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Reasonable Doubt: Volume 1

My cock has an appetite.

A huge and very particular appetite: Blonde, curvy, and preferably not a fucking liar... (Although, that's a story for another day.)

As a high profile lawyer, I don't have time to waste on relationships, so I fulfill my needs by anonymously chatting and sleeping with women I meet online.

My rules are simple: One dinner. One night. No repeats.

This is only casual sex. Nothing more. Nothing less.

At least it was , until "Alyssa"...

She was supposed to be a 27 year old lawyer, a book hoarder, and completely unattractive. She was supposed to be someone I shared law advice with late at night, someone I could trust with details of my weekly escapades.

But then she came into my firm for an interview—a college-intern interview, and everything fucking changed...

Reasonable Doubt: Volume 2

She lied to me...
She betrayed the one rule that I'm most adamant about: Honesty. Complete and utter fucking honesty.
I really wish she was someone else—someone who didn't have the ability to make me feel, someone I could easily discard like the hundreds of women before her.
She isn't.
I'm drawn to her like I've never been drawn to a woman before—completely captivated by the very sight of her. But unfortunately, with my past slowly re-surfacing for all of the world to see, I'll have to find a way to let her go.
She can never be mine.

Reasonable Doubt: Volume 3

I hate him…

I hate that I fell in love with him, I hate that he didn’t love me back, and I hate the fact that I just made a life-altering decision just so I could get the hell away from him.

He’d always said that he was unchangeable, heartless, and cold…

I really should’ve believed him…

---

I originally read this series years ago, and what I've realized... Andrew is still the same dick I remember.

Reasonable Doubt is a series that had me questioning my own stance of what’s good for me. From the start, we know that Andrew has been through something. Something that causes him nightmares. Something that has him reluctant to form connections. Something that prompted him to create the whole ‘One dinner. One night. No repeats’ mandate he follows. Aubrey is the woman who changes it all. There are lies. There are secrets. Hot sex on top of hot sex on top of hot sex. There’s also doubts and insecurities and flaws and fights. Andrew and Aubrey were vulnerable humans. They hurt. They felt deeply. They made dumb mistakes.

They also grew. Together and apart, they learned from their silly errors. They became better people for each other.

I only wish there was more to them as a couple. The truth comes out, there's a five second conversation, and there's an epilogue. Ah well, at least they ended up happy together.

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Always Someone's Monster by Lani Lynn Vale

A few years ago, when his sister went missing, Haggard Crow turned into something he never wanted to be. A killer.

Even after his sister is rescued a year after she was kidnapped and sold, Haggard ‘Thief’ Crow doesn’t have any plans on changing. He sort of likes the zero fucks given guy that he is now.

Bonus points, he saves women and children from extreme situations, along with his club and real life brothers by his side.

After a horrible marriage, Haggard has zero plans of ever finding a woman again. One-night stands not counting, he adores his life as a single man. There are no expectations. No ‘where are yous’ and ‘are you coming homes.’

The life he chooses to live is a simple one. Until he makes a huge mistake, and he steps over that line between ‘daughter’s best friend’ and ‘a woman he desperately wants.’

Before long, he can’t stop thinking about her. Can’t stop wanting her. Can’t stop feeling things for her that a man twenty years her senior should never feel for a girl he watched grow up.

After one lapse in judgment, he decides she needs to go. But the funny thing is, he never expected Sophia Madden to fight back. And dirty at that.



I think it's hilarious that the author actually predicted that most of us would be extremely upset by this book. I can't even think right now. I'm typing this up at the speed of lightning, hoping the ferocity of my pecking at these keys can be felt along LLV's back. I'm kidding. Maybe.

I'm just so freaking mad right now!

You ever become so invested in side characters, waiting for the day the author will bless you with their story? What happens when you realize that story will NEVER be coming???

You get a normally cool and controlled Natalie basically foaming at the mouth!

Did I love so many aspects of this story? Of course! I'm a sucker for a well-defined silver fox. Throw in the taboo that his happily ever after is with his daughter's best friend? With his best friend's daughter? Yeah, I'm here for all the taboo-ishness of this read.

I do have a question though? If I'm older than the oldest character (Haggard) and he's basically categorized as middle aged, does that make ME middle aged? Nuh uh. Nope. I've barely dipped my toes into the 40s and I'm forever young, thank you very much!

Back to the story... I loved how Haggard and Sophia had loved each other for so long, not knowing the other felt the same. I loved how everyone knew how they felt before they did. I loved how they finally got on board with the program. It felt organic rather than rushed and because of their many years of knowing each other, it was very easy for everything to fall into place. I actually wanted more and despite my tears, I would have welcomed more opportunities to see all of these characters together. I guess that's what the following books are for.

