Hello and Happy Sunday. I hope your week went well. Tomorrow we're celebrating Victoria Day and I'm excited to see some fireworks.
I usually do a post like this on Wednesdays (and I still plan on having one this week), but why not post today?
I'm sharing three books I read and quite enjoyed and maybe you'll find something here to read too!

Unholy Vows by Mila Kane

Dual POV
Contemporary Romance / Organized Crime
Descriptive heat
437 pages

We never should have met. She wandered like an innocent lamb into my world, and the door slammed shut behind her.
Leaving her alive and free was a risk no capo would take.
I’ll let her live, for a price.
Her freedom.
She isn’t what she seems, but it’s already too late.
I'm obsessed, and nothing, and no one will keep her from me.

Kidnapped by the Krampus by Emily Shore

Dual POV
Paranormal Romance
Filthy heat
254 pages

TWYLA
Is Krampus real?

That's the question burning in my investigative journalist mind as I sneak into Krampus World to learn the truth about the eccentric CEO who always wears the monstrous holiday costume. I'm definitely making the naughty list for this.

After sharing a drink with the mysterious and quiet CEO, the last thing I expect is waking up with no clothes in the most beautiful winter castle. This horned heartthrob billionaire kidnapped me!

Despite the language barrier, I soon learn that his punishments are hot enough to melt the North Pole. And there are far worse things than being treated like a Christmas princess in a Yuletide-themed castle.

As I unwrap the layers of this hooved and horned enigma, I suspect the monster may be as real as Rudolph's red nose! And I might be falling for him faster than Santa coming down the chimney.

Well.... Monster romance is trending after all!

KRAMPUS

Don’t show them your tongue.
Don’t growl.
Don’t urge them to check your body for some nonexistent zipper.
Don’t wag your tail.
Don't show them how well you dance in hooves.

After a century of failures to find true love, Twyla is my last chance to break the curse before the clock runs out. I will do whatever it takes to keep my little star, my light in the darkness. It turns out this naughty girl may love my monstrous punishments and the magic of my realm.

It's not long before Twyla tangles around my heart more than twinkle lights. But can she believe a monster is her happily ever after? Will she save me from my icy fate?

Or am I doomed to be the demon of Yuletide with a frozen heart forever?

Excerpt from Somewhere Beyond the Sea

Fantasy Romance / LGBTQ
Approx. 100 pages for the excerpt

A magical house. A secret past. A summons that could change everything.

Arthur Parnassus lives a good life built on the ashes of a bad one.

He’s the master of a strange orphanage on a distant and peculiar island, and he hopes to soon be the adoptive father to the six dangerous and magical children who live there.

Arthur works hard and loves with his whole heart so none of the children ever feel the neglect and pain that he once felt as an orphan on that very same island so long ago. He is not alone: joining him is the love of his life, Linus Baker, a former caseworker in the Department In Charge of Magical Youth. And there’s the island’s sprite, Zoe Chapelwhite, and her girlfriend, Mayor Helen Webb. Together, they will do anything to protect the children.

But when Arthur is summoned to make a public statement about his dark past, he finds himself at the helm of a fight for the future that his family, and all magical people, deserve.

And when a new magical child hopes to join them on their island home—one who finds power in calling himself monster, a name that Arthur worked so hard to protect his children from—Arthur knows they’re at a breaking point: their family will either grow stronger than ever or fall apart.

Welcome back to Marsyas Island. This is Arthur’s story.

Find it here: Goodreads * Amazon
FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Heavy Crown by Sophie Lark

Rating - 1/2
Standalone - Brutal Birthright #6
Release - January 6, 2021
Genre/Trope - Contemporary Romance / organized crime
POV - Dual 1st person
Heat - explicit scenes
Source - ebook provided by NetGalley
Length - 426 pages





For my first try with this author, Heavy Crown was a good one. It had found family, plenty of action, some dark and sad moments, and tons of chemistry between the main characters.

Unlike his siblings, Sebastian was footloose and fancy free. He was starting to think that maybe he wasn't as content with his life as he should be. When Yelena crosses his path, things start looking up. She's absolutely gorgeous, a fierce warrior, and everything he could want in a woman. Too bad her father was the leader of the Bratva, his family's enemy. But isn't forbidden fruit so much sweeter?

It was easy to like both characters. There wasn't a lot of depth to them, or to the story, but it worked for me. There was something light about this book that softened the blow of all of its dark moments.

