Hello and Happy Wednesday. I hope your week is off to a great start!
I'm sharing three books I read and quite enjoyed and maybe you'll find something here to read too!
The Mad Tatter by J.M. Darhower
Contemporary Romance, hero pov
Reece Hatfield has just one rule when it comes to falling in don't fucking do it. There's no room in his life for another person. He can barely keep a handle on things as it is. A shadow of the man he used to be, Reece spends his days tattooing, the artist inside of him longing for the chance to do something different. Avery Moore is all dance, all the time. Ballet is all she's ever known, and she's damn good at it. Her body is her art, a living canvas that captivates Reece the first time he lays his eyes on her. He yearns to leave his mark on her body... in more ways than one. The tattooed degenerate with a shady past. The beautiful ballerina with a bright future. They live in different worlds, yet somehow, they fit. But just because they fit doesn't mean they belong together. Cracks sometimes form. Two pieces don't always make a whole. The course of love never did run smoothly. Things get messy. And Reece doesn't do messy. Not anymore.
Rating - 
Can't say I was blown away by this book. It had some good elements, but for my first read of this author, I'm not extremely impressed. Maybe it's because I'm ignorant of the NY laws on trespassing and graffiti but Rhys seems to be comparable to a thief or something equally heinous. I understand that a felony was committed multiple times, but it seemed so dramatically serious in this book. It just didn't seem realistic to me and threw me off from really enjoying the story. He's a great dad. A fantastic artist. A good guy who wants to be more than. So why the emphasis that he is the equivalent of trailer trash? Because he has tattoos? Loves graffiti and other means of art? Had a child out of wedlock? I'm not getting it. Dude went to Columbia. Even I know that means something. Ah well. I don't regret reading this book. I really liked Litle Miss. Too cute!
Can't say I was blown away by this book. It had some good elements, but for my first read of this author, I'm not extremely impressed. Maybe it's because I'm ignorant of the NY laws on trespassing and graffiti but Rhys seems to be comparable to a thief or something equally heinous. I understand that a felony was committed multiple times, but it seemed so dramatically serious in this book. It just didn't seem realistic to me and threw me off from really enjoying the story. He's a great dad. A fantastic artist. A good guy who wants to be more than. So why the emphasis that he is the equivalent of trailer trash? Because he has tattoos? Loves graffiti and other means of art? Had a child out of wedlock? I'm not getting it. Dude went to Columbia. Even I know that means something. Ah well. I don't regret reading this book. I really liked Litle Miss. Too cute!
The Confessions of a True Womanizer by Rod Ballard
Contemporary Romance, hero pov, cheating
Romeo Roosevelt was raised in a household where he witnessed his father abuse and cheat on his mother. After Romeo’s mother left his father—Romeo grew up taking on one characteristic of his father—being a “Womanizer!” Blessed with his father’s good looks and deceiving ways—Romeo’s sexy swagger and enticing demeanor makes him irresistible to women. Jumping from woman to woman was all Romeo knew. When Romeo reunites with his first love—he finds himself wanting to change for the better. Can Romeo’s first love make him give up his lust for women or will she just be another Confession of a True Womanizer?
Rating -
This was an intriguing look into the heart and mind of a "womanizer", told through the eyes and voice of one.
Romeo was his name. How apropos. Seems like his parents knew what he would try to be when they named him. He was a playa like his daddy and learned the hard way that some games shouldn't be played.
Honestly, the premise of this story was really good. I always enjoy a book with the male POV, especially when he's a reforming manwhore. I really liked how Romeo's family dynamic was described. They obviously believed that it takes a village to raise a child. Romeo had not only his mother and brother, but also solid grandparents, a fun and protective uncle in Pretty Ricky, and a best friend in his cousin Brian. This was definitely a close-knit family.
I'm not going to get into the plot because I would like to encourage everyone to read the book themselves. However, I am going to give my honest opinion on certain things.
