ARC Review: The Mafia And His Angel: Part 1 by Lylah James

October 01, 2017

The Mafia and His Angel by Lylah James
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Tainted Hearts #1
Release - October 2, 2017
Genre - Mafia Romance
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 3.5 out of 5
Length - 476 pages

Alessio…

Cold. Ruthless. Killer. I am respected and feared by all.

I wasn’t put on this earth to love or be loved. I was put here to wipe out every last member of the damn Abandonato mafia, to pay them back for my mother’s death.

When I find a strange girl hiding, beaten, under my bed, I don’t let her live out of compassion. She’s a trinket, my plaything.

Ayla…

I thought Alessio was only one more man who wanted to use me, hurt me, and throw me away. I don’t know what it is to trust anymore. I can’t find my heart under the pain.

Alessio found it. He touched it, and brought it alive again.

But if he discovers just how dangerous I am to him…I’ll lose my life.

ARC Review: Scandalous by LJ Shen

Scandalous by LJ Shen
Standalone - Sinners of Saint #3
Release - September 21, 2017
Genre - Contemporary Romance
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 4 out of 5
Length - 331 pages

They call him The Mute for a reason.
Hard, cold and calculated, he rarely speaks.
When he does, it’s with disdain.
When he does, his words aren’t meant for me.
When he does, my stomach flips and my world tilts on its axis.
He is thirty-three.
I am eighteen.
He’s a single dad and my father’s business partner.
I’m just a kid to him and his enemy’s daughter.
He’s emotionally unavailable.
And I am…feeling. Feeling things I shouldn’t feel for him.
Trent Rexroth is going to break my heart. The writing isn’t just on the wall, it’s inked on my soul.
And yet, I can’t stay away.
A scandal is the last thing my family needs. But a scandal is what we’re going to give them.
And oh, what beautiful chaos it will be.

Review: The Fragile Line Series by Alicia Kobishop

The Fragile Line by Alicia Kobishop
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Standalone
Release - February 25, 2017
Genre - NA Contemporary Romance
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 3.5 out of 5
Length - 576 pages

Her desire is strong.
There will be risk.
She could lose everything.

Chloe McCarthy has the perfect friends with benefits arrangement. But when she gets dumped for someone else, it triggers heartbreaking memories.

With the crushing reminder that she's all alone, she plummets toward rock bottom. Until she runs into the one guy who can always make her smile.

Matt Langston--mechanic by day, bouncer by night--lives a drama free life and wants to keep it that way. Which is why he needs to keep Chloe at arm's length.

Yet, with every rendezvous, another layer is peeled away from her rough façade, leaving him intrigued to learn more. She's not the woman she portrays herself to be. His curiosity wins against his better judgment and he can't stay away.

Review: The Fine Line by Alicia Kobishop

The Fine Line by Alicia Kobishop
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Standalone
Release - January 12, 2014
Genre - YA/NA Contemporary Romance
Heroine POV - 1st person
Heat - 2 out of 5
Length - 328 pages

Love...

Slam on the brakes?

Or put the pedal to the metal?

Liv Evans has her life mapped out. Work two part-time jobs, study hard during her senior year, and save enough money to get her own place.

There's no room in that plan for romance.

If her mother's serial relationship disasters have taught her anything, it's that getting involved with a man only results in heartbreak.

Liv is tired of losing the men she's grown to love and doesn't want to repeat her mother's mistakes.

So, she makes a rule. No attachments.

ARC Review: Still by Kennedy Ryan

September 28, 2017

Still by Kennedy Ryan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Grip #2
Release - September 24, 2017
Genre - Contemporary Romance
Trope - brother's best friend
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 4 out of 5
Length - 390 pages
Review of the prequel, Flow
Review of book 1, Grip

I'll be there.
Through thick and thin.
Ride or die.
You can count on me.

The promises people make. The vows we take.
Assumptions of the heart.

Emotion tells us how we feel, but life... life has a way of plunging us in boiling water, burning away our illusions, testing our faith, trying our convictions.
Love floating is a butterfly, but love tested is an anchor.

For Grip and Bristol
Love started at the top of the world
On a Ferris wheel under the stars
But when that love is tested, will they fly or fall?

ARC Review: Caged by Clarissa Wild

Caged by Clarissa Wild
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Standalone - Savage Men #1
Release - September 21, 2017
Genre - Dark Romance
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 4.5 out of 5
Length - 507 pages

They call me savage. An untamed beast.
I was born in the cage. Born to fight. Born to carry its name.
Locked away, I’ve spent years waiting for my mate.
I'm pent up with need. Brimming with desire.
All I want is her... That beautiful girl from the picture on my prison wall.
Now she’s finally here, sharing a cell.
So close. So hard to resist.
But one thing’s for sure…
Even if she doesn’t know it yet, she’s already mine.

