Unexpected is a standalone erotic romance.
No cheating, no cliffhanger, and HEA guaranteed!
Find it here: Goodreads * Amazon
No cheating, no cliffhanger, and HEA guaranteed!
Find it here: Goodreads * Amazon
Unexpected by Ari Reavis
Rating -
Standalone - More Than One Night #1
Release - July 25, 2022
Genre - Contemporary Romance / secret baby
POV - Dual 1st person
Heat - explicit
Source - Kindle Unlimited
Length - 162 pages
Unexpected.
That’s exactly what the night Alana spends with Ethan is. When she walks into the bar, all she wants is to drink away the horrible weekend she’s just had. Instead, she ends up leaving with a stranger, giving in to a passion she’s never felt before. Only, she ends up wanting him much more than she can afford to.
Ethan didn’t plan on bringing Alana back to his hotel room, or the way each kiss and touch would make him crave her more. But their time is cut short when he comes out of the bathroom and finds her gone. When he next sees her, five months later, he’s in for a surprise.
She’s pregnant, and now two strangers need to figure out how to be parents together, all while deciding whether to embrace or deny all the feelings they left behind in that room months ago.
That’s exactly what the night Alana spends with Ethan is. When she walks into the bar, all she wants is to drink away the horrible weekend she’s just had. Instead, she ends up leaving with a stranger, giving in to a passion she’s never felt before. Only, she ends up wanting him much more than she can afford to.
Ethan didn’t plan on bringing Alana back to his hotel room, or the way each kiss and touch would make him crave her more. But their time is cut short when he comes out of the bathroom and finds her gone. When he next sees her, five months later, he’s in for a surprise.
She’s pregnant, and now two strangers need to figure out how to be parents together, all while deciding whether to embrace or deny all the feelings they left behind in that room months ago.
Don't you just love it when a one-night stand turns into happily ever after?
Alana came from a family who lived to put her down, to diminish her. They called it religion and she called it oppression. She got free, but they're her parents so she still allows him into her life, demeaning every action she makes. One night she wants to escape it all and finds a connection with Ethan. However, after a hot night of passion, she runs away. She knows that she could have so much more with him, but old habits die hard. But doesn't she deserve to be happy?
That one night of passion leads to a whole new life and Ethan wants to be there, every step of the way. These characters were so sweet and I loved how the chemistry between them only grew as they got to know each other better. Ethan's family, his best friend Bryce, and her best friend Livia added the love and support Alana desperately needed. There was even a suspenseful and heartbreaking twist that caught me by surprise.
I love the warmth and sensuality this author infuses her characters and stories with. I'm so glad there are more stories to come!
Ari Reavis is a wife and mother of five. Born in New York and raised in New Jersey, she enjoys staying in, devouring books and watching movies. Her kids are running around, her husband is trying to show her martial arts moves, and she's trying to write. Her day in a nutshell.
Find more about Ari and her books on her site: https://arireavis.wordpress.com
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!
Beautiful Burn by Adriane Leigh
hero pov
Contemporary Romance, student-teacher
Descriptive heat
260 pages
Auburn Lawrence has loved her English teacher, Reed West, since she was sixteen. Through brainstorming stories, reading classic literature, and plenty of fiery banter, they've forged a bond that neither of them expected.
Propelled by a chance encounter after her graduation, they discover just how deep their connection runs, but love requires more than chemistry to flourish. They spend three electrifying summer months discovering each other under a veil of forbidden passion and desperate lust before they learn that the unattainable is often destined to remain exactly that.
By the time temperatures dip and snowflakes fly, their relationship will face a deep freeze that threatens to snap the bond they thought they shared, shattering their lives one secret at a time.
Rating -
This book had tremendous potential. Maybe because it was short it didn't get to live up to it? I'm not sure. But I definitely liked the concept of the story. I'm not a huge fan of teacher-student romances (I'm a mom of girls!), however, if the student is at the age of consent, I have no worries. And this wasn't even the typical taboo story anyway.
This story is about a teacher (Reed) and a student (Auburn) who, in high school, had a platonic but deep connection through writing. They just clicked. But Reed didn't take it any further because of his respect for the rules and... oh yeah, dude was married. Actually he's married for pretty much most of the book lol. But fast forward 3 years after graduation and Auburn is home from college taking a summer school writing course. Guess who the teacher is??? Yup. Reed. Their connection is stronger than ever and is NO LONGER PLATONIC!! Get ready for some chemistry.