I'm super mad right now, in case that wasn't clear. But it doesn't even really matter, does it? I'm still going to have this author on my auto-buy list. I'm still going to read (and love) her books. And I'm still going to urge each and every one of you to get to reading. Seriously, you need her books in your life.

About the characters:

Main Characters - Haggard "Thief" Crow & Sophia Madden
Children - Clementine Crow (Haggard's) & Boston Crow (Haggard's)
Haggard's Family - Derringer Crow (father)
Reedy Crow (mother)
Trinket Crow (brother)
Rook Crow (brother)
Bram Crow (brother) - coming soon in Never Trust the Living
Shine Crow (brother) - coming soon in Make Me Your Villain
Channel Crow (sister) - featured in Chalk Dirty to Me
Sophia's Family - Madden (father) & Jasper (twin brother, RIP)

Check out the other books from the series:

Lani Lynn Vale is married to the love of her life that she met in high school. She fell in love with him because he was wearing baseball pants. Ten years later they have three perfectly crazy children and a cat named Demon who likes to wake her up at ungodly times in the night. They live in the greatest state in the world, Texas. She writes contemporary and romantic suspense, and has a love for all things romance. You can find Lani in front of her computer writing away in her fictional characters world...that is until her husband and kids demand sustenance in the form of food and drink.

Add it to Goodreads / Find it on Amazon

Sometimes the heart wants what it can’t have.

That’s the motto Silas Mackenzie, the president of The Dixie Wardens MC, has lived by since he was a young man.

Now he’s well on the way to middle age, has three grown children and he’s lusting after a woman he should definitely stay away from.

Especially not one that his ex-girlfriend had given birth to, and happens to be only twenty-nine years old.

Sawyer isn’t a young girl at heart, though.

She’s seen the inside of a jail cell for eight long years, and every one of them was spent paying for a crime she didn’t commit.

Silas Mackenzie knows as soon as he sees her that the she has sacrificed enough.
And maybe…just maybe…so has he.

It’s time for Silas Mackenzie to get what he deserves, and, in the process, put a little bit of happy back into Sawyer’s world, one rough, bearded kiss at a time.

Okay, so this was one of the books I was looking forward to the most. It's Silas, y'all!! There were so many moving parts and people to this story that I find myself craving more.

What developed between Silas and Sawyer was quick and easy. I liked that she seemed so well-suited for him. I think at this point in his life, he needed what she had to offer. And while my heart broke for everything Sawyer had to live through, such as eight years in prison for a crime she didn't commit, suffering atrocities at the hands of prison guards, the bullying of the townspeople, I was happy that she had someone like Silas and his people at her back.

So what else did I find in this book?
⭐ I got my first real glimpse of Lynn (you can find him in Repeat Offender). In this book he's known as Black Jack and although I learned quite a bit about him in his own book, seeing him in this light was quite the experience. I wonder if he'll pop up again in these original stories.
⭐ knowing that Silas (and Lynn) are CIA and actually seeing it in action are two different things
⭐ Silas shaved off his braided beard (although he does sound super hot without it)
⭐ Sterling, the Navy SEAL who has popped up now and then, makes an appearance and I think his book is next. There was a definite spark between him and Ruthie (Sawyer's bestie/cell mate)
⭐ Silas visiting Tunnel's grave... heartbreaking. He carries so many burdens as it is and it hurt to see how much losing Torren had effected him

You want a story full of heart, drama and intrigue? Read this book!


I'm not gonna lie... the idea of the relationship between Silas and Sawyer gave me a bit of an icky vibe. It started with him seeing her mom and although he made it clear for us (the readers) that he never slept with her, the intention was there and kissing was mentioned. That's just gross and honestly... I don't even know why it was there. Adding that level of intimacy wasn't necessary. Silas and Sawyer's mother never had to be anything more than friends and it would have served this story just as well. That's just my humble opinion.

Silas & Sawyer's family tree:

    Their children
        Samuel Cash Mackenzie (Silas' son) - Boomtown
        Sebastian Sue Mackenzie (Silas' son) - Lights to My Siren
        Shiloh June Mackenzie (Silas' daughter) - Texas Tornado
        Amelia Rose Mackenzie (their daughter) - Any Day Now

    Sawyer's family
        Dallas Berry (brother)
        Cole Berry (brother)
        Brody Berry (brother)
        Johnson Berry (brother)

Check out my other reviews from this series:

 

Lani Lynn Vale is married to the love of her life that she met in high school. She fell in love with him because he was wearing baseball pants. Ten years later they have three perfectly crazy children and a cat named Demon who likes to wake her up at ungodly times in the night. They live in the greatest state in the world, Texas. She writes contemporary and romantic suspense, and has a love for all things romance. You can find Lani in front of her computer writing away in her fictional characters world...that is until her husband and kids demand sustenance in the form of food and drink.

