Wicked Fall (Wicked Horse, #1) by Sawyer Bennett Review

This is a spoiler-free review! Wicked Fall is currently available for free on iBooks and Kindle.

Callie Hayes returns home to Wyoming after a shocking discovery about her fiancé, and ends up in the presence of Woolf Jennings -- her late brother's best friend and CEO of his family's company. But little does she know that what made her run away from her fiancé may be the same thing that leads her to Woolf.

When I first started reading this book, in my mind I thought Woolf would be more focused on his family's company and have more of a cowboy demeanor, and that was definitely not the case. We know right off the bat -- and the summary -- that he owns and operates a private sex club, The Silo, in order to indulge his and his members deepest fantasies. This book is considered an erotic romance, but I felt as though the erotica fell a little short. There were about two or three scenes that were really well done and actually went into that category, but the rest of the scenes were short lived and did not convey an erotic romance.

I really liked the friendship between Woolf and Bridger, his business partner/best friend. Their relationship was very nuanced and added a lot of depth to both of the characters, which made Woolf's point of view more interesting to read, when he was not so focused on Callie. Bennett did a great job on developing Woolf and Bridger's backstories and incorporating their bond into both of their personalities. 

Comparing Callie's point of view to Woolf's, I have to say that I enjoyed Woolf's chapters a little bit more. His character had more dimensions than Callie, and her chapters felt a little repetitive and riddled with the same issues over and over again. She was definitely an interesting character and willing to change her own views on Woolf's sex club and fantasies, but her character hit somewhat of a wall a little over halfway through the book and I could not get past it.

Based off of the summary, I was expecting an explosive relationship between Woolf and Callie, and while that was true for some scenes, the story was progressing slowly for me and I personally felt that it fell a little flat in the end. I wanted the characters to end up in a specific way that I felt was the ending the book was pushing for, and then it simply went in a different direction. I expected a lot more scenes at The Silo, and we were only given a few minor ones and one relatively long one that was actually the best smut scene in the book.

The secondary characters -- besides Bridger -- really did not play into the book as much as I had hoped. We see Callie's dad so briefly, I thought I imagined that he was actually there -- and as for the other man that was interested in Callie, I really thought that he was going to play a much bigger role in the book, and then he just kind of vanished from the story. After everything was said and done, I was hoping to see Bridger as the star of the next book in the series, but the epilogue proved me otherwise and focuses on another secondary character that showed up in about two scenes throughout this book.

If you are looking for a more low-key erotic romance, this is the book for you. It focuses a lot of character and relationship development instead of smut scenes, so the plot is definitely there.

You can add Wicked Fall and the rest of the series on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

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My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh Review

This review contains spoilers for My Year of Rest and Relaxation.

I have been trying to get back into contemporary books and I figured that one of the most talked about books on the internet should be the way to get back into the genre. The only things I knew about this book before going into it was that a twenty-something woman was seeking to hibernate for a year through medications, to make it as though she was sleeping through life. Both of her parents passed away within weeks of each other, and with the inheritance from them, our narrator is able to continue to live a lavish life while on her hibernation journey.

This is certainly not an upbeat novel, and the narrator is anything but enjoyable -- she is insufferable and infuriating, yet I could not stop turning the pages. Moshfegh will have you captivated by her eccentric way of thinking and outlook on life as she navigates her year of sleep aided by pharmaceutics and designer jean hauls. We constantly see her blacking out for days on end when trying new medications, and she comes back to consciousness with receipts and packages of designer clothes and Victoria's Secret lingerie that she has no intention of wearing.

While we never learn the name of our blonde female lead, we certainly learn the most intimate details of her life, whether it be the death of her parents, the way she sleeps in the closet at her art gallery job, the on-again-off-again sex life she has with Trevor, or her one-sided friendship with Reva. For crying out loud, after she is fired from the art gallery, we have to read about her defecating on the floor in front of an art installation. 

