Do You Want Me? (This Love Hurts, #0.5) by W. Winters Review

This is a spoiler-free review! Do You Want Me? is currently available for free on Kindle. You can read my reviews of It's Our Secret and A Single Glance on my blog.

Stuff Your Kindle Day strikes again with this final read of 2023 for me -- honestly, I did not even read the description before downloading -- I saw W. Winters and immediately hit download. As a prequel novella to a series, I was hoping to learn a little background on our main characters before deciding to continue on with the series. For the other books I have read by this author, I have been a one and done reader, with the possibility of returning to the series once I tackle more of my physical TBR pile.

Delilah has a lot of stressors in her life, not to mention the man she parted ways with finally coming back into her life years later. This novella takes us two years prior to the prologue, exploring Delilah's complicated life, along with perspectives from Cody, a detective, and Marcus, the man that just will not stop from making Delilah his own, but only in the future books.

We spend most of the time in Delilah's perspective, with the occasional appearance by Cody and just a dash of Marcus to add to the mix. I wish we spent more time with Marcus in his perspective -- he is so important to the story, yet we barely had two chapters of his thoughts, most of which focused on Cody rather than Delilah. Winters does provide readers with a decent amount of background information considering this is a prequel novella, but I do believe it could have been fifty pages longer, just to really seal the deal with how Delilah and Marcus are connected.

If the author included just a touch more bit of action or suspense in the prequel, it would have really engaged readers to keep moving forward. I took a few breaks while reading this short installment, only because I was not itching to finish it in one sitting, and the way that the plot was moving, I could tell there was not going to be a wild third act or final chapter. Looking back at how the novella started with the prologue, I would have loved to circle back to that moment at the end of the story.

The multiple perspectives did give the story a more well-rounded sense, especially when readers are able to get a wisp of how Delilah, Cody, and Marcus are connected. It was refreshing to see a main character that has some semblance of self preservation and a decent amount of common sense. Delilah is definitely one of the more structured adult female characters that I have encountered when reading romantic suspense novels.

I would not go far enough to say that this was suspenseful, or even wavering on the edge of dark romance, but that just may be due to the fact that the story is just getting started. Winters alludes to Delilah having some big secret or terrible past a number of times in the novella, but never goes further than having it as a lingering thought from Delilah -- I wish we could have gotten just a crumb of what happened. I am interested enough in this story to continue on, but I would not consider it one of my top priorities.

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Escort by Skye Warren Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

My enjoyment of browsing the free book section on iBooks will continue to make me put off my own TBR pile for a new read at least once a month, and Escort is no exception. Told from Hugo's point of view, we see the perspective of a male escort as he comes in contact with Bea, a young woman who is not the typical clientele to hire an escort.

If you watched Toy Boy or Diary of a Giglio on Netflix, this quick standalone will be right up your alley. This book would make such a fun Passionflix adaptation, especially since it is few and far between that we get to see the male escort perspective in romance novels. I am not a super big fan of first-person perspective, but I was pleasantly surprised on how much I enjoyed reading Hugo's story. The way he views himself and the way he slowly allows Bea to become a presence in his life was well-incorporated throughout the book.

Bea is a shy twenty-something that lives alone in a very large penthouse when she hires Hugo for the night -- she is not the typical penthouse resident, with a quiet personality and well-lived in furniture, Hugo is immediately intrigued. Warren does a pretty decent job of giving us a look inside Hugo's thoughts as he begins to meet with Bea over time, especially when it comes to linking his present job to his childhood past. While we are only given Hugo's point of view, the author was able to capture a lot of Bea's emotions through Hugo's eyes.

Hugo's past was interesting to get into and certainly moved the story forward regarding why he does what he does, but it came to the point where I no longer wanted to read about his past, and wanted the story to move on with him and Bea. Their mutual connection provided somewhat of a plot point to the story and a wedge in their relationship, but it was resolved so quickly I thought I imagined it myself.

Both of the leads are gentle in their own ways, and even though they are very much opposites of each other, they compliment one another very well, and it was a couple that I was rooting for from the beginning. I enjoyed how their dynamic slowly began to form and emerge the longer they knew each other, and their characters each had their own development that was not just for their partner, but for themselves.