It's a quick read, the storyline doesn't feel that rushed even though it is, and I really liked it. My eyes stung at some parts (I'm not spoiling the plot for anyone) so you know the read was decent.
This book had tremendous potential. Maybe because it was short it didn't get to live up to it? I'm not sure. But I definitely liked the concept of the story. I'm not a huge fan of teacher-student romances (I'm a mom of girls!), however, if the student is at the age of consent, I have no worries. And this wasn't even the typical taboo story anyway.
This story is about a teacher (Reed) and a student (Auburn) who, in high school, had a platonic but deep connection through writing. They just clicked. But Reed didn't take it any further because of his respect for the rules and... oh yeah, dude was married. Actually he's married for pretty much most of the book lol. But fast forward 3 years after graduation and Auburn is home from college taking a summer school writing course. Guess who the teacher is??? Yup. Reed. Their connection is stronger than ever and is NO LONGER PLATONIC!! Get ready for some chemistry.
It's a quick read, the storyline doesn't feel that rushed even though it is, and I really liked it. My eyes stung at some parts (I'm not spoiling the plot for anyone) so you know the read was decent.
Slammer by Tabatha Vargo
Dual POV
Dark Romance, inmate
227 pages
The last place Christopher Jacobs, aka X, thought he’d find himself was behind bars. Ten years later, the boy he used to be is gone. In his place is the shell of a man with murder under his belt. Any emotion he once had was left under the gavel when he was given life in prison. That is until the new nurse in the infirmary joins the block. Putting your hands on a prison employee will get you the hole, but some things are worth their punishment, and something tells him Lyla will be worth more than he bargained for.
Lyla Evans isn’t sure about her new job at a maximum-security prison, but showing uncertainty and weakness isn’t an option. Taking care of murderers and rapists isn’t ideal, but survival is key. She’s warned ahead of time about a prisoner named X, but when she’s attacked, it’s the dangerous X that saves her. Fraternizing with the prisoners is forbidden, but sometimes the most forbidden things are the sweetest.
Rating -
She was life. I wasn’t.
I don't even know what to say. On one hand, I'd like to warn people. But then I think that would ruin this story's effect. You really do need to go in blind.
This story is about Christopher (X). When he was 19, he was charged with the brutal murders of his girlfriend and her friend. He remembers nothing aside from waking up to see the results of a massacre. For 10 years, he's been locked up in super max. The idealistic kid became the remorseful, brooding, lethal inmate known as X.
Evil radiated from him, even though he had a face that was obviously chiseled by angels.
Lyla is a woman who is literally on her face. She's got no food in her fridge, no idea how she's going to make rent or pay her bills, so she takes her freshly printed nursing degree and finds a job at the prison. She realizes that her honorable police officer father would probably roll over in his grave, but a girl's gotta eat.
When she first meets X, she finds that the rumors are true. He is extremely dangerous and scary and the scum of the Earth.
He was the slaughterer of men—the taker of life—the killer. A sinner with the body of a God and the face of a fallen angel, he was beautiful death—gorgeous hell.
She soon realizes that there is more to X than meets the eye. And when she figures out that he may be in prison for a crime he didn't commit, she proves how willing she is to sacrifice it all for the man she loves.
I can't even comfortably classify this as a romance. It's twisted and disturbed and I enjoyed the heck out of it... until the end. That's where I lost it and the star-docking had to commence. However, I can honestly say that this author's writing took me right into the depths of hell these characters were living in. I was there in the infirmary. I was a fly on the wall in the laundry room. I was there!
So if you're looking for a story that's going to make you deliciously uncomfortable, you've come to the right spot.
She was life. I wasn’t.
I don't even know what to say. On one hand, I'd like to warn people. But then I think that would ruin this story's effect. You really do need to go in blind.
This story is about Christopher (X). When he was 19, he was charged with the brutal murders of his girlfriend and her friend. He remembers nothing aside from waking up to see the results of a massacre. For 10 years, he's been locked up in super max. The idealistic kid became the remorseful, brooding, lethal inmate known as X.