She knows that Reva needs her more than she needs Reva, yet she cannot seem to detach herself from the girl who buys fake designer handbags and compares herself to the narrator in what appears to be a never-ending cycle of Reva being vulnerable, the narrator gobbling down pills, watching discount movies on VCR, and experiencing the most bizarre interactions someone can have.

We are exposed to every minute detail of her existence, except of course, when she begins to lose days at a time thanks to the world's worst psychiatrist, Dr. Tuttle. She was the only psychiatrist to answer the phone at nearly midnight, and seems to have a supply of sample pills that never runs out. As our narrator is on her journey to sleep, Dr. Tuttle seems to be on a journey to to simply hand out the strangest advice known to man.

I do wish that we got to see more of Dr. Tuttle towards the end of the book and prior to the narrator's "art installation" project with Ping Xi. Her initial distain for him after seeing his first show at the art gallery soon proved to be useful to her in order to complete her year of sleep. I found myself constantly wondering on what Dr. Tuttle was thinking regarding her treatment and all of the medications that she was on. We know that this psychiatrist should basically have her license revoked, yet every scene with her had me more intrigued on her thought process, and I can only imagine what she would have thought of the narrator's approach to sleeping for a year.

The ending of this book really felt like you got hit in the face with a brick -- I could tell that this event was going to take place, based on the fact that it was New York in 2000 to 2001, but I have to say I did not expect Reva to meet such a cruel fate. I felt as though Reva's death opened the narrator's eyes in the sense that you could be living as much as could every day and suddenly have it taken away. Compared to Reva's vibrant way of living, the narrator would be hoping that pills would keep her consciousness at bay long enough that she barely had to live.

My Year of Rest and Relaxation is a blunt and eccentric dive into a woman’s desire to sleep for a year, riddled with a number of characters that not only drive her further into sleep, but finally awaken her.

You can add My Year of Rest and Relaxation on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

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Falling for Them (Cinderella's Daddies, #1) by Calista Jayne Review

This is a spoiler-free review! Falling for Them is currently available for free on iBooks and Kindle.

I honestly did not know what to expect from this book -- the taboo age gap definitely peaked my interest, since I have not read too many books with that trope before, unless we are counting Credence by Penelope Douglas. If you did not have the chance to look at the name of the series like I did before I started reading, you will be pleasantly surprised to find out that this is a Cinderella-inspired erotic MFM romance. I have to say that it exceeded my expectations and had me so entertained that I nearly finished it in one sitting. It is a great taboo romance that just skims the surface of Ella, Kingston, and Sebastian’s story.

The author does a great job at developing the characters and their background as the story moves forward, and you find that you know a lot about each individual character before you see them start to really interact with one another. We see Ella, our female lead, start off in this rocky situationship that she thinks is much bigger than it actually is -- being involved with one of the company's higher ups, you can only imagine the difficulties it will bring. But when he breaks off their barely-there relationship, she falls into the lap of his father -- and his father's best friend.

We get POVs from everyone, which was absolutely fantastic. I loved getting into Ella's mind, but even more so with Kingston and Sebastian. It is not too often that we get male leads in romance novels that are given both in depth character develop and well-versed POVs that show how much they care for the female lead. Yes, there are 100% books out there that have it, but I would say that it is hard to come by in taboo romance, only because we are exposed to a ton of insta-love relationships that tend to skip development and go straight into the relationship.

There are definitely a lot of obstacles that Ella, Kingston, and Sebastian have to overcome in order to get to the point in their relationship where they feel comfortable around each other and are comfortable with the prospect of having multiple people in a relationship. Ella certainly struggles a lot as she tries to come to terms with how she exactly ended up in this kinkier-than-expected relationship, when Kingston's son could only screw her in a broom closet and leave her without any real pleasure.

The author definitely incorporates the main aspects of Cinderella's story into Falling for Them, and you can certainly try to guess what twists and turns that their story will take. The smut scenes are really well done and the plot moves at a pace that leaves you turning the page until you are at the very end. I would definitely recommend this to fans of modern retellings with just enough spice for a quick read that will leave you wanting more.