There were a few things here and there that could have been left out of the book to make more room for Bea and Hugo's growing relationship, but overall the story pieced together nicely. I do wish it was a touch longer, especially as a standalone, because I felt like I was left hanging at the end. A few more chapters would have done their story well, especially because we only saw some glances of Bea and Hugo's relationship. I would have loved to see more of Hugo's friends to be quite honest -- they seemed interesting enough that I would read books about them if this was an interconnected standalone series, but alas it is not.

I would not go as far to say that this qualifies as erotica -- it is pretty tame spice compared to other romance books, and has just enough scenes to make it interesting but not push it over the edge. This was a fun and quick read, but I expected a little more from the story than what was given. If you are looking for a somewhat spicy fluff romance, then this is definitely the read for you.

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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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Dirty Little Secret (Forbidden Desires, #1) by Kendall Ryan Review

Dirty Little Tease is available for free as a preview novella for Dirty Little Secret -- you do not need to read the novella in order to start the series, as it is an introduction/preview to the first 100 pages of Dirty Little Secret, accompanied by some exclusive content from the author. You can read my review of Dirty Little Tease on my blog, here.

This is a spoiler-free review!

If you have read Dirty Little Tease, you are able to jump right into this book just before the halfway mark. The premise of Emma working as an escort for Gavin and Cooper's company was something that I had not come across recently, and was excited to see how it played out. The smut was pretty good and had decent build up where it did not feel as if the scene was just randomly through into the book.

I know that we were supposed to be rooting for Gavin and Emma to be together, but I was really enjoying all of the moments and conversations that Cooper and Emma were having. Gavin just seems so hot and cold with her, and Emma is constantly forgiving him almost immediately after they fight or she finds out that he does not want a relationship. He is also super jealous whenever Cooper and Emma hang out, but seems to be only externally denying that he wants to date her, because his thoughts are definitely saying that he wants her to himself.

There is a ton of drama that happens in this book that I felt hindered the development of Gavin and Emma's potential relationship expanding beyond her being Gavin and Cooper's personal escort. After every few chapters, something new would come up that would cause Emma to be upset with Gavin or be upset with something else in her life, and would always result with her calling Cooper and then Gavin being jealous that she did not reach out to him instead. This scenario was almost always followed by Gavin and Emma having sex -- it felt like I was reading a constant loop of the same thing happening over and over again.

More time could have also been devoted to going more in depth about Emma's past relationship. We know as readers that it was abusive because she explicitly states so, but then when it is actually brought up because it plays a role in the story, it felt glossed over. In Emma's POV we learn more about how much abuse she endured and how she was in the hospital because of it, but then we never hear about it again.

This book felt like Fifty Shades of Grey had a love triangle between Anna, Christian, and his brother -- Emma is inexperienced when it comes to submission, and Gavin is a CEO who has been involved in it for years, as he and his brothers run a high-end escort service. There are the expected "I don't do relationships" scene, "I don't spend the night with anyone" scene, and a helicopter scene, just to name a few similarities. It felt as though I was re-reading Fifty Shades of Grey instead of reading a new book, but I am a sucker for those tropes so I was just happy to be along for the ride.

The cliffhanger definitely has me wanting to read the next book in the series. To the best of my understanding, the next book is still Gavin's focus, but then the books transition to Cooper and Quinn. The first 200 pages of this book definitely had me flipping the pages so fast, but then I felt as though the story slowed down until the very last couple chapters, with a new drama plot thrown in to spearhead the next book.

You can add Dirty Little Secret on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date with releases and publications.

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Dirty Little Tease (Forbidden Desires, #0.5) by Kendall Ryan Review

This is a spoiler-free review! Dirty Little Tease is available for free on Kindle as a preview novella for Dirty Little Secret -- you do not need to read the novella in order to start the series, as it is an introduction/preview to the book. 

Gavin is an arrogant CEO of an escort service that he runs with his brothers, Cooper and Quinn, and Emma is the head librarian who recently came out of an abusive relationship. They catch each other's eye every morning in a coffee shop, and as expected, Emma and Gavin's interactions soon grow more than ordering espresso and tea.

I liked how the author included Cooper's POV in the preview -- I hope his POV continues to be seen in the complete first book. You do not often see side characters getting their own perspective chapters in romance books, and I was pleasantly surprised when we got to read his own thoughts on Gavin and Emma. 