Kitty Kitty by Lani Lynn Vale

This is the story of a man falling in love with a woman.

A man that was supposed to be a role model, and a woman that was just barely twenty-one.

A man who should’ve known better, and a woman that didn’t know that she was destroying his career word by word, innocent touch by innocent touch, smile by smile, until it had already imploded.

The world collapses around Absinthe ‘Sin’ Solomon, and the only thing he can do is try not to take her down with him.

The moment the inevitable happens, and the gavel bangs signaling that he will spend the next nine years in prison for attempted murder, Sin tries to let go. But Blaise Mackenzie has never, not ever, been one to give up without a fight.

Her military career might be over, but her career as a prison guard is just about to get started.

And her favorite prisoner? A pissed-off older man, a drill sergeant dishonorably discharged from the Army that tells himself daily that the new ‘Kitty Kitty’ female prison guard is not for him.

After following him around for years, watching over him from afar in any way she can, Sin is released early. And the first person that he’s going to see? A stubborn little blonde-headed female that should’ve known better than to trust a man like him.

Get your copy of Kitty Kitty today!

I seriously can't even to begin to explain how excited I was to read Sin's book. The fact that it was a prison romance... freaking bonus!!

Where do I even begin? Absinthe was very easy to love. I'm talking within the heartbreaking prologue easy. Who doesn't love a hero who is willing to sacrifice his own freedom to find justice for the woman he loves? Blaise was also easy to love. She followed the man who gave up everything from prison to prison to home. He was the one just like she was. Who doesn't love and respect fidelity and loyalty like that?

The underlying theme was as horrific as ever. Child kidnapping and human trafficking are horrors no one should face and I'm glad the author doesn't turn each book into something made out of unicorns and rainbows. The beautiful and sweet is balanced out with some pain and ugliness.

And don't even get me started on the other little treasures of this story!
🖤 the side characters who've already claimed a piece of my heart or are working towards it
🖤 Zach's story is next and I've been dying for this man's story ever since the SWAT 2.0 series. I can't wait!!
🖤 Blaise was independent and brave, but she didn't do anything truly stupid to make me scream.
🖤 seeing Sebastian, Baylee and Silas again... what a treat! Ooh ooh and Johnny 😍😍

Seriously, take a look at my reading list. I've read so much of this author's books and I have no plans on stopping. I'm even now going through her back list and I'm loving the journey. So if love is something you think should be celebrated, at all costs, then read this book!

Sin & Blaise family tree

    Their children
        ...

    Sin's family
        Coke (brother) - Ain't Doin' It
        Bellini (brother)
        Gin (brother)
        Ale (brother)
        unnamed brother
        unnamed brother
        unnamed brother

    Blaise's family
        Silas Mackenzie (grandfather) - Counter to my Intelligence
        Sebastian Mackenzie (father) - Lights to My Siren
        Baylee Roberts (mother) - Lights to My Siren
        Johnny Mackenzie (half-brother) - Get You Some

Check out my reviews for the previous books in the series:

Lani Lynn Vale is married to the love of her life that she met in high school. She fell in love with him because he was wearing baseball pants. Ten years later they have three perfectly crazy children and a cat named Demon who likes to wake her up at ungodly times in the night. They live in the greatest state in the world, Texas. She writes contemporary and romantic suspense, and has a love for all things romance. You can find Lani in front of her computer writing away in her fictional characters world...that is until her husband and kids demand sustenance in the form of food and drink.

The Young & the Sinner by V.T. Do

Standalone - The Entangled Past series
Release - February 15, 2021
Genre - Contemporary Romance/age gap
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - extremely slow build/4 out of 5
Format/Source - eARC provided by the author
Length - 469 pages
Publisher - Indie

Mason:
Olivia Williams is everything I’m not supposed to want. Pure. Sweet. Young.
I know better than to seduce an innocent. I know better than to fall for my brother’s ward. There is just something about her that I can’t get enough of. Something I can’t stay away from.
I tried to resist her in the beginning. Tried to leave her alone—let her heal from her family’s mistake. Let her grow up in that happy existence she is trying so hard to build with my brother.
Then tragedy strikes, and I find I can no longer stay away from her. I want to protect her from every hurt in this world, protect that innocence in those deep, brown eyes. But can I protect her from myself? What happens when you’re the reason the girl you love is hurting? What happens when you are the villain in her fairy tale? Can she ever forgive me for my past sins? And more importantly, would she want to when all of my hideous secrets come to light?