This is the sixth standalone in the series and it did read like a story that could stand alone. However, it also gave me just enough of the side characters that I want to read more about them. So I'll be going back to the beginning.


Sophie lives with her husband, two boys, and baby girl in the Rocky Mountain West. She writes intense, intelligent romance, with heroines who are strong and capable, and men who will do anything to capture their hearts.

She has a slight obsession with hiking, bodybuilding, and live comedy shows. Her perfect day would be taking the kids to Harry Potter World, going dancing with Mr. Lark, then relaxing with a good book and a monster bag of salt and vinegar chips.

Visit https://sophielark.com for more information.

Today's flashback is the Ruthless People series by J.J. McAvoy. This was my first foray into this author's work and I was blown away with the world she created for these two rival mafias ruling Chicago. This is the story of Melody and Liam, their arranged marriage, and everything that they grew to be. They started out as enemies, each the heir to a kingdom, eventually joining forces to rule together. It's a story full of chaos, death, drama, family and love.

All of these stories are told in either dual or multiple first person perspectives. The heat ranges from descriptive to almost explicit and there is a happy ending.

I read this series many years ago and can still remember how amazing it was. Have you ever read these books? Are you interested?

Please Note: I had intended to read this author's Children of Vice series after this, but I chose not to and will continue not to because readers, whom I trust, have advised me not to. To leave the love I have for these characters right here, to remember them this way. Supposedly the author ruined everything LOL.

1. Ruthless People

To the outside world, they look like American Royalty, giving to charities, feeding the homeless, rebuilding the city. But behind closed doors is a constant battle for dominance between two Bosses, cultures, and hearts. Ruthless People is a romantic crime fiction set in modern day Chicago, and follows the life and marriage of Melody Giovanni and Liam Callahan-rivals by blood and leaders through fear. Their marriage, arranged by their fathers in hopes to end years of bloodshed between the Irish and the Italians. Liam believes he's getting a simple-minded wife, one he can control, one who bends to his every need . . . the complete opposite of Melody. She knows exactly what type of man he is, and would rather die than give up the power she has spent her life building. The Mafia of the past has evolved, and with rival bosses gunning for them, Melody and Liam will have to learn to work as one to take down those who stand in their way.

2. The Untouchables

Everything Melody Callahan has ever been told about her past is a lie. Her father lied. Her husband lied. But like all secrets…they come out. Not only is her mother, Aviela, alive but she won’t stop until she tears down everything Liam and Melody have spent the past year building.

With a new target on their back and the media now focused on their family as the Presidential election approaches, Liam and Melody must fight on two battlefronts. Melody is torn between being in love with Liam and wanting to kill him for lying to her. Being in love and showing love are two different things in her world. Liam wants to do anything to protect his family even if that means hurting the people he loves.

Family is everything… but what happens when they’re out for your blood? Everything they have been through is nothing compared to what is coming...

3. American Savages

Melody is nowhere to be found, Liam is in jail, and the Callahan family is cracking, just as Avian Doers, the FBI Director and puppet master behind their downfall, planned.

But just because they’re down doesn't mean they’re out. To fight back, Liam and Melody will have to put everything on the line. The kid gloves are coming off, and no one is getting out alive. Nothing will compare to the reign of terror that is about to envelope the entire country. First they were Ruthless, now they are pure Savages. The end is here, and no one is safe…

4. A Bloody Kingdom

It has been eight years since the Callahans defeated Avian Doers and conquered Chicago. Melody is now the Governor and public face of the family, while Liam rises as the Ceann na Conairte of both the Irish and Italians.

Their reach is limitless; their power endless...but is it possible to have too much power? Can Liam and Melody raise a family, a city, and an empire?

Only a fool would try to stop them now....

One of the things I love about the bookish world is that one book can evoke different feelings in all sorts of readers. One book can be a five-star read for me and a DNF for someone else. We all see something different because we're all different and I love exploring those differences by reading reviews.

Full disclosure: I read these books years ago, but I do remember enjoying them. Have you read them? Are you interested?

Crow by A. Zavarelli

dual POV, contemporary romance with suspense

When I walked into his club looking for a job, I had no intention of capturing the attention of the notorious Lachlan Crow.
His reputation has been known to send a shiver down most spines.
Now the Irish mafia overlord is my new boss.
He doesn’t trust me, and I don’t trust him.
But it doesn’t matter because I have a job to do.
I can’t let him distract me.
Even if he burns hotter than the sun.
And all those growly commands and dark looks he tosses around?
I won’t let them get to me.
Not. At. All.
He’s used to everyone falling in line, obeying his every command.
But I’m not one of his soldiers.
And he doesn’t know why I really needed this job.
Lying to him was supposed to be easy.
But the longer I’m near him, the harder it gets.
It doesn’t feel like a game anymore because now my heart’s on the line.
And when the web I’ve spun begins to unravel, it could destroy us both.
Now Lachlan has a choice to make.
Let me go forever…
Or burn his world to save me.