This book contains both CAGED and UNCAGED, originally meant as a duet.

Note: This STANDALONE novel contains disturbing content that may be offensive to some readers.

Review: The Learning Hours by Sara Ney

September 27, 2017

The Learning Hours by Sara Ney
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Standalone - How to Date a Douchebag #3
Release - September 26, 2017
Genre - NA Contemporary Friends-to-lovers Romance
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 4 out of 5
Length - 398 pages

He's not a douchebag; but that doesn't stop his friends from turning him into one.

MY FRIENDS WANT ME TO GET LAID.

So much so that they plastered my ugly mug all over campus, in bold printed letters:

Are you the lucky lady who's going to break our roommate's cherry?
Him: socially awkward man with average-sized penis looking for willing sexual partner. You: must have a pulse. He will reciprakate with oral. Text him at: 555-254-5551

The morons can't even spell. And the texts I've been receiving are what wet dreams are made of. But I'm not like these douchebags, no matter how hard they try to turn me into one.

THIS ISN'T THE KIND OF ATTENTION I WANT.

One text stands out from hundreds. One number I can't bring myself to block. She seems different. Hotter, even in black and white.

However, after seeing her in person, I know she's not the girl for me. But my friends won't let up--they just don't get it. Douchebags or not, there's one thing they'll never understand: GIRLS DON'T WANT ME.

Especially her.

Review: Hot Stuff by Kim Karr

September 25, 2017

Hot Stuff by Kim Karr
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Standalone - Sexy Jerk World #3
Release - September 27, 2017
Genre - Contemporary Sports Romance
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 4 out of 5
Length - 312 pages

He's the newly drafted quarterback.
Hot. Arrogant. Too sexy for words.
Ready to score.

I'm an athletic intern, and the coach's daughter.
Driven. Determined. Prepared to conquer the world.
Completely off-limits.

The NFL is full of rules. Rules I've never broken. Never challenged. Never even scratched--until the day Lucas Carrington crashes into my life with his hard body and I-don't-give-a-f*ck attitude.

After I almost injure my father's star player, I volunteer to make sure he's in top shape. At first, it's hell. I don't like his cockiness, his easy smile. Don't like the way he oozes sex. Or how his penetrating eyes follow me everywhere.

That doesn't stop me from wanting him. He's meant to be a distraction--something to occupy my mind for these precious few remaining hot summer nights before I'm forced to leave football behind forever.

I know what we're doing will lead nowhere good. I know we're crossing the line. And I know my father will never understand.

None of that matters.

But maybe it should.

Rules aren't meant to be broken.

Or are they?

Review: Master of My Body by Marissa Honeycutt

September 23, 2017

Master of My Body by Marissa Honeycutt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Finding Sabrina #1
Release - August 24, 2017
Genre - Dark Paranormal Romance
Mutliple POV - 3rd person
Heat - Messed Up!!
Length - 148 pages

Two thousand years ago, a great evil was banished from the human realm. Vamar Thilduri would never again be able to possess such great and unearthly power.

Or so it was thought...

After years of preparation, Vamar has returned and his plans are progressing as expected. His tool of choice? A girl who will be the most powerful being in the world.

Sabrina Mansfield has no idea who or what she is. She only knows her life-long dream is to become a professional ballerina. Attending a summer dance camp in Boston is the first of many steps along that path. But everything changes the moment she meets the gaze of a handsome soldier across the stage.

Christopher “Chase” Ralston, a recent graduate of West Point Military Academy, expected to spend his short summer leave visiting with family and friends. Love is the last thing on his mind, but a glimpse of a young woman has him questioning his desire to remain single.
The bond between them is unexpected, and becoming more seems inevitable—until Sabrina returns home to find her world torn apart.

Monsters are real.
Nightmares come true.
And love is nothing more than a dream.

Review: The Queen by Skye Warren

The Queen by Skye Warren
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Masterpiece Duet #2
Release - September 19, 2017
Genre - Dark Romance
Heroine POV - 1st person
Heat - 3 out of 5
Length - 294 pages

I have one chance at a new life. A college education. A future outside of Tanglewood's dark walls. For a breathless moment it seems like I might actually escape.

Then I get a phone call from home.

Damon Scott is my own personal dragon, the fight I've always lost, the secret hope of my heart. And he needs my help right now. Only my mind can solve the puzzle. Only my presence can keep him sane as the city fights against him.