Olivia:
Mason Kade is everything I’m not. Dominant. Confident. Beautiful…
Sinner.
I know better than to fall for that enigmatic smile of his. I know better than to fall for my guardian’s brother. There is just something about him that makes me want to sink in a little deeper each time. He is the one temptation I can’t abstain from. Even when he tries to resist us, I see the truth in those bottomless blue eyes of his. He wants me. And I will do whatever it takes to keep him.
I should have listened to his warning instead. I know better than to build my hopes and dreams on a fairy tale. Yet, I naively thought he would be my happily ever after.
That’s my mistake.
I think a great age gap romance might be one of my not-so-secret secret pleasures. In The Young & the Sinner, Olivia is a young woman who has had to deal with her fair share of heartbreak. From abandonment to secrets, she's had a rough go at growing up. Fortunately for her, she's got two beautiful, supportive, understanding, and protective men in her life - Max and Mason Kade. One is the father figure she's always wanted. The other is her chance at love. And while Mason had his own painful past and a huge secret to share, there was no denying their inevitable connection and the emotions that would bond them.

This read more like a coming-of-age romance than anything else. It took a long while for the relationship to build and to be. I think my biggest issue with this story was that it was too long. There was so much time spent on Olivia's repetitive thoughts and emotions that it felt like it took forever to get to the meat of the story. Slow build would be an understatement, however, when it finally came, it was hot and sweet and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I liked the writing, the main characters, and even the side characters proved to be interesting. I loved Max the most though. I know, I was surprised too. With someone like him in your corner, you can't help but be the best you can be. He was awesome!!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3tr8SSr

V.T. Do grew up in beautiful Colorado with words on her mind and dreams in her eyes. Writing is the best way for her to express herself, and she has been doing that for as long as she can remember. When she's not writing, you can find her talking to herself, daydreaming, hunting magical creatures, and obsessively reading. The Mess You Left Behind is her first book, and with many more coming soon!

Lessons in Corruption by Giana Darling

My rating: ★★★

Standalone - The Fallen Men #1
Release: November 29, 2017
Heroine POV: 1st person
Genre: MC Romance
Trope: Age gap/forbidden/student-teacher
Heat: 4
Length: 406 pages

He was eighteen.
The heir to a notorious, criminal MC.
And my student.

There was no way I could get involved.
No way I could stay involved.
Then, no way I could get out alive.

A MC student/teacher romance with an age gap. A standalone novel in The Fallen Men Series.

Forbidden love... is undeniable.

When she was younger, like all little girls, Sophie Hawkins believed in fantasies. She believed in happily-ever-after and that one day her prince would come. What made Sophie’s dreams a bit different was that the man of her dreams wasn’t a fictional prince but her best friend’s dad.

Matt was handsome and nice, the kind of man every woman would want.

Time passes, and through the years, Sophie’s reality changes, yet her attraction and memories of Matt Hamilton never fade. Where boys and men are concerned, Matt remains her gold standard.

When his daughter was young, Matt Hamilton had it all: a family and success.

With the ticking of the clock and changing of the calendar, seasons pass and situations adjust. Business success remains, but personally, his world changes…until the day fate sets the undeniable in motion.

Sophie was a sweet little girl, his daughter’s best friend, and a ray of undeniable sunshine. That was before. Now she’s more. She is a grown woman.

Who can deny the undeniable?

Have you been Aleatha’d?

Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53519076-undeniable

I was walking the plank towards an agonizing end.
But damned if I cared.
I was so addicted to her,
I'd walk through my worst nightmare to keep her.
- Ruger

Add Fries Before Guys to Goodreads
Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | B & N

I was lucky enough to snag a copy before it got yanked and finding a copy now is like looking for a needle in a haystack, but here are some links that are still active:
Goodreads | Amazon Audiobook | Google Books

Total control. I need it in every aspect of my life. Some would say that makes me an asshole. A freak. But as long as everything’s exactly how I want it, I’m completely flexible.

I’m kidding.

Okay, I’m not kidding.

Lacey needs someone in her life who’s bigger and scarier than her demons, and she wants that man to be me. Her boss. The Viking in a suit.I hope she understands what she’s getting into. This daddy isn’t going to pat her on the head and tell her she’s a good girl for nothing. Especially not when she’s spinning out of control.

Author's note: this book includes depictions of eating disorder recovery.