Hello and Happy Friday!

Do you know that I still haven't decorated for the holidays? I threw out my Christmas tree last year (finally) and I can't decide on a new one. I've found that the trees that are coming out of production are kind of tacky and wish I could find a duplicate of the tree I had :(

Here in Toronto, we've seen snow, it's freaking cold, and I absolutely hate winter weather. So obviously I'm miserable LOL.

I wish you all only the best for the week and I hope you've accomplished far more than I have.

Alright, below I'm sharing a week's worth of what I want to read, what I want to buy (or borrow), what I want to read, and several romance book bargains.

Hopefully you find something to enjoy here too!

New Releases of the Week

Upcoming Releases for Next Week

Other Books I'm Keeping my Eyes on This Week

I still haven't added anything because I still haven't purchased the books I've been interested in. Check them out HERE

What I'm Reading Next

Romance Book Deals

99c The Dark in You #9 Genre: paranormal Trope: fake relationship

$2.49 Phoenix Pack #3 Genre: paranormal Trope: mates

$2.49 Phoenix Pack #4 Genre: paranormal Trope: instant connection

99c Seven series #1 Genre: paranormal Trope: brother's best friend

99c Bachelor Brotherhood #1 Genre: contemporary Trope: forced proximity

99c Cartel #2 Genre: dark Trope: biker club

FREE Delta Force Heroes #1 Genre: suspense Trope: protection

$2.49 Bad Habit #3 Genre: contemporary Trope: amnesia

$1.49 Treasure Hunter Security Genre: suspense Trope: military

FREE Anomaly #1 Genre: scifi Trope: enemies to lovers

99c Anomaly #2 Genre: scifi Trope: friends to lovers

99c Anomaly #3 Genre: scifi Trope: protection

99c Anomaly #4 Genre: scifi Trope: forced proximity

99c Warriors of the Wind #1 Genre: paranormal Trope: forced proximity

$1.99 Slow Burn #1 Genre: contemporary Trope: billionaire

$2.49 Standalone Genre: contemporary Trope: historical

$2.49 Standalone Genre: contemporary Trope: historical

$2.49 Standalone Genre: contemporary Trope: friends to lovers

$2.49 Standalone Genre: contemporary Trope: time travel

$1.99 Miles High Club #3 Genre: contemporary Trope: office

$1.99 Standalone Genre: contemporary Trope: billionaire

99c Bourbon series #1 Genre: contemporary Trope: billionaire

99c Standalone Genre: contemporary Trope: sports

$1.99 Getting Lucky #1 Genre: contemporary Trope: small town

$1.99 Standalone Genre: romcom Trope: single parent

$1.99 Tickled Pink #2 Genre: romcom Trope: small town

$2.49 Standalone Genre: contemporary Trope: marriage of convenience

FREE Boyfriend Material #1 Genre: romcom Trope: office

99c Boxed set Genre: romcom Trope: sports

FREE Standalone Genre: contemporary Trope: holiday

FREE Anthology Genre: contemporary Trope: collection

$1.99 All In #2 Genre: contemporary Trope: sports

$1.99 All In #3 Genre: contemporary Trope: sports

$1.99 Lakeside #1 Genre: contemporary Trope: small town

$2.49 Dogwood Lane #2 Genre: contemporary Trope: fling

$2.49 Dogwood Lane #3 Genre: contemporary Trope: second chance

$1.99 Standalone Genre: contemporary Trope: sports

$1.99 Game Changers #2 Genre: contemporary Trope: sports

$1.99 The Original Sinners #1 Genre: erotica Trope: BDSM

99c Gods of War #1 Genre: paranormal Trope: enemies to lovers

$1.99 Otherworld Assassin Genre: paranormal Trope: forced proximity

99c Deep Ops #2 Genre: suspense Trope: forced proximity

99c Deep Ops #3 Genre: suspense Trope: fake relationship

99c Deep Ops #4 Genre: suspense Trope: friends to lovers

99c Deep Ops #5 Genre: suspense Trope: single parent

99c Dark Protectors Genre: paranormal Trope: instant connection

$1.99 Dark Protectors Genre: paranormal Trope: amnesia

$1.99 Dark Protectors Genre: paranormal Trope: second chance

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?

