Monday, February 27, 2023

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.


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Friday, February 24, 2023

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.


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Wednesday, February 22, 2023

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.


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Monday, February 20, 2023

See Me (Phoenix, #4) by Stacey Kennedy Review


This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my reviews for the first three books in the series on my blog now: Watch Me, Keep Me, and Save Me. A list of content warnings can be found in the beginning of the book.

Lottie is much more than meets the eye, and with a secret past and life tucked away from her friends, she is not one to open up -- to Hunt, or to the cops. Which poses a problem, since Hunt is a cop and he notices right away that is haunting her. Hunt can tell that there is something beneath the surface, waiting to come out and show who Lottie truly is, but there may be more consequences than either could have imagined.

See Me is definitely more of a suspense book compared to the others in the series -- Lottie is hiding from dangerous people, and after years of silence she begins to hear from them again, With Hunt wanting nothing more than to protect her and make sure that she is safe, we learn more about Lottie and her past.

Right off the bat, Lottie and Hunt have this tension that quite literally fills the room whenever they are together or even near each other. They have their flirtatious little back-and-forths, which just scream will-they-or-won't-they. Hunt is on a mission to go further with Lottie than they have ever gone before, and Lottie wants the same, but with her complicated past and secrets, she does not want to even chance the idea that he might get hurt because of her.

Seeing all of the girls from the previous books was great -- I love how they always show up and are there for each other, especially because Lottie was somewhat of a minor character in the beginning of the series, whereas Elise and Hazel were already Zoey's friends from the start. Lottie having a great support system, especially with what she has gone through, really allowed her to create her own family when she had no one except Nessa.

I was upset with Archer and the way that he was originally treating Lottie after he found out her secrets -- when Zoey was able to get past Phoenix's vetting process, Rhys was impressed and told people not to worry about it. But when Lottie was able to do the exact same thing, Archer showed a lot more anger and held onto it longer than expected, especially considering that everyone had known Lottie for years and when they only knew Zoey after she showed up at Phoenix.

The smut throughout the book was great -- the final scene between Lottie and Hunt was *chef's kiss* and really showed how much they had grown together as individuals and as a couple. We only had a few scenes in Phoenix, but definitely were treated to our fair share of scenes outside of the club. I do wish the book was just a little longer, but I really did enjoy reading their story.

I loved the change of pace that See Me brought to the series -- as a fan of all of the books, it was really great to read something that had more suspense to it. There definitely was not as much drama or conflict compared to what you would find in a mafia romance, but this had the perfect amount of suspense, smut, and character development. I am so excited for the next installment in the series -- focusing on Nessa and Ronan -- to be released later this year!


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


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Thursday, February 16, 2023

Savage Royals (Bloody Kingdom, #1) by Ana West Review


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

I am an absolute sucker for an arranged marriage trope, even more so when it's a mafia book. With both of our main characters being involved in different mafia families, I knew the tension would be off the charts. And this book absolutely delivered. They are shooting at each other one minute and screwing each other the next, and I ate it up.

The dynamic between Dante and Sienna is fantastic -- both of them do not want to be married to each other, but they have no say in the matter as their fathers have decided it would be best for them to get hitched in an effort to unify their families. Each having their own agenda, they are already at each other's throats from the moment they first met, and it keeps getting better once they are wed.

"She's my wife" Oh I am literally doing somersaults across the room. Absolutely love how much Dante was defending and protecting Sienna despite the fact that neither of them wanted to be married to each other. Even though they can barely keep their hands off of each other -- whether that be because they're fighting or screwing -- their obvious attraction keeps them on their toes. I loved reading Dante's POV because we were able to see how much he cares for Sienna and how much she infuriates him in the best way possible. He had so many fun one liners and great dialogue that made him an excellent main character alongside Sienna.

We do have some mentions of side characters here and there throughout the book -- Sienna's friends and Dante's younger brother, Killian -- but they do not have too much involvement in the plot, with the small exception for Killian, who is usually getting into trouble. There are definitely more interactions with side characters in the beginning of the book compared to the end, but I think that was just the right amount of involvement before it was able to overshadow Sienna and Dante's relationship.

Sienna is much more involved in her family's affairs compared to Dante, and we see that a lot when Dante's father continues to keep him at a distance when it comes to business, whereas Sienna's father has her in the know about everything that is going on between families. The difference in their own family dynamic definitely is reflected in their relationship once they are married -- Sienna seems a little more open to having Dante know some things about her, whereas Dante is much more reserved and always thinking that Sienna is hiding something from him.

The smut scenes were great and were almost always following a scene of Dante and Sienna going at each other, usually because Sienna was trying to kill Dante over something. They fell into the plot well and did not seem out of place or just there for shock factor, and had me giggling and kicking my feet as I read them.

I really like the way that Sienna and Dante team up somewhat against their better judgement in order to solve the situation that arises after they are married. Both were so convinced that they would not get involved with the other and work on their own plan, but of course they would end up teaming up in the end.

Fans of When it Raynes by Montana Fyre and mafia romance readers will definitely enjoy this fast-paced first installment in the Bloody Kingdom series.


You can add Savage Royals 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!

Saturday, February 11, 2023

Secret Puck (Campus Nights, #1) by Rebecca Jenshak Review


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

Ginny is a freshman at college where her brother is a senior and captain of the hockey team, and Heath, only one year older than Ginny and told explicitly to keep his hands off, just could not resist. From the title of the book alone, you can pretty much guess that Ginny and Heath are keeping their relationship a secret, especially from Ginny's brother, Adam.