You can add Falling for Them and the rest of the series on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!

The Beast (Fixer-Uppers, #3) by Denise Daye Review + BLOG TOUR

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the THE BEAST by Denise Daye Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

ABOUT THE BOOK

He's a cold-blooded killer, devilishly hot and wildly dangerous.
 
Most people would tell me I'm crazy. Most people would call him a monster and tell me to run. But in the broken world I live in, that's the only sort of man I want.
 
When he found me in a puddle of blood, at the mercy of my mobster husband's thugs, I was ready to die. I just looked at him with empty eyes, giving him permission to keep walking and never glance back. But instead, he told me to look away and then took care of business. My nails dug into his steel-hard arms as he carried me to his car and declared I was now his.
 
Of course I knew who my dark knight was.
 
Andrei f$$$ing Kowtisch.
 
Feared assassin. Merciless beast. A man who fights fire with fire.
 
I guess that means it's payback time, because nobody touches Andrei's property. Unless you're the most dangerous mobster on the East Coast who swore to get me back no matter the cost . . .

Goodreads | books2read

REVIEW

This is a spoiler-free review! I have received a review copy in exchange for my honest review.

For anyone that knows me, I love a good dark mafia romance book. The tension, the taboo, and the high stakes catch that always causes some trouble. The Beast is no different, and delivers a suspenseful story about Elise, a mobster's wife on the run, and Andrei, the deadliest assassin being hunted by the CIA. The synopsis had me hooked from the start, and I could not wait to get into their story. While this is the third installment in the Fixer-Uppers series, it can be read as a standalone.

The smut is definitely present, but it does not overpower the plot of the story -- we have a pretty solid combination of the two, which made the progression of the book work smoothly, as well as giving Elise and Andrei time to get to know one another. Angst can usually go south if not done correctly, by Daye was able to add the element into her book effortlessly as she transitions the story from will-they-won't-they to that they cannot live without one another.

Elise's story influences Andrei's, in the sense that without her, he would not have ended up with the ending that he received. Her very presence is a catalyst for him really discovering who he is and what he wants from the world. In the very same sense, Andrei's introduction into Elise's life is the saving grace she needed to get away from her abusive husband, and if not for a chance meeting in South Africa, both Elise and Andrei may be living very different lives.

Both characters are given their own stories that allow them to grow individually and together. The author does an excellent job showing that while when they are together, they thrive, but also when they are apart, they are able to work on themselves and reflect. I do wish that we would have had a little more time in between Elise and Andrei meeting each other and them advancing their relationship, but the pacing was on spot and did not make the reader feel as if they were pushed right into their story.

I loved the settings of this book -- since they were moving around a lot, we get to see a few different cultures and learn more about the areas compared to being set in only one location. Both Elise and Andrei get in depth backstories and character development as their story goes on, and it was nice to see that our main characters were not just thrust together randomly, but rather fell into place with one another at the perfect time for both of them.

If you are looking for a fast-paced, suspenseful mafia romance, then The Beast is the book for you. Daye provides a quick read filled with twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat and turning the pages until you've reached the end of the book.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!

ABOUT DENISE DAYE

Denise is an Amazon best-selling author who graduated with a master’s in Social Work from an ivy league school, the University of Pennsylvania. She has spent many years of her life supporting families and individuals in need of assistance. She has always had a passion for reading and writing, especially steamy romance, but it wasn't until her own baby boy was born that Denise turned her passion into her profession. Whenever Denise is not typing away on one of her books, you can find her caring for her son (a.k.a. one of the toughest jobs in the world), binging Netflix with her beloved husband, or chasing after her puppy (who should technically be an adult dog by now).

Join Denise’s newsletter for romantic FREE books and exclusive material: https://www.timelesspapers.com/newsletter.html 

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1 winner will win a $10 Amazon GC courtesy of Rockstar Book Tours, International.
Ends March 14th, midnight EST.