Likes:
- overall idea for the story
- the authenticity of the characters
- the glimpses given to illustrate character development
- the balance of humour and levity throughout the dialogue and narration
- the descriptive chapter headings
Dislikes:
- I'm not sure if it's just my copy, but the dialogue between characters was hard to follow. Each line was written and included as part of the narrative and it was difficult to differentiate between who was saying what
- not all sequence changes were seamless
- to me, the pacing was a little bit too fast
In the end, there was a very short and sweet HEA, which I really appreciated. This is the first published work from this author and based on what I've rad, I can see a promising future for him. He's got some serious writing chops and I think lovers of romance should absolutely give this book a chance.
This was an intriguing look into the heart and mind of a "womanizer", told through the eyes and voice of one.
Romeo was his name. How apropos. Seems like his parents knew what he would try to be when they named him. He was a playa like his daddy and learned the hard way that some games shouldn't be played.
Honestly, the premise of this story was really good. I always enjoy a book with the male POV, especially when he's a reforming manwhore. I really liked how Romeo's family dynamic was described. They obviously believed that it takes a village to raise a child. Romeo had not only his mother and brother, but also solid grandparents, a fun and protective uncle in Pretty Ricky, and a best friend in his cousin Brian. This was definitely a close-knit family.
I'm not going to get into the plot because I would like to encourage everyone to read the book themselves. However, I am going to give my honest opinion on certain things.
Likes:
- overall idea for the story
- the authenticity of the characters
- the glimpses given to illustrate character development
- the balance of humour and levity throughout the dialogue and narration
- the descriptive chapter headings
Dislikes:
- I'm not sure if it's just my copy, but the dialogue between characters was hard to follow. Each line was written and included as part of the narrative and it was difficult to differentiate between who was saying what
- not all sequence changes were seamless
- to me, the pacing was a little bit too fast
In the end, there was a very short and sweet HEA, which I really appreciated. This is the first published work from this author and based on what I've rad, I can see a promising future for him. He's got some serious writing chops and I think lovers of romance should absolutely give this book a chance.
Coveted by Naomi Wyatt
Contemporary Romance
Roc knew that Yanna E. Hill was his the moment that he laid eyes on her. Yet, it was not until five years ago that he claimed her, and, ever since, she has been under his love and protection. He is obsessed with her. She is addicted to him. This passionate couple has been living in enduring and undying love... until now. Suddenly, chaos erupts. Roc has no idea which crime family could be behind these sudden attacks, but he is desperate to find out, while he protects his precious jewel, Yanna. Meanwhile, Yanna is fighting to protect her own precious jewel; her heart. Beyond the present threat of danger, Yanna sees Roc's closest loved ones as yet another threat to their relationship, and she doesn't know how long she can continue this fight that she has been battling for decades.
With a past that can destroy their future, and a present that can take them from one another forever, will this loving couple last to see happily ever after?
Rating -
This was my first time reading an inter-racial romance novel... And I loved it. I told my daughter I need some Roc in my life lol. I just wish some of the scenes were more detailed and that the "bad guy's" comeuppance was more thorough or more harsh I guess. Otherwise a very enjoyable read for me.
This was my first time reading an inter-racial romance novel... And I loved it. I told my daughter I need some Roc in my life lol. I just wish some of the scenes were more detailed and that the "bad guy's" comeuppance was more thorough or more harsh I guess. Otherwise a very enjoyable read for me.
In a world of magical artifacts and fantastical beings, a woman determined to save her family joins forces with an unlikely partner.
Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon
Rating -
Standalone - Royal Artifactual Guild #1
Release - October 15, 2024
Genre - Fantasy Romance / marriage of convenience
POV - Dual 1st person
Heat - explicit
Source - eARC from NetGalley
Length - 432 pages
As a Holder’s daughter, Aspeth Honori knows the importance of magical artifacts . . . which is why it’s a disaster that her father has gambled all theirs away. Now that her family is in danger of losing their hold—and their heads—if anyone finds out the truth, Aspeth decides to do something about it. She’ll join the Royal Artifactual Guild and the adventurers who explore ancient underground ruins to retrieve the coveted arcane items.