Wrong by Jana Aston

Contemporary romance

I have a history of picking the wrong guy. Gay? Player? Momma’s boy? Check, check and check.

Now I can’t stop fantasizing about one of the customers at the coffee shop I work at between classes. It’s just a harmless crush, right? It’s not like I ever see this guy outside of the coffee shop. It’s not like I’m going to see him while attempting to get birth control at the student clinic. While wearing a paper gown. While sitting on an exam table. Because he’s the doctor. Shoot. Me.

But what if, for once, the man I’ve had the dirtiest, most scandalous fantasies about turned out to be everything but wrong?

My Time in the Affair by Stylo Fantôme

Contemporary romance

I made a conscious decision to cheat on my husband.

Now, before you judge me, hear my story. Hear how much I'm like you, how similar my thoughts are to your own. Yes, I'm a horrible person. Yes, I've done horrible things. Yes, I don't deserve forgiveness. Yes, bad things happened because of my actions.

But I'm willing to bet I've done things that maybe, just maybe, you have thought of doing.

Maybe, just maybe, you're not as innocent as you'd like to think.

Or maybe I'm not so guilty ...

Today's flashback is The Eden Trilogy by Georgia Le Carre. While this series got THREE STARS from me, meaning I liked it, I've read several books since that I really enjoyed from this author.

Have you ever read these books? Are you interested in giving them a try?

Eden I

Haunted by memories of her brother’s death, and searching for answers, Lily Hart embarks on a career that takes her into a seedy underworld, where she is exposed to wealth, greed, lust and the reign of gorgeous, powerful, and dangerous men—one man in particular wreaks havoc on her emotions.

At thirty Jake Eden has everything: looks to die for, money, power and a never-ending line of twisted, fucked-up women willing to do anything to get with him. Love? Love was for pussies…until a woman with the stage name of ‘Jewel’ arrives on the scene. She alone is different from all the others.

Oozing pure, unadulterated sex, strong, intelligent and independent, she is everything he should stay away from, but she makes him itch to tame her and keep her for himself.

Her lure is addictive and undeniable and soon he is hooked.

But when the line between betrayal and loyalty is put to test…

Will love be stronger than revenge?

Eden II

Lily
It wasn't supposed to be like this- I came ready, determined, but nothing could have prepared me for Jake Eden.

Engulfed in his power, his lust and his primal need for me, I've become ever more helpless in his hands. I love the way he touches me, holds me, protects me. I feel alive in ways I cannot explain. I know I am giving my body to a criminal...week after week, but I can't stop.

I'm addicted.

He has no idea.

It's all wrong, but I'll stay with my plan until I figure out a way around the conflict I'm facing...

Jake
I never knew that looks could blindside a man the way Lily Hart's beauty did me. When our eyes collided that first time, the connection was instant, I knew, that she was like no other. She was something special, uniquely different.

But I've discovered since then that there is a secretive side to her, and now I fear deception stalks her eyes.

I know I must keep my distance, but she keeps persisting that I have her heart, so how can I push her away when all I want to do is tie her down and make her mine?

Eden III

Lily:
I've been such a fool. Such a fool. He saw me coming and tied me up in knots. And I let him. After Vegas, my heart and mind have been thrown into complete disarray. Is it really possible that what we had— all that blazing, unquenchable passion—was just an illusion?
I know I've lost his trust, but somehow I must find a way to repair the damage I have caused and find my way back to his heart.
I have to make it right… whatever it takes.

Jake:
She is my wife now, but I know she's not mine. Not really. Not properly. Not the way I want. You see, I want it all. Every last bit of her: heart, mind, body and soul.
And I'm prepared to move heaven and earth to make that happen. This is my mission and my promise. Watch me make her mine or die trying...

Seduced by the Mafia by Aaron L. Speer

When Leonardo Silva came into Angel West's life, she assumed he was a fallen star sent directly from heaven. He was gorgeous, attentive and yet something gave her pause, when she wasn't weak at the knees from their passionate nights together. A burden that weighed on him heavily. The family business that he wanted no part in. He wanted her, or so he said. His touch and gaze could burn through to her core, and just when she found herself at his mercy, he disappears without a word.