With Ginny fresh out of a relationship weeks prior to starting college, it is only a matter of time before she found someone new to help her get out of the funk that her ex-boyfriend put her in. A decent amount of the book is Ginny just constantly being introduced to new people because her roommate has her long distance boyfriend visiting on the weekends, so she needs to get out of her dorm. As she meets new people and as her friendship with Heath grows, we get the chance to see him jealous almost every single time a guy talks to Ginny or asks her brother if they can ask her out on a date.

It was actually very refreshing to see the secret relationship trope where it did not involve the guy asking the girl to keep it a secret because he was embarrassed to have a girlfriend or because he wanted to keep seeing other girls. With Heath's past of having a revolving door of women, it was great to see him only focus on Ginny throughout the book. I do wish we were able to abandon the third-act betrayal/miscommunication trope, because I was finally hoping that Ginny and Heath would not fall victim to it.

I love a good hockey romance, and even though I may not understand the plays when they are included in the book, I wish there were more scenes of Heath, Adam, and the rest of the team actually playing hockey or at a game. There was a point where I actually forgot why Heath and Ginny were keeping their relationship low-key until I remembered that Adam was Heath's captain. The more spicy scenes definitely could have been longer, because it felt as though once they started, they were already over or they were getting interrupted.

The chemistry was great between Ginny and Heath, and I kind of wish the book was a little bit longer so that we could see them more after that little bit of miscommunication and see more of their relationship when it was out in the open. I loved how protective Heath was of Ginny, especially when she opens up to him about her insecurities and her fear of the dark. The same thing applies when Heath becomes more open with Ginny about his life and the struggles that he has been dealing with, especially with his mother.

This was a super easy to read romance in a series of interconnected stand alone books. I would definitely recommend it to fans of The Deal by Elle Kennedy, especially if you're looking for a book with a decent amount of spice that is not unrealistic.


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Thursday, February 2, 2023

The Ritual by Shantel Tessier Review


This review contains spoilers for The Ritual. A list of trigger warnings can be found here.

TikTok made me do it. I thought that I would hold out a little longer before reading this, but nearly every other video on my page was a blurb from this book. Since reading Haunting Adeline, my definition of dark romance has certainly taken a turn, and obviously I do not condone the vast majority of anything that happens in this book, but boy does this book hook you in. Ryat and Zade need to start a little club for people who stalk the girls that they are into and also murder people.

For a society filled with secrets and straight up murder, they sure do love to throw a party and have people talk about them on campus. The Lords feel like a bunch of college students roleplaying that they are in the mafia or in some type of cult, which is not entirely incorrect. Ryat walks around talking in cryptic messages and basically gives off the vibe of a sexually frustrated twenty-something. Definitely on brand for him since being in the Lords means they cannot have sex for three years, but he is making it everyone's problem.

Blakely is just trying to actually hook up with her boyfriend of many years but he's not having it because -- surprise, surprise -- he is also in the Lords, but for some reason won't just tell her that they can't have sex. Matt continues to literally annoy me every time he pops up on my page, and I simply pretend that he does not exist as such an immense pain in my side and acting like such a little freak all of the time. It is beyond me on why he is so mad that she broke up with him after putting up with his BS for so long. He's also a kink-shamer, which was the most surprising thing about him considering he is in an organization that literally claims women as property. But I digress.

This vow can't be legally binding... I'm actually laughing at the way that everyone treats the Ritual vow ceremony and how Ryat is always running around saying he owns Blakely but this boy is so blindsided by the fact that he can finally screw someone that he sets his own sort of rules up for him and Blakely, apart from the rules the Lords have for their chosen. I am genuinely surprised that with the amount of sedatives Blakely was given that she was not just knocked out for the entirety of the book. She's got to have some lasting effects after getting roofied every other chapter.

I am not even going to lie when I say that Ryat offering $500,00 to marry Blakely had me giggling and kicking my feet in the air. Honestly, anything to get her away from Matt and whatever the heck he had planned to do to her once they were married. Do I think Ryat is downright insane? Absolutely. Do I cheer every time he pops up on the page? Sure thing. There were probably at least ten moments while reading this book that I straight up thought that Ryat was going to kill Blakely just because he could, because boy oh boy was that man on a mission.

Probably about 98% of this book is not for the faint of heart. Blakely and Ryat literally have sex in front of the corpse of a girl that Ryat strangled in a basement for crying out loud. There is so much murder and so so much sex that pushes the limits of what society deems as acceptable. I mean, people are torturing and kidnapping and drugging people left and right and the most of the characters will react as if it is just another Tuesday as a college student. The smut is top tier and basically dominates the book over plot, but is balanced enough that it does not feel like the same scene over and over again.

Sarah and Gunner are basically there so that Blakely has other people to talk to when Ryat is not around, and it was nice to see that she has something resembling a support system while she went through everything. We really did not get to see many other faces besides some Lords and Ryat and Blakely's parents throughout the book, but I did not mind that since I was so focused on their relationship. I have so much distaste for Valerie, especially because she definitely knew what Matt would have done to her if they ended up getting married. So glad they both kicked the can by the end of the book.

You know what... I had such a blast reading this entire book because just when I thought it could not get crazier, it did. I was thoroughly entertained every page, and I actually really enjoyed the dynamic between Blakely and Ryat -- it was so extremely complicated yet had great development as they both discovered what they wanted, and it was not for a lack of effort or mishaps along the way. Fans of Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton and The Dare by Harley LaRoux will certainly enjoy this standalone taboo romance.


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