Evil radiated from him, even though he had a face that was obviously chiseled by angels.
Lyla is a woman who is literally on her face. She's got no food in her fridge, no idea how she's going to make rent or pay her bills, so she takes her freshly printed nursing degree and finds a job at the prison. She realizes that her honorable police officer father would probably roll over in his grave, but a girl's gotta eat.
When she first meets X, she finds that the rumors are true. He is extremely dangerous and scary and the scum of the Earth.
He was the slaughterer of men—the taker of life—the killer. A sinner with the body of a God and the face of a fallen angel, he was beautiful death—gorgeous hell.
She soon realizes that there is more to X than meets the eye. And when she figures out that he may be in prison for a crime he didn't commit, she proves how willing she is to sacrifice it all for the man she loves.
I can't even comfortably classify this as a romance. It's twisted and disturbed and I enjoyed the heck out of it... until the end. That's where I lost it and the star-docking had to commence. However, I can honestly say that this author's writing took me right into the depths of hell these characters were living in. I was there in the infirmary. I was a fly on the wall in the laundry room. I was there!
So if you're looking for a story that's going to make you deliciously uncomfortable, you've come to the right spot.
Picked by Jettie Woodruff
Heroine POV
Contemporary Romance, taboo/polygamy
Descriptive heat
297 pages
It started with a game, a very different computer game, and a desire to know a life so intriguing and different from my own. I had just started to venture out with my own work at my father’s private investigating firm when our paths crossed on purpose. My purpose. I never expected things to go the way they did. I never expected him to be so nice and handsome. I couldn’t be number four. How could any woman love a man with more than one wife? Not only was it impossible, it was ridiculous. There was no way I was getting any closer. I was going to get in, dig around a little, and get out. That’s it. Does anything ever turn out the way we plan? Becker Cole’s wives were not the typical, obedient little housewives wearing aprons and submitting to him I had pegged them to be. They were cute, young and full of life. I loved them. All three of them. And somehow, I loved Becker too. Could I swallow the persona that society expected me to be and share him, or was this too much? Was I ready to be a part of this world? And if I wasn’t… could I just walk away?
Rating -
This is the first book I've read from this author and I'm not sure if I'll go back for more. The writing style of this book was quite different and the editing threw me off. It would mention Christina cooking but Britney was the cook. The friend Justine was no friend and the writing made this very clear. Quite frankly, this book was written in such a way that you couldn't help but to identify the heroine as TSTL. Dear me. Her inner monologues, which appear to try to inject some humour, we're not funny. They were actually very idiotic. I wonder if I've ever met anyone who thinks like this.
Don't get me wrong. I am very open minded, which is why I read this book in the first place. I wasn't even upset about the taboo relationship. However, if I say I won't be a part of it while you say you want me, then when you flaunt your taboo relationship in my face, I'd be out. No such luck here. It seems Becker could do no wrong. Even having sex with another woman in front of Cass wasn't enough to make her walk away!!
So I wasn't happy with Cassie's dumb decisions. She was very disappointing. Becker wasn't any more appealing. I just couldn't believe how he was portrayed. He seemed pretty cold, inconsiderate, and insensitive. Maybe it would have been better if I got to see his POV. Not sure how he could have been depicted as less of a douche. I'm no writer. And in the end, he didn't choose her. There was no choice. I couldn't live with that because for months he strung her along and if the choice wasn't removed, he'd still be stringing her along. Ah well. We can't all have self-respect. I hope no girls take lessons from this unless it's what NOT to do.
This is the first book I've read from this author and I'm not sure if I'll go back for more. The writing style of this book was quite different and the editing threw me off. It would mention Christina cooking but Britney was the cook. The friend Justine was no friend and the writing made this very clear. Quite frankly, this book was written in such a way that you couldn't help but to identify the heroine as TSTL. Dear me. Her inner monologues, which appear to try to inject some humour, we're not funny. They were actually very idiotic. I wonder if I've ever met anyone who thinks like this.
Don't get me wrong. I am very open minded, which is why I read this book in the first place. I wasn't even upset about the taboo relationship. However, if I say I won't be a part of it while you say you want me, then when you flaunt your taboo relationship in my face, I'd be out. No such luck here. It seems Becker could do no wrong. Even having sex with another woman in front of Cass wasn't enough to make her walk away!!