It’s a great plan—with one big problem. The guild won’t let her train because she’s a woman. Aspeth needs a chaperone of some kind. The best way to get around this problem? Marry someone who will let her become an apprentice. Who better than a surly guild member who requires a favor of his own? He’s a minotaur (it’s fine) who is her teacher (also fine) . . . and he’s about to go into rut (which is where it gets tricky). He also has no idea she’s a noble (oops), and he’ll want nothing to do with her if he discovers her real identity.
Now Aspeth just has to pass the guild tests, thwart a fortune hunter, and save her hold—oh, and survive a rut with her monstrous, horned husband, whom she might be falling in love with.
It’s time to dig deep. Literally.
It’s a great plan—with one big problem. The guild won’t let her train because she’s a woman. Aspeth needs a chaperone of some kind. The best way to get around this problem? Marry someone who will let her become an apprentice. Who better than a surly guild member who requires a favor of his own? He’s a minotaur (it’s fine) who is her teacher (also fine) . . . and he’s about to go into rut (which is where it gets tricky). He also has no idea she’s a noble (oops), and he’ll want nothing to do with her if he discovers her real identity.
Now Aspeth just has to pass the guild tests, thwart a fortune hunter, and save her hold—oh, and survive a rut with her monstrous, horned husband, whom she might be falling in love with.
It’s time to dig deep. Literally.
Bull Moon Rising offered up so many goodies to entice a reader like me:
* monster romance
* marriage of convenience
* sexy and grumpy minotaur
* haughty and optimistic heroine
* interesting plot
* several side characters with endearing qualities
* made up history and archaelogical digs
Aspeth has always been intrigued by artifacts and has spent her life reading about the history and discovery of them. When her father gambles away the last of their most valuable artifacts, she decides that it's up to her to save their hold. Along with her best friend and maid, Gwenna, she travels to the guild to become a fledgling, hoping to grab a few artifacts for herself.
What she didn't count on was the immediate dismissal from the members of the guild. It was definitely a men's club and I loved how Aspeth didn't take any of their crap. She was there and she wasn't leaving without the chance to prove herself able. Booksmart and courageous, she was easy to root for.
My favorite character was Hawk, for many reasons. He was someone who lived with the guild without really being a part of it. His race was used and abused and discriminated against and still Hawk acted with honor and respect and devotion. He was such a wonderful male and I lived for his irritable attitude and movements, his self-reflections, and his growing feelings for Aspeth.
I thought this story would be absolutely filthy, but it wasn't. It had its moments, but this was a story about discovery—of self and of wonders.
Ruby Dixon is an author of Science Fiction Romance. She likes fated mates, baby-filled epilogues, and cinnamon roll heroes. She also likes to write biographies of herself in the third person, because it feels more important that way.
Ruby also loves coffee and dirty books and will probably be a cat lady at some point. :)
Visit http://www.rubydixon.com for more information.
Hello hello! I'm back with some more books that didn't really work for me, but might be winners for you.
Let me know if you've read any of these or plan to. I'd love to know your thoughts :)
Alpha's Moon by Renee Rose & Lee Savino
dual POV, Paranormal Romance
My alpha ordered me to keep away from humans.
My wolf is highly unstable. Nearly feral. I can’t be trusted around civilians.
Certainly not with the lovely kindergarten teacher whose scent drives me wild.
But she needs a fake boyfriend for a weekend wedding trip. A big guy to intimidate her ex.
How can I refuse?
I won’t be directly disobeying an order, because it won’t be a real date.
It will be a nice, clean mission. We’ll have separate rooms.
I’ll keep my wolf on a tight leash.
And no matter how much I want to, I will not mark and claim the sweet human as mine…
My Rating -
First Chapter: everything I'm looking for. I like the idea of shifters on a special forces team, getting rid of bad guys and rescuing the good ones.
Second Chapter: I don't care. Why oh why oh why did Sadie ruin it for me?
The End
First Chapter: everything I'm looking for. I like the idea of shifters on a special forces team, getting rid of bad guys and rescuing the good ones.
Second Chapter: I don't care. Why oh why oh why did Sadie ruin it for me?