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BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

Week One:

2/27/2023	Mythical Books	Excerpt/IG Post
2/27/2023	@dreaminginpages	IG Spotlight
2/28/2023	The Reading Devil	Excerpt
2/28/2023	Writer of Wrongs	Excerpt
2/28/2023	Two Chicks on Books	Excerpt/IG Post
3/1/2023	@reemsreadingspace	TikTok Review/IG Post
3/1/2023	forthenovellovers	Review
3/2/2023	thepaperworlds	Review/IG Post
3/2/2023	@autismreading_mom	IG Review
3/3/2023	The Book Junkie Reads . . .	Excerpt/IG Post
3/3/2023	Booksandmore201	IG Review

Week Two:

3/6/2023	The Book Countess Tours	Excerpt/IG Post
3/6/2023	Books with a Chance	Review/IG Post
3/6/2023	The Momma Spot	Review
3/7/2023	A Bookish Dream	Review/IG Post
3/7/2023	More Books Please blog	Review/IG Post
3/7/2023	One More Exclamation	Review/IG Post
3/8/2023	Review Thick And Thin	Review/IG Post
3/8/2023	@jypsylynn	IG Review
3/8/2023	@Emmiepooh2	IG Review/FB Post
3/9/2023	Brandi Danielle Davis	IG Review/TikTok Post
3/9/2023	@enjoyingbooksagain	IG Review
3/9/2023	Beersbooksandboos	Review/IG Post
3/10/2023	Fall Between the Pages	IG Review/TikTok Post
3/10/2023	Country Mamas With Kids	Review/IG Post

King (Adair Empire, #1) by K.L. Donn Review

This is a spoiler-free review! King is currently available for free on iBooks and Kindle.

King does not hold back and immediately throws us into Lilith and King's story and relationship. Everything was happening so fast, and I felt as if I was pushed right into the story without having any build up to who the characters were and what the exact situation was that they were in. The author wastes absolutely no time and places Lilith in King's clutches in a matter of pages, and we are left wondering what exactly his interest in her is.

The smut definitely made up for some of the plot holes and insta-love that Lilith and King had. I really wish the book was longer -- in my opinion, we could have had at least another one hundred pages to the total in order to learn more about the characters and their relationships with one another. Atticus and Luther's protectiveness over Lilith could have been explored more, and King's interest in Lilith definitely could have used some more backstory in the beginning of the book.

Lilith's backstory before meeting King -- at least, what we were given of it -- was definitely important to her character and the way that she responded to every situation she was in. She basically replaced cocaine with King in a way, and I felt as though it was going against everything she said she wanted to do, since she did not want to do drugs anymore. There was just so much going on in this book as the plot was leaping around every chapter, so the characters did not get a big chance to develop in a way that would have added more substance to their journey.

Major jumps are made in Lilith and King's relationship all throughout the book, and it was giving me a bit of whiplash, because I still felt as though we needed to know more about them as individual characters and when they were together. We definitely had more of King's backstory, and that was a highlight in the character development sense. Compared to King, I felt as though we were given a list of information about Lilith and that was that.

If you are looking for a fast-paced dark romance, this book is for you. I am not usually a fan of an insta-love situation, but King and Lilith's connection was intriguing and held up throughout the book.

You can add King on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!

Rule (Villains Club, #1) by Abbi Cook Review

This is a spoiler-free review! Rule is currently available for free on iBooks and Kindle.

I told myself I should take a break from an arranged marriage book and yet here I am, reading the third one in a row. What can I say, the heart wants what the heart wants. Willow is thrust into a marriage that neither she or Maddox want to take part in, but Maddox understands that it is just one more thing to do in order for his family to stay in power.

The tension between Willow and Maddox is brewing in the beginning of the book, but as their story goes on, it becomes astronomical, even if Willow is still going against everything Maddox tells her to do. Stay in the estate? Willow thinks not. Not speaking to his uncle, Asher? Willow just wants to chat! Her survival skills are subpar to say the least, and marrying into a powerful and deadly family is such to knock some sense into her quick.