Moonshot by Alessandra Torre

Contemporary Sports Romance / dual pov / second chance

I grew up in an major league baseball dugout. The daughter of a famous pitcher, I was a little sister to every man on the team. A little sister they would fight to protect.

Chase Stern was the hottest rookie the MLB had ever seen and had sex appeal as lethal as his swing. He played like a God, partied like a Devil, and was the magic ingredient our team needed.

Chase knew he should stay away from me. He didn’t.

I tried to resist him. I couldn't.

And my first fall into love was incredible, every moment of it, until it wasn’t.

Four years later, I’m no longer in the dugout. I’m in the owner’s box, with a ring on my finger. The last thing I need in my life is Chase’s return but our team is losing. We need his bat. We need his arm.

I don’t need him to look at me. Or say my name. Or reach for me.

Maybe he’s forgotten me. Maybe the love that still burns in my heart has faded from his.

Or maybe our implosion is just now beginning.

Hell's Kitchen by Callie Hart and Lily St. Germain

Contemporary Romance with suspense / organized crime

Theo and Sal Barbieri are brothers, tasked by their Mafioso father Roberto with a very clear purpose: kidnap Kaitlin McLaughlin. The beautiful daughter of Roberto’s Irish enemy. It’s high time Kaitlin was punished for her father’s sins—not to mention, her own.

And Operation: Kidnap Kaitlin is a roaring success… until it isn’t. When Kaitlin escapes into the busy streets of New York City, it’s a race against the clock to find her before Sal and Theo become the hunted.

Zeth Mayfair has traded his life as a hitman for a quieter existence, but it isn’t long before the past catches up with him in the form of Roberto Barbieri. Will he succumb to the lure of power that Roberto is offering? Or will he retaliate by killing every last Barbieri in New York to get them off his back?

Jason Ross is running. Woken in the night by a tip that the Gypsy Brothers are coming for him, he packs a bag and gets his girlfriend the hell out of dodge. Arriving in New York City in the midst of a heatwave is one thing, but being tailed by an entire drug cartel is another.

Worlds collide in Hell’s Kitchen as secrets come to light and sins are punished. Because we might be different in the light of day, but in the darkness, we’re all connected somehow.

Undeniably You by Jewel E. Ann

Sydney Montgomery doesn't plan to make a career out of house-sitting.

It's just the means to an end. In a month, she’s off to visit the galleries of Europe and finish up the degree she needs to make her career as a museum curator. The life she's been working for is finally within reach.

In the meantime, she’s getting paid to sip margaritas and wrangle a naughty dog poolside in California.

When the pool guy shows up with his hot body, cool persona, and eyes like iridescent blue oceans, she’s mesmerized. Except Dr. Lautner Sullivan isn’t the pool guy at all. He’s a college wide receiver turned pediatric resident that fate delivered to the wrong house.

Lautner is every girl’s dream, but Sydney is not every girl. She’s immune to rainbows, fairytales, surf-side picnics, and the “L” word.

Thirty days is all she plans to give him, but fate wants to give them forever.

Forbidden to Touch by J.C. Harroway

Within thirty seconds of meeting Reid Faulkner again, I’m reminded of exactly why I had a crush on him for so many years. That confidence, that effortless control, that thigh-clenching hotness… Only, this time I’m not little Blair Cameron, sexually frustrated teenager. No, now I am an adult woman reliving every filthy fantasy I’ve ever had about him…

His dark, sexy stare is filled with naughty promises. Promises of sex. Great sex.

But I’m here to work for him. I have a contract, and I won’t let any man—no matter how delicious—underestimate me again. So I am proposing a second contract. An unofficial one, where we explore my every desire. It’s the perfect no-strings arrangement—all sex, no emotions. The only problem is that I made a concession: to play by his rules.

Now we’ve crossed that line and tasted the forbidden. It started with only a touch. But will a man who controls everything protect his heart at all costs…even if it means breaking mine?