With POVs from Gavin, Emma, and Cooper, the reader gets to have a more extensive view on how they all are adjusting to having each other in their lives, while also getting to see an outside perspective watching Gavin and Emma finally interact after not speaking a word to each other for a year, only giving each other quick glances.

Both Gavin and Emma have complicated pasts, and since this is only a preview of Dirty Little Secret, we only get a small glimpse of what they have gone through and experienced. I think the author did a decent job of including hints of their traumas throughout the chapters, and started to show how they both respond to their pasts influences their actions.

The smut is minimal yet present -- just barely there at the end of the preview, which makes you want to open up Dirty Little Secret immediately to see how everything plays out. It is an excellent way to see if you want to continue with the series and introduces you to the characters and their personalities before you dive right into the first book. For fans of Praise by Sara Cate and Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James, this novella will certainly grab your attention.

You can add Dirty Little Tease on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date with 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!

See Jane Snap by Bethany Crandell Review

This review contains spoilers for See Jane Snap. Please read with caution if you have not completed the novel.

To the watching eye, Jane Osborne is living the perfect life with the perfect husband -- under the surface, she has discovered that her surgeon husband of eighteen years has been cheating on her the entire time, and with a man. Jane is trying to hold it together through self-help mantras and audios in the car, but everything must come to an end as she meets her breaking point in a most unexpected place: the grocery store parking lot. 

Under the impression that she has taken one of her friend's Zoloft pills, she becomes increasingly agitated by a woman who has too many items in the 15-or-less line and leaves her grocery cart in the middle of the parking lot. Jane, who simply cannot take anything else, snaps and starts to hurl oranges at this woman's car and causes quite the disturbance, especially when it is revealed that she did not take Zoloft, but ecstasy. Resulting in her arrest but no charges, Jane agrees to take a first time offender class to make sure this event stays from away from her permanent record.

You can't help but feel for Jane -- she has discovered the life that she has been living for nearly two decades is nothing but a charade for her husband, Dan. She does everything she can so that Dan's cardiology department stays afloat at the hospital, and appeases the donors he desperately needs to impress for a $25 million naming rights donation. 

Dan is probably one of the worst fictional husbands I have ever read about, nearly up there with Nick Dunne from Gone Girl. He is constantly angry at Jane for anything she does that is out of place -- she follows his car and finds him with another man and also misses a conference call regarding the fundraiser where his potential donors will be. Dan is basically absent from Jane and their daughter, Avery, lives and acts shocked when there could be a possibly of Jane spilling his secret. He continues to be an absolute jerk throughout the entire book until the very end, where he somewhat redeems himself at the fundraiser gala.

The group of women that Jane meets and forms friendships with at her required course are the first people that she is able to open up to, and it leads to her journey of healing and no longer settling for a life that is not what she expected. She quickly forms close bonds with them, despite initially wanting to only go to and from the course in order to get it over with, and avoid talking to any of the women outside of the course.

Jane's "snap" was short-lived, and in my opinion, not very "public" as the synopsis described. I was expecting a lot more feminine rage coming from her, but the plot felt as though it was mostly Jane jumping from one moment in time to the next, leaving a lot of unanswered questions in her journey. Her inner monologue definitely gives some good insight on her emotions and thought processes as she comes to terms with what she did in that parking lot and what she knows about her husband. Jane's relationship with her younger sister Julie does have some hardships, but they try to make the best of it as they work together to care for their ailing mother.

I was so incredibly glad when Jane yelled at Dan towards the end of the book -- she has been living, for the past two months, with a constant loop of what she knows and has seen Dan cheating on her, and for him to call her out with Officer Chavez and say that he was "never caught" with the men he was seeing but she cannot see Chavez is an insane double standard. She was in the right with asking him to move to that other portion of the house and have him talk to their daughter, especially because Avery knew he was cheating on Jane, she just did not know who he was doing it with.

I'm glad that in the end Jane is doing well for herself and on the road to healing, I just wish we were able to see more of her snap or even see it go in a different direction, rather than it just be her and that woman in the parking lot. This premise had a lot of potential and it personally felt as though it fell a little flat -- you can tell the author wanted to be funny in some parts and more serious in others, but the comedy fell short in the long run. It is fast-paced and an easy read, and I am happy to finally have read it, since it has been on my shelf for so long.

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