Only my heart can unlock a man with such a tragic past.

This is my final gamble, with everything at stake. One last game to win a future for both of us.

And a love strong enough to break the city apart.

Review: The King by Skye Warren

The King by Skye Warren
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Masterpiece Duet #1
Release - June 27, 2017
Genre - Dark Romance
Heroine POV - 1st person
Length - 308 pages
Review of The Prince

The highest stakes...

My father gambles every night, falling deeper and deeper into debt. When he hits the bottom, he places a new bet: his daughter. I'm his entry bet to the biggest underground poker game.

Every kind of danger circles the velvet-covered table, but only one man makes me tremble.

A trailer park princess.

The son of a criminal king.

We don't belong together, but I'm caught in a twisted game.

His eyes meet mine with dark promise. And when he puts down his cards, I know I'm going to lose more than my body. I'm going to lose everything.

Review: The Prince by Skye Warren

The Prince by Skye Warren
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Prequel - Masterpiece Duet #0.5
Release - June 14, 2017
Genre - Dark Novella
Heroine POV - 1st person
Length - 78 pages

Penny doesn't dream about a prince coming to save her from the trailer park. She knows better than that.

And the boy she finds hiding in the woods out back is too wild and dangerous to trust. But he may be her only chance at survival.

From New York Times bestselling author Skye Warren comes an emotional new spin-off series. THE PRINCE is a 13,000-word prologue to the new Masterpiece duet.

Find your copy of The Prince here:
Goodreads | Amazon

Review: Unhinged by Natasha Knight

September 22, 2017

Unhinged by Natasha Knight
Release Date: September 25, 2017
Genre: Dark Romance
POV: Dual - 1st person
Heat: 4 out of 5
Type: Standalone

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Unhinged tells the story of subterfuge, betrayal, death, secrets, family loyalty and love. Both Eve and Zach should be dead. A mission gone wrong back in Beirut killed all of Zach’s men and he shouldn’t have survived. But somehow he did and the reasons why are unknown to him… for now. However, he’s out for vengeance and his first stop is with the girl who got away… Eve. He’s a changed man and someone’s gotta pay.

“He’s on a suicide mission. And this thing - his need for vengeance - it owns him.”

This was my first read from this author and I was thoroughly impressed. This story was dark, suspenseful and intense. It gave me exactly what was promised and I will definitely be going back to Natasha Knight for more. So why wasn’t this a 5-star read for me? There were a few discrepancies that, despite my willingness to suspend realistic belief, I couldn’t accept. I’m pretty sure most people will overlook the little things I couldn’t, but I’m a particular person. I will say that I was absolutely hooked from the beginning and I was kept entertained right to the end. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dark and suspenseful reads.

Goodreads | Amazon

Review: Betrayed: Prequel to Unhinged by Natasha Knight

Betrayed by Natasha Knight
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Eve was 15 years old when her parents were murdered. Her older brother, Armen, took over the responsibility of raising her and their brothers. One day her brothers disappear without a trace and the only family she has left is Armen, but he’s found a new purpose in life. He’s become the follower of an evil man named Malik The Butcher, a man the US military is on the hunt to find. Desperate to help and save her brother, Eve turns to the US for assistance. The man who steps up to the plate is Zach, who is a part of special ops and in Beirut with a task force. He hopes to keep her safe while using her to get information to help locate their target. And then everything turns to shit.

Betrayed was the perfect prequel to Unhinged. It spoke to what was to come and set the stage for Eve’s fear and concern for her brother. It gave such a clear picture of the climate of the world Eve had grown up in in Beirut. And Zach was shown as the honorable and intelligent soldier that was willing to do anything to help her. I highly recommend that readers read this before diving into Unhinged so that they can get the backstory for these characters.

Review: Rock Me by Carly Phillips

September 19, 2017

Rock Me
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Standalone - Bodyguard Bad Boys #1
Release - September 19, 2017
Genre - Contemporary Second Chance Romance
Dual POV - 3rd person
Heat - 4 out of 5

Bodyguard Bad Boys… Sexy, Hot, and oh so protective!

A pop star in danger.

Her reluctant bodyguard.

A past they can’t deny.

Summer Michelle is on the verge of ultimate fame.

Ben Hollander has sworn off mixing business with pleasure.

But keeping his hands off of the sexy songstress is easier said than done and once the threat is neutralized, will she choose fame over love?

Review: Things Liars Fake by Sara Ney

Things Liars Fake by Sara NeyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Standalone - #ThreeLittleLies #3
Release - February 2, 2016
Genre - NA Contemporary Romance
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 3.5 out of 5
Length - 168 pages

What if…

Someone you barely knew asked you for a favor.