His Dark Game by CD Reiss

THIRTY DAYS
That’s all Adam Steinbeck demands of his wife.
Thirty days in a remote cottage, doing everything he commands. After that, he’ll sign her divorce papers and give her complete ownership of their company.
That’s how long he has to rediscover the man he once was. The Dominant Master he hid when he fell in love with her five years before.
She wants the business they built badly enough to go to the cottage for a month. Cut off ties to the world and do his bidding. She can submit to him with her body, but her heart will never yield.
She thinks this is his pathetic attempt to repair their marriage.
She’s wrong.

Perfect Sense by Amanda Cowen

He's gorgeous.

He's reckless.

And he's every woman's dirty fantasy in the state of California.., except one... Quinn Ashby.

Recent graduate of Penn and top of her class, Quinn is whip smart, ambitious and interning as the new marketing coordinator for the Bexley Bruisers American Hockey League team. The last thing she needs is to waste her time on guys…especially one as lethal to her focus as Cash Brooks.

But once the bad boy hockey star tempts her into his world, threatening her professional future, she’s forced to decide whether to let him into her heart…or to leave him behind forever.

Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton

Rating - ★★★★
Book One of the Cat and Mouse duet
Genre/Trope - Dark Romance / stalker / vigilante
Release - August 12, 2021
POV - Dual 1st person
Heat - explicit scenes / non-dub consent
Source - Kindle Unlimited
Length - 551 pages




I'm going to hurry up and put some words down here because I've already got book two loaded up and I NEED to know what happens next!

Adeline drove me nuts and I couldn't get enough of Zade. I know that's messed up. Dude was seriously a creepy stalker, but the author captured just enough of his sexiness on page to make it alright. Would I condone his behaviour in real life? Would I be as welcoming as Adeline? Would I have the police on speed dial and a gun permanently attached to my hand?

The answer is obviously yes. *side eye* Obviously.


Zade was a hotbed of contradictions. He dedicated his life to protecting the innocent. Women and children who were being targeted had a guardian angel in him. But he found no problem terrifying his sweet Adeline.

"I love that I scare you. I love that you try to run from me. The push and pull. The cat and mouse game. I fucking love it. And I think a part of you does, too.” — Zade

Adeline's denials to Zade got old pretty quickly, but I did enjoy the cat and mouse game going on between them. Every scene they shared was explosive. Every time they spoke, I learned another one of their truths. And the feelings that were growing... Let's just say I'm excited to start reading the next book.

This man is going to ruin me after tonight. I can taste it on my tongue.

This story is a mixed bag and I can see those who really appreciate something filthy and taboo really loving it.


"You want to know why I love the house of mirrors?" he murmurs in my ear, eliciting sparks throughout my nerve endings. His voice is full of dark promises and dangerous beginnings.
I swallow thickly. "Why?" I whisper.
"Look around you," he commands softly. Hesitantly, I pull my eyes away from his, dragging my gaze across the dozens of mirrors.
"What you're seeing now is what I see every day. No matter how far I run, how hard I try to escape you—you're everywhere I go. You're everything I see. Loving you is like being trapped in a house of mirrors, little mouse. And I've never felt so at home while being so lost inside of you."



H. D. Carlton is an International and USA Today Bestselling author. She lives in Ohio with her partner, two dogs, and cat. When she's not bathing in the tears of her readers, she's watching paranormal shows and wishing she was a mermaid. Her favorite characters are of the morally gray variety and believes that everyone should check their sanity at the door before diving into her stories.

Today's flashback is The Legal Briefs series by Emma Chase. These books are romantic comedies with a legal backdrop, but it's the friendships and families that make these stories so enjoyable. Ranging from 4 and 5-star reads, I think if you love romance and laughter, then you need to read these books.

I read this series many years ago and wouldn't mind doing a re-read. Have you ever read these books? Are you interested in giving them a try?

Overruled

As a DC defense attorney, Stanton Shaw keeps his head cool, his questions sharp, and his arguments irrefutable. They don’t call him the Jury Charmer for nothing – with his southern drawl, disarming smile and captivating green eyes – he’s a hard man to say no to. Men want to be him and women want to be thoroughly cross examined by him.

Stanton’s a man with a plan. And for a while, life was going according to that plan.