Ever the playboy, Maddox is still running around town acting like a fraternity brother who thinks he runs the school. At first, maybe charming in the "his ego is too big for him" kind of way, but it quickly grows old as he continues to leave his wife sitting alone at every chance he gets. The smut scenes definitely build up as the story progresses, and were pretty typical of what is scene in darker romance books.

Willow is a 21-year-old who is book smart and curious, leaving nothing to rest until she knows exactly what is going on. Unfortunately for Maddox, he does everything to avoid answering her questions as he tries to keep her in the dark and away from his family's business. Compared to Maddox's 28 years, she has some growing up to do -- her naivety is refreshing to Maddox, but only for a short time until it becomes detrimental to her survival in their house and being a part of his family.

There is a suspense aspect to this book that deeply reminds me of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, in the sense that all of a sudden there is a new character introduced that has now become the Big Bad of the book. However, I am a sucker for the "Where is my wife?" line, so I was happily turning each page hoping for something to happen -- and boy did it.

Everyone loves keeping secrets in this book, especially when it came to figuring out why Willow was so special and the perfect choice for Maddox to marry. Her father owed a debt, yet she is the price he had to pay -- with no regret, I might add. His role of concerning father could have definitely used some more tears or resistance if he actually cared about what was happening to his daughter.

I would have loved to see more of Maddox and Willow's relationship when they actually communicated with one another -- as much as I loved the tension between them, they felt disconnected from each other during the third act of the book. I do think they made a lot of progress in their relationship, especially considering they did not know each other when they were married.

For fans of The Ritual by Shantel Tessier that are looking for a tamer arranged marriage or forced proximity trope, Rule will certainly fill the void. A quick read for anyone in need of a steamy read to get back into romance and take a ride on the more taboo side of the genre.

You can add Rule on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!

The Devil I Don't Know (Brooklyn Kings, #1) by L.K. Shaw Review

This is a spoiler-free review! The Devil I Don't Know is currently available for free on iBooks and Kindle.

Brenna and Jacob are forced to marry in effort to strengthen their families and their forces against the Russians in a union between the Irish and Italian mafias. I was in the mood for an arranged marriage read and this book certainly delivered -- my jaw was dropping left and right. The tension between Brenna and Jacob is so thick you could literally feel it between the pages of the book, and I was literally on the edge of my seat reading every chapter.

With Jacob and Brenna's family lives and relationships so drastically different from one another, they already have so much to learn about one another after they marry. Brenna's family has kept her far removed from their business and left her in the dark, whereas Jacob's family has him heavily involved in nearly every business matter they conduct.

The dynamic between Brenna and her family was wholesome compared to the other things happening in the book. Her little sister was able to provide some type of comedic relief to the story, while her mother was there to show that she had a support system. Jacob's father was dying, but he was still loyal to his son and did try to do the best that he could, at least for as far as I could see.

Looking at the evolution of Jacob and Brenna's relationship once they are married, it does go a bit fast, but I think that it was because they both realized that they wanted similar things out of the marriage and understand that their marriage was more than just the two of them. "Where is my wife?" is said multiple times and I was loving it every time.

Glad to see actual mafia business taking place in this book compared to a lot of mafia romance books that just say the male lead is in the mafia and then follows with everything mafia related happening off screen. Jacob is very involved in his family affairs, and that was definitely reflected in their story. I wish that we spent more time on the aftermath of a lot of the issues caused by the Russians and internal familial issues that Jacob was dealing with. There was a lot of action going on in the third act and I would have loved to see how Brenna and Jacob dealt with everything after it happened.

I sped through this book so much faster than I expected -- forty minutes of reading put me nearly two thirds of the way through. The Devil I Don't Know is the perfect gateway mafia romance if you are looking into getting the genre without being overwhelmed. A great beginning to the series and I will definitely be continuing on with the author's works. Fans of Keep by Kaye Blue looking for something similar will definitely enjoy Brenna and Jacob's story.

You can add The Devil I Don't Know and the rest of the series on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!