characters I couldn't help but want to learn more about.

I'm a sucker for found family and what these people created was something anyone would love to be a part of. There's an ease and comfort with them and yet they live most of their lives on the edge. Silas and Iz deserved every moment of happiness they could get with each other and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again in the next book.

P.S. Anyone else not surprised, yet equally intrigued by who Leo really is?

The Kidnapping of Roan Sinclair by Ashlyn Drewek

Contemporary Romance with dark elements; dual 1st person pov; captive; explicit heat

Roan Sinclair’s life is perfect, just ask anyone. Except, he doesn’t want it. Dedicated to his music, he dreams of a life free from his parents’ expectations. But those dreams are gone the minute he’s kidnapped by a group of merciless Russians.

Determined to make it out alive, Roan vows to do whatever is necessary to secure his freedom, even if that means seducing his tall, dark, and broody captor. But it’s not going to be easy…

In the criminal underworld, falling in love with another man is a death sentence, which means if they’re caught, they’re both dead.

Rating - 1/2

Man, Sasha's self-hatred almost got the best of him.

Men kidnap Roan, his father refuses to negotiate, Sasha and Roan form a strange bond, bad things happen to Roan, Sasha goes ballistic, and they get to be together.

That's the simplified version. Seriously, things went from pretty light and easy with a bit of robbery, a bit of kidnapping, some roughing up of the victim, some slurs, but nothing too dark. Then Roan gets hurt and Sasha loses his mind. Murder rampage and everything kind of lost and I enjoyed it.

Just saying.

I really liked this story, even when Sasha gave me whiplash due to his back and forth. I know there's another book out there, but I'm good with where these characters left things.

Her Guardian Angel by Larissa Ione

Paranormal Romance; dual 3rd person pov; forced proximity; descriptive heat

After a difficult childhood and a turbulent stint in the military, Declan Burke finally got his act together. Now he’s a battle-hardened professional bodyguard who takes his job at McKay-Taggart seriously and his playtime – and his playmates – just as seriously. One thing he never does, however, is mix business with pleasure. But when the mysterious, gorgeous Suzanne D’Angelo needs his protection from a stalker, his desire for her burns out of control, tempting him to break all the rules…even as he’s drawn into a dark, dangerous world he didn’t know existed.

Suzanne is an earthbound angel on her critical first mission: protecting Declan from an emerging supernatural threat at all costs. To keep him close, she hires him as her bodyguard. It doesn’t take long for her to realize that she’s in over her head, defenseless against this devastatingly sexy human who makes her crave his forbidden touch.

Together they’ll have to draw on every ounce of their collective training to resist each other as the enemy closes in, but soon it becomes apparent that nothing could have prepared them for the menace to their lives…or their hearts.

Rating - 1/2

I loved pretty much everything about this book. I laughed so hard when Declan broke down his desire for every bit of Suzanne. He totally objectified her, but she did the same to him and it was very hot. Honestly, these two were burning up the pages and I just enjoyed the ride.

Declan is Suzanne's primori and while we don't know why he merits an angel's protection, we know that he'll be protected. What better way to do that then to hire him as a bodyguard, so while he thinks he's guarding Suzanne, she's doing whatever it takes to keep him safe. And when the truth comes out, Declan took it like a champ (while making me laugh). I was thrilled that these two found a way to be together and find some happiness.

There were obviously some tie-ins to the overall Demonica universe and we got to hear from Azagoth and Lilli (what was that about?), Hawkyn, and get glimpses of past and future characters. I'm so upset about what happened to Cipher and am looking forward to reading his book to see what's next for him.

The Night Cap by Octavia Jensen

Contemporary Romance; dual 1st person pov; workplace; explicit heat

Come out to the bar, they said.
It'll be fun, they said.
But waking up in a stranger's apartment with nothing but a snarky note to guide me isn't actually all that fun.
It is enough to make me curious though, and enough to make me want to go back.
When I find out that the tall, rugged, tattooed, grumpy bar owner not only took care of me when I got too drunk to go home but also let me crash at his place and cuddle his equally-grumpy dog, I know I need to make it happen again.
And again.
And maybe one more time, just to be safe.
They say opposites attract, after all... and I'm definitely attracted.

Rating -

I've never tried this author before, but after reading the blurb, I knew I wanted to give this book a shot. And I liked it. I really did. While I found the blurb a bit misleading (Who is they? And I thought the notes left by Harvey were kinda dope), it wasn't hard to immediately get sucked into the story.

Both characters were messed up, but they somehow worked together really well. At least when Harvey would get out of his own way. And when they came together... *heh heh* ... it was great. I'll definitely be trying this author again.