Until the day he receives an invitation to the wedding of his high school sweetheart and mother of his beloved ten-year old daughter. Jenny is getting married — to someone who isn’t him.

That's definitely not part of the plan.
***

Sofia Santos is a city raised, no-nonsense litigator who plans to become the most revered criminal defense attorney in the country. She doesn’t have time for relationships or distractions.

But when Stanton, her "friend with mind-blowing benefits" begs for help, she finds herself out of her element, out of her depth, and obviously out of her mind. Because she agrees to go with him – to The-Middle-Of-Nowhere, Mississippi – to do all she can to help Stanton win back the woman he loves.

Her head tells her she's crazy...and her heart says something else entirely.
***

What happens when you mix a one stop-light town, two professional arguers, a homecoming queen, four big brothers, some Jimmy Dean sausage and a gun-toting Nana?

The Bourbon flows, passions rise and even the best laid plans get overruled by the desires of the heart.

Sustained

When you’re a defense attorney in Washington, DC, you see firsthand how hard life can be, and that sometimes the only way to survive is to be harder. I, Jake Becker, have a reputation for being cold, callous, and intimidating—and that suits me just fine. In fact, it’s necessary when I’m breaking down a witness on the stand.

Complications don’t work for me—I’m a “need-to-know” type of man. If you’re my client, tell me the basic facts. If you’re my date, stick to what will turn you on. I’m not a therapist or Prince Charming—and I don’t pretend to be.

Then Chelsea McQuaid and her six orphaned nieces and nephews came along and complicated the ever-loving hell out of my life. Now I'm going to Mommy & Me classes, One Direction concerts, the emergency room, and arguing cases in the principal's office.

Chelsea’s too sweet, too innocent, and too gorgeous for her own good. She tries to be tough, but she’s not. She needs someone to help her, defend her…and the kids.

And that — that, I know how to do.

Appealed

When Brent Mason looks at Kennedy Randolph, he doesn’t see the awkward, sweet girl who grew up next door. He sees a self-assured, stunning woman…who wants to crush the most intimate - and prized - parts of his anatomy beneath the heels of her Christian Louboutins.

Brent has never let the loss of his leg in a childhood accident affect his ability to lead a fulfilling life. He sets high goals–and then he reaches them.

And now he has his sights set on Kennedy.
**
When Kennedy looks at Brent Mason, all she sees is the selfish, Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue-worthy teenager who humiliated her in high school to join the popular crowd. A crowd that made those years a living hell.

She’s not a lovesick social outcast anymore - she’s a DC prosecutor with a long winning streak behind her. Brent is the opposing attorney in her next case and she thinks it’s time to put him through a little hell of his own.

But things aren’t exactly working out that way.

Because every fiery exchange has her wondering if he’s as passionate in the bedroom as he is in the courtroom. Each argument and objection only makes him want her more. In the end, Brent and Kennedy may just find themselves in love…or in contempt of court.

Sidebarred

There was a time when Jake Becker had it all together. He was controlled, driven, ruthless—in and out of the courtroom.

Then, six irresistible orphans and their heartbreakingly beautiful aunt crashed into his perfectly ordered life. They changed everything. They changed him. Now he’s a husband, an upstanding member of society, a father figure—a family man. And he’s pretty damn good at it.

Sure, he has to referee sibling smackdowns, re-learn algebra, ensure his clients stay out of jail, and keep his wife happy—but it finally feels like he’s got it together again....

So, of course something has to screw it all up. It’s huge. Life-changing. Kind of terrifying.

And it will be the most amazing, perfect thing he’ll ever do.

Hello hello and welcome to another recap!

I'm a cliche, but I can't believe we're already in December. Where in the world did the time go???

November was a busy and hectic month for me. Between renovations and redecorating, I'm having a blast!

So here's what my November looked like and I'm hoping December is even better...

My favourite books of the month:

Other books I enjoyed and would recommend:

Aside from books I borrowed from both the library and Kindle Unlimited, I've bought nothing!! I'm doing so well with this DON'T YOU DARE BUY ANY MORE BOOKS, NATALIE goal I've set for myself :)

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