The End
The Beast of Moscow by Bethany-Kris
dual POV, contemporary mafia romance
Tucked away deep in the hills of Dubna lives a man hiding from a past that’s as grisly as the scar on his face. Reclusive. Paranoid. Violent. His trek to the top has been a bloody game—with a deadly end for anyone who loses.
And it’s not over yet.
Vera Avdonin stumbled into the life of Vaslav Pashkov entirely by accident, and it should have stopped there, too. Just a broken ballerina who helped a beautifully tortured stranger.
But she’ll soon learn that like the mafiya he controls, once he brings you in, there is no way out.
They don’t call him The Beast of Moscow for nothing.
My Rating -
I can't believe I'm saying this because BK is one of my absolute favorite authors, but...
This book just wasn't working for me. I couldn't get into it. Which sucks because about 99% of her books get 5 stars from me so this is obviously not normal.
Breaks my heart :(
I can't believe I'm saying this because BK is one of my absolute favorite authors, but...
This book just wasn't working for me. I couldn't get into it. Which sucks because about 99% of her books get 5 stars from me so this is obviously not normal.
Breaks my heart :(
Dark Side of the Cloth by Brooklyn Cross
dual POV, Contemporary vigilante romance
He didn't believe in flowers, but he would hunt down everyone that ever hurt her.
Groomed from birth to take over the Cartel, darkness was all Dean knew. Except he had no interest in running a gang, and even less in being the next El Chapo like his abusive father.
So, he ran.
That’s when the Army found him. He was highly sought after for his unique skill set, and quickly became a valued member. Finally, he found a place where he belonged. Until The Righteous came knocking with an opportunity for a new life. So, he put on the priest collar and settled into the small town, happy with his new beginning.
Then he saw Yasmine Jacobs.
Wracked with survivors guilt, Yasmine struggled to put that dreadful night behind her. She tried to move on and take over the family business. She thought her life was fine the way it was. That is, until the new priest, Dean O’Sullivan came into town. Confession was supposed to cleanse her soul, not damn her for the thoughts running through her mind.
How long would she be able to deny her basic primal instincts, when circumstance kept pushing them together?
But who exactly was the forbidden fruit?
My Rating -
What's more delicious than a priest who isn't really a priest and looking scrumptious while doing it? Oh and he kills bad guys in his own thrilling ways.
Too bad this book just wasn't doing it for me :(
Once again, the heroine made me quit.
What's more delicious than a priest who isn't really a priest and looking scrumptious while doing it? Oh and he kills bad guys in his own thrilling ways.
Too bad this book just wasn't doing it for me :(
Once again, the heroine made me quit.
I'm back with a series of books that I read a long time ago (2016), but I remember enjoying them.
The Dark Billionaire Series is a contemporary romance with a BDSM theme.
Hopefully my reviews inspire someone to give this series a chance.
His Gift: Part One
Lacey Miller is two days away from being kicked out of her apartment when her best friend offers her a job for some quick cash. Easy as cake, right? Wrong. Billionaire playboy Jake Carville has been looking for years for the perfect submissive. On his birthday, he's looking forward to a special a girl who can satisfy his every dark craving. But when Lacey walks through the wrong door and into Jake’s arms, she’s everything he’d hoped for... and nothing he ever expected. How can he lose himself, heart and soul, to a girl he was never supposed to meet?
Rating -
This was not what I expected. It was better. I'm grateful to the author for not rushing straight to sex between the main characters (sorry to those who were expecting some). This allows us to see some type of buildup, some form of chemistry. I'm not completely sold on the chemistry but I'm intrigued enough to read book 2.
Surprisingly, despite her tomboy virginal ways, Lacey is not an annoying female lead. She had spunk and enough qualities to make her likeable. Jake on the other hand is still a mystery. Sexy. Green-eyed. Dark hair. Rich. Appreciates art. Dominant. Into bondage. And??? Does anyone else think he's the tag artist Kage that Lacey admires and respects?
This was not what I expected. It was better. I'm grateful to the author for not rushing straight to sex between the main characters (sorry to those who were expecting some). This allows us to see some type of buildup, some form of chemistry. I'm not completely sold on the chemistry but I'm intrigued enough to read book 2.