What if…

They needed you to be something you weren’t, in exchange for nothing. Unless you count a mouth full of lies and a half-broken heart. Faker. Pretender. Liar. There are worse things to be called.

So would you do it? Would you?

Daphne Winthrop did.

And you’re about to find out what happens in the end.

Review: Drawn to Him: A Romance Collection

Drawn to Him
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Anthology
Release - September 19, 2017
Length - 595 pages

There are some men who make you helpless.

You know the kind. They steal the breath from your lungs and make your heart beat a little faster with a single look. You can’t stop staring, but the moment they pin those gorgeous eyes on you, you’re done for.

The kind that’s too hard to resist.

This is a collection of men just like that.

Handsome, confident and all for you.

DRAWN TO HIM is a collection of eight exclusive never-before-seen novellas you can't resist, complete with HEAs. They have all the book feels and angst you've been wanting.

Review: Dirty Dealings by A.J. Adams

Dirty Dealings by AJ Adams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Standalone - Zeta Cartel #3
Release - June 27, 2016
Genre - Romantic Suspense
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 2.5 out of 5
Length - 312 pages

I could’ve fucking strangled her. She knew it too because she stepped away quickly. “Touch me and I’ll have you!” she snarled.
“Bruja mala leche! What the fuck do you think you’re playing at! You can’t push me around!”
“Sure I can.” Her eyes were slate grey, the same colour as the sky, and just as cold. “I need help, and you’re going to give it.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I’ve got a situation. I need someone who isn’t afraid of murder and mayhem.”
I should have charmed her, offered to help and maybe it would have settled it, but I was too mad to even consider it. “Help you? Over my dead fucking body!”
She shrugged. “We can do it that way, too.” She took out her phone. “I’ll call you soon, hopefully within the hour. If you still refuse, I call Smith.” The eyes were hard. “I’d rather not shop you, because I hate that bastard, but I will if you make me.”
I gave her my number. I mean, I wanted to kill her, but in London they notice things like bodies in the street. Especially if you’re careless enough to do it in broad daylight next to a cop shop.

Quique is having a bad time. Back in Mexico his marriage has fallen apart and his wife has made him a laughing stock by cheating on him. Now he’s in London and finding himself out of his depth with a complex commercial deal. To make things worse, Natalia Truelove, a chef and pub manager, is blackmailing him. Quique is ready to commit murder and he’s pretty sure who his first victim will be.

Warning: Dirty Dealings contains strong adult language and themes as well as graphic violence and fully depicted love scenes.

Review: Complications on Ice by S.R. Grey

September 17, 2017

Complications on Ice by SR Grey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Standalone - Boys of Winter #3
Release - September 18, 2017
Genre - Contemporary Sports Romance
Trope - single parent
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 3 out of 5
Length - 270 pages

Fun-loving professional hockey player Benjamin “Benny” Perry is all about scoring, both on and off the ice. With his good looks and easygoing personality, women flock to him, which is great. It keeps things the way this Las Vegas Wolves forward likes—uncomplicated.

Too bad that’s all about to change.

When Benny decides to get back at his coach by pursuing his daughter, Eliza, who’s just returned to town under mysterious circumstances, complications abound. What begins as a simple conquest becomes anything but when Benny starts to really fall for Eliza.

But something is up.

Though Eliza seems to be as into him as he is to her, Benny senses she’s hiding something.

Or maybe she’s hiding someone.

Benny would never guess Eliza is hiding a baby—her baby. But it doesn’t end there. The father of her child just happens to be a hockey player too. And he’s Benny’s biggest nemesis.

Now he’s joining the team. Talk about complicated!

Review: Seducing His Student by London Hale

Seducing His Student by London Hale
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Standalone
Release - September 18, 2017
Genre - Contemporary Student/Teacher Romance
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 4 out of 5
Length - 81 pages

The last thing a newly hired dean should be doing is one of his students…

Dirty flirting with the unbelievably hot barista at Bundt & Grind cafĂ© is not how Elliott Goodridge should be spending his time. Temperance Falls College hired him to counteract a scandal—not burn through his paychecks on overpriced coffee with a side of impure thoughts.

For the amount of time college student Samantha Monroe spends fantasizing about the new guy in town, she should know more than just his name. But despite putting out all kinds of signs that she's down for, well, putting out, Elliott hasn't made a move. Yet.

By the time the truth is revealed, it's too late to stop the charge between them. Sparks fly, but so do rumors. For Elliott, a day without his hands on Sam is too long—and two orgasm-free weeks until graduation is flat-out impossible.