So I wasn't happy with Cassie's dumb decisions. She was very disappointing. Becker wasn't any more appealing. I just couldn't believe how he was portrayed. He seemed pretty cold, inconsiderate, and insensitive. Maybe it would have been better if I got to see his POV. Not sure how he could have been depicted as less of a douche. I'm no writer. And in the end, he didn't choose her. There was no choice. I couldn't live with that because for months he strung her along and if the choice wasn't removed, he'd still be stringing her along. Ah well. We can't all have self-respect. I hope no girls take lessons from this unless it's what NOT to do.
"Even when you were gone, the echoes of you still lived inside me, and I would play them over and over in my mind just so I wouldn't lose the sound. I've loved you in every incarnation, and that will never end." - Nash
Find it here: Goodreads * Amazon
Find it here: Goodreads * Amazon
Echoes of You by Catherine Cowles
Rating -
Standalone - Lost & Found #2
Release - May 2, 2023
Genre - Contemporary Romance / friends to lovers
POV - Dual 1st person
Heat - descriptive
Source - Kindle Unlimited
Length - 330 pages
Nash Hartley has always been my everything: Protector. Partner in crime. Best friend. The person who was there for me in my darkest hour.
But my heart wanted so much more. So, when I knew for certain Nash didn’t feel the same about me, I tried to move on. What a mistake that turned out to be.
Now, I’m back in our small town, desperate to escape my living nightmare, and the only person I want to see is him.
As secrets are revealed, and Nash finds out what happened to me, he’ll do anything to keep me safe.
But there are those who will do anything to stop him, and this time neither of us may make out alive…
But my heart wanted so much more. So, when I knew for certain Nash didn’t feel the same about me, I tried to move on. What a mistake that turned out to be.
Now, I’m back in our small town, desperate to escape my living nightmare, and the only person I want to see is him.
As secrets are revealed, and Nash finds out what happened to me, he’ll do anything to keep me safe.
But there are those who will do anything to stop him, and this time neither of us may make out alive…
Echoes of You is a seemingly light friends-to-lovers romance with a bit of suspense.
I thought Nash and Maddie were a bit slow on the uptake, but their eventual relationship was better for it. They were best friends for most of their lives, but Nash never felt quite good enough for her. So when she knew her heart couldn't take anymore disappointment, she tried to move on. Where she moved to caused her a lot of pain and the only place she deemed to be safe was back at home... with Nash.
When Nash finally got out of his own way, I couldn't have been happier. I wish he had followed his heart sooner, but I guess if he had there wouldn't be so much of this story to tell. Maddie had to live through pain and shame in order find something truly hopeful and beautiful with her bestie.
I loved how when I thought I had one part of the story figured out, the author threw another twist to shake things up. It kept things interesting, that's for sure.
I am in love with Hartleys and will definitely be reading the other books in the series.
Writer of words. Drinker of Diet Cokes. Lover of all things cute and furry, especially her dog. Catherine has had her nose in a book since the time she could read and finally decided to write down some of her own stories. When she's not writing she can be found exploring her home state of Oregon, listening to true crime podcasts, or searching for her next book boyfriend.
Visit https://www.catherinecowles.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 :)
The Flame King's Captive by Chloe Chastaine
Dual POV, Paranormal Romance, omegaverse
He snatched me from the jaws of death for one reason—to be his.
I was a dead king’s sacrificial bride, until his murderer claimed me as his. Zabriel invaded my country of Maledin on the back of a monstrous, fire-breathing dragon and took me prisoner.
The lethal Zabriel towers over me in steel plate armor, and he could easily crush the life out of me—but the Flame King isn’t interested in harming me. Instead, he destroys everyone who has hurt me in a storm of fire and vengeance.
There’s malignant rot deep within my country. My family has vanished along with whole villages of people. As I desperately try to find those who are missing, my body and heart awaken under a powerful and alarming force.
Zabriel sets my soul ablaze every time he growls, “Mine.” He calls me Omega. The rarest. The most vulnerable. The one he craves to possess and protect.
When evil forces in Maledin threaten everyone I know and love, there’s only one person who is strong enough to help me defeat them, and the only place where I’m safe from an ancient foe is in the arms of the Flame King.