Later, what returns to her isn't the same man. The destiny that he refused, has taken hold. Leonardo was now a Mafia Don. A man who would take a match to anything that got in his way and Angel learns his disappearance was not all it appeared to be. As much as he has changed, there is one thing that hasn't; the unshakable desire to make her his.

But the forces that caused him to take up the mantle as head of the Silva Crime Family do not rest. The fight for New Haven has only just begun, as has the battle within Leonardo for his very soul. Angel holds the key to the latter and she must choose whether to fight alongside him, or be scattered among the ashes of his enemies.



All of his life, Leonardo was groomed to rule. He was heir apparent to a mafia fiefdom and yet, all he wanted was to live a normal life. To be happy, find love, have children, and create a new legacy. However, destiny has a way of finding you and Leonardo learns the hard way that the very life that he ran from may be the only thing that can protect the ones he loves.


I loved Leonardo. He was kind and thoughtful, cold and lethal, a man of many contradictions. Every time he handled a situation, I got all tingly. The fact that he was created as quite the generous lover sure didn't hurt.

I liked the idea of New Haven being kind of an urban utopia. As Angel said, "This is New Haven, nothing bad ever happens here." Until it did.

Seduced by the Mafia is full of action, suspense and mystery. I was kept guessing at who the 'bad guy' truly was and I enjoyed the not knowing. Seems like Aaron L. Speer can really write anything.

Previous book in the series:

Welcome to the Speerverse. Aaron L Speer has been publishing since 2014 and has won 4 Book of the Year Awards* and the Golden Stake Award at the International Vampire Film and Arts Festival held in Transylvania**.

The Undeadly Secrets (Paranormal Romance) spans six books so far, with the latest Peace Keeper: Part Two released in 2021. Heart Breaker is scheduled for some time in 2023.

Fans of MMA romance welcomed the hard hitting Championship Collection; Undisputed, Unbroken and Unbroken 2 into the world.

2022 will see the release of his first MC offerings as part of the Rebel Souls shared world; Rebel Sacrifice and Rebel Savage

2023 will not only see the release of Heart Breaker but also his first Mafia Romance: Owned By The Mafia

Find out more here: https://aaronlspeer.com

Tempted by the Devil by Michelle Heard

Attending a party with my stepbrother, I’m in for the surprise of my life.
It’s not a regular party, but instead, my wedding.
To Angelo Rizzo.
A coldhearted man who’s feared by all. Including me.

Turns out my stepbrother owes the Cosa Nostra money, and I’m being used to repay his debt to Angelo Rizzo.

Do I have a choice?
No. Not when it comes to matters concerning the Cosa Nostra.

Three hours later, I have a new shiny wedding ring on my finger and a husband I’m terrified of standing by my side.
Yep, my life just took a turn for the worse.
There’s no hiding. No running.
All I can do is face the nightmare that awaits me and pray I’ll survive being married to Angelo Rizzo.



First of all, thank you for the book rec Janine @ The World Was Hers for the Reading because I ended up REALLY liking this story!

Angelo was one of the bosses of the New York underground. He was deadly, dangerous, and extremely sexy. He was everything that an innocent girl like Tori should fear. And she did. However, over time, she found that he was so much more than the man who would kill a guy over two thousand dollars. He was protective, kind, generous, and overwhelmingly loving of her. She saw the man behind the rep and he was everything she could have ever dreamed of.

I'm going to make you love me so much that you can't live without me. I'll become your god and the one you pray to... And I'll love you like you're my salvation."

There are elements of suspense and plenty of drama, but I enjoyed how all they did was draw this couple closer together. Angelo quickly found his heart with Tori and the author did a great job of mixing the mushy with the scary details.

I didn't know this was the first in a series of standalones, but I'm excited about it and I'm looking forward to reading the next book. Will I see Angelo again?


Michelle Heard is a USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon #3 Bestselling romance author. She writes emotional heart-shattering stories with a whole lot of Mafia & Romance that will leave you smiling with satisfaction. Every book has an unexpected twist that will show the strength of the characters who have to fight for their HEA.

Before becoming an author, Michelle had a career in banking. She lives in South Africa with her son.

Want to be up to date with what’s happening in Michelle’s world? Follow her on social media or sign up to receive the latest news on her alpha hero releases, sales, and great giveaways → https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/p6m4o4