Surprisingly, despite her tomboy virginal ways, Lacey is not an annoying female lead. She had spunk and enough qualities to make her likeable. Jake on the other hand is still a mystery. Sexy. Green-eyed. Dark hair. Rich. Appreciates art. Dominant. Into bondage. And??? Does anyone else think he's the tag artist Kage that Lacey admires and respects?
His Gift: Part Two
He's going to punish me, I know it.
I was just delivering a cake for a friend - I sure as hell wasn’t a birthday gift to a billionaire. But now that I was here, I didn’t dare leave.
Even if I wanted to, he wouldn’t let me.
Rating -
Maybe Lacey's not as cool as I thought. For such an innocent, she allows Jake too many liberties. He seems charming one minute and rude the next. And what is his problem with being called by his name? And as per Lucas, what secrets surround his family? Well I'm going to read book 3 to hopefully find some answers. Maybe some sex even lol. This series isn't very sexy or erotic so far.
Maybe Lacey's not as cool as I thought. For such an innocent, she allows Jake too many liberties. He seems charming one minute and rude the next. And what is his problem with being called by his name? And as per Lucas, what secrets surround his family? Well I'm going to read book 3 to hopefully find some answers. Maybe some sex even lol. This series isn't very sexy or erotic so far.
His Gift: Part Three
I'm tied up, blindfolded... and aching for his touch.
When Lacey walks through the wrong door and into Jake’s arms, she’s everything he’d hoped for... and nothing he ever expected.
How can he lose himself, heart and soul, to a girl he was never supposed to meet?
Rating -
Not bad. What threw me though was when Jake finally talked about his past, revealing the secret of his family. He said the problem was that he didn't want to take over the business but... Everything happened when he was 4 years old. Not a lot of 4yo CEOs nowadays.
So that contradiction made the rest of the story blah for me. At least there was finally sex!! LMAO!!
Not bad. What threw me though was when Jake finally talked about his past, revealing the secret of his family. He said the problem was that he didn't want to take over the business but... Everything happened when he was 4 years old. Not a lot of 4yo CEOs nowadays.
So that contradiction made the rest of the story blah for me. At least there was finally sex!! LMAO!!
His Ransom: Part One
Some secrets are darker than others...
I knew that there was more to billionaire Jake Carville than what he showed the world. But I didn’t know that Jake’s past was so dark... and so dangerous.
… and that’s why she’s the perfect hostage.
Rating -
This was pretty good.
I completely got why Lacey felt inferior but she needs to stop comparing herself to Jake. He's a friggin billionaire. A successful business man. And he's 10 years older than her. That's 10 years more life experience. She should just be grateful he's willing to guide her art career and stop bitching at him before he decides to guide someone else.
This was pretty good.
I completely got why Lacey felt inferior but she needs to stop comparing herself to Jake. He's a friggin billionaire. A successful business man. And he's 10 years older than her. That's 10 years more life experience. She should just be grateful he's willing to guide her art career and stop bitching at him before he decides to guide someone else.
His Ransom: Part Two
Lacey Miller is just a curvy girl, a tomboy, a street artist. When she steps into Jake Carville’s life, his obsession with her will lead her into a world like she’s never seen. A world of wealth and power. A world of unquenchable passion and unspeakable cruelty.
Jake Carville, billionaire playboy, has never found a woman he can open up to. Not until Lacey. She’s the only woman he cares about. His gift. His love.
Rating -
Wow! This one was better than the rest! I finally got to see some action (not just the sexual kind).
Lacey put herself in quite the predicament because she allowed her insecurities to get the best of her. I'm not saying she's wrong for having doubts. They've only been together for about a month. However, instead of letting these doubts fester into a real problem, she should have talked to Jake about them. Now she's stuck and the story just got interesting!
Wow! This one was better than the rest! I finally got to see some action (not just the sexual kind).
Lacey put herself in quite the predicament because she allowed her insecurities to get the best of her. I'm not saying she's wrong for having doubts. They've only been together for about a month. However, instead of letting these doubts fester into a real problem, she should have talked to Jake about them. Now she's stuck and the story just got interesting!
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