My Rating -
I really thought this would be right up my alley.
* dragons
* omegaverse
* signs of filthyness
* a warrior who never hesitated in killing whoever needed killing
Unfortunately, it wasn't.
It all went downhill after he rescued the heroine from religious zealots who were about to sacrifice her in fire. He brings her to his camp for safety, heads back to kill these evil men, and she runs away while he's gone. She goes back to the village the zealots took her from in the first place. I get wanting to see her family again, but how was this smart? And then she acknowledges that it maybe wasn't the most intelligent thing to do and she ends up back in the hands of the zealots. All while viewing the hero as some kind of demon. Never once did she question the brainwashing she received. Never once did she stop to consider that the male saved her and vowed to never harm her. To kill anyone who thought to lay a hand on her. And he did do that, again and again. She was just not worthy of being read.
So I quit.
I really thought this would be right up my alley.
* dragons
* omegaverse
* signs of filthyness
* a warrior who never hesitated in killing whoever needed killing
Unfortunately, it wasn't.
It all went downhill after he rescued the heroine from religious zealots who were about to sacrifice her in fire. He brings her to his camp for safety, heads back to kill these evil men, and she runs away while he's gone. She goes back to the village the zealots took her from in the first place. I get wanting to see her family again, but how was this smart? And then she acknowledges that it maybe wasn't the most intelligent thing to do and she ends up back in the hands of the zealots. All while viewing the hero as some kind of demon. Never once did she question the brainwashing she received. Never once did she stop to consider that the male saved her and vowed to never harm her. To kill anyone who thought to lay a hand on her. And he did do that, again and again. She was just not worthy of being read.
So I quit.
Devil's Claim by Dariel Raye & Muffy Wilson
Dual POV, fantasy
Generations ago, he died for her. Now, it’s her turn. Pride kept them from looking at one another, but their bodies could not lie. Recognition lived in their souls, rekindling memories of passion, love, betrayal….and death. Apache Elder Aidan Stringfellow, V, is a very wealthy man with one wish – to free his only son, the brilliant, yet abrasive David, from the curse that has plagued his family for generations. When his controversial plan for a cure is revealed, shock and disbelief are only the beginning, for David has deadly, yet beguiling secrets of his own.
Choosing to honor Aidan’s wishes, David and Katala unwittingly awaken an ancient evil desperate to lay claim to the last-born Stringfellow – David. The tumultuous consequences of a vengeful pact spanning generations, defies time, tradition, and death itself. Katala finds herself falling in love with a man whose gaze and touch ignite long-forgotten passion, propelling her to fight for his life. She unearths one devastating clue after another on her winding journey toward the truth, but unseen forces escalate their attack as truth collides with myth. Clinging desperately to her own sanity, she must find a way to reconcile the two, for even her own identity comes into question. Trust no one. Not even David.
Time is running out. Promises will be kept, and if the devil has his way, souls will be claimed.
My Rating - DNF
I actually got pretty far with this one. I enjoyed getting to know David and the curse that seemed to haunt him and his ancestors. However, Katala annoyed me and I couldn't take one more second in her head. I might come back to this one in the future.
I actually got pretty far with this one. I enjoyed getting to know David and the curse that seemed to haunt him and his ancestors. However, Katala annoyed me and I couldn't take one more second in her head. I might come back to this one in the future.
Deceived by Lies by K.J. Thomas
Mafia Romance
I was deceived from the first day we met, right up until my planned death.
After being set up on a botched job, I escaped to find peace and quiet.
I never found it.
What I did find was someone I thought I could give my heart to, I had no idea of the monster living inside of the man.
Revenge makes the heart do horrible things.
Now I’m back in New York. I need to save the lives of my brothers.
Can I do this and not sacrifice myself in the process?
My Rating - DNF
O
M
G
There were so many grammatical errors.
Commas upon commas when a comma wasn't even needed.
Can you imagine how hard it is to read something like that?
If this story was any good, I wouldn't know because the commas kept distracting me.
O
M
G
There were so many grammatical errors.
Commas upon commas when a comma wasn't even needed.
Can you imagine how hard it is to read something like that?
If this story was any good, I wouldn't know because the commas kept distracting me.
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