Between Two Kings (Split or Swallow, #2) by Lindsay Straube Review

This review contains major spoilers - read with caution! A list of trigger warnings is available here - reader discretion is advised. You can read my review of Kiss of the Basilisk on my blog, now!

Never in my life have I felt a rage about a book ending like I felt when I was reading the final chapters of this installment. I truly feel like I was being rage-baited into thinking it was an acceptable ending when it was basically some of the laziest writing and plot development I have ever come across. Tem's character, while slightly annoying in book one, seemed to lose all common sense and reasoning. The character assassination that occurred with Caspen was like getting shot in the chest - everything that I loved about his character seemed to fly out the window as the author showed clear favoritism towards Leo. Caspen was notorious for loving Tem without reservation and all of her - he would do anything to have her and anything to keep her, and yet the author suddenly decided she was okay with him basically abandoning his feelings for her for the "good" of her? I wanted to pull my hair out.

Leo's presence in this book started off as a little bit of a forbidden love triangle yet soon became a nuisance to me the more he showed up with his lingering glances and being controlled by Evelyn. It was literally nauseating when he would come on the page because I knew it would be a chapter filled with his whining and Tem's internal monologue of how much she wanted him but could not have him. Caspen's clear distain toward the human king was so justified and I honestly wish Caspen was more brutal and straight up just took out Leo when he had the chance - so many issues would have been resolved. Sure, the humans probably would have revolted against the basilisks, but at this point, it would have been worth it. Tem was basically emotionally torturing Caspen every single time they had dinner with Leo and Evelyn, and yet she did not see anything wrong with what she was doing.

Let me tell you something - I was starting to root for a little action with Tem and Apollo solely because he was eons more intriguing than Leo. Sure, he is Caspen's brother, but good god, hsi scenes were always so alluring and he clearly was able to care for Tem in a way that Leo would not be able to, with the added benefit of having first rights to Tem. I would have supported a Tem, Caspen, and Apollo why-choose development over the actual ending of this forsaken book, Tem was running around those caves "resisitng" having sex with all these hot basilisks on the basis of her saying she only wanted Caspen, but clearly the girl's love for Leo was influencing her decision on that part. Sure, she engaged in mating season activities with other basilisks, but it was annoying to see her act righteous over refusing sex when it's literally the basis of the basilisk way.

The entire ordeal with the Senecas contesting Tem and Caspen's marriage would have been so good... if it ended up being worth it in the end. I absolutely cannot stand Rowe after everything he did in the first installment, and somehow we are supposed to accept that he would ever be considered a better choice than Caspen. And all that build up to him being more powerful now and alluding that he did something in order to achieve it, only for it to become an abandoned plot line?? So many plot were lost in the author's clear attempt to make readers want to have Leo be the chosen one for Tem instead of Caspen, and the book suffered for it.

There were a million other choices the author could have made for the ending that would have been satisfying on all fronts - instead, readers are presented with one of the most ludicrous ending imaginable. You are telling me, in the series about a girl who loves more than one person, that you could not end it as a "why not both?" and we could have lived happily ever after?? SHE LOVED THEM BOTH!! Never in my life have I ever rooted for a throuple - literally the first time ever - and yet this was the perfect opportunity make them all love each other. But no... apparently happiness cannot exist here and we have to KILL one of them?? And not even the more boring one?? I was a sobbing mess when I realized what was happening and at that point, wish I never read the book in the first place. Because why are you killing the hot, sexy Serpent King, making the Hybreed lose her basilisk side, and end up with the boring human king that could barely fight for her?? You're telling me I had to lose the man that responded to "You're not a god" with "Am I not? He should thank me for my benevolence." to the human king that cannot even stand up to a simple village girl that ran away from him for money??

One positive thing I will say - I love how unhinged these books are and how straight to the point - or smut - the book gets to the nasty within the first chapter. Mating season was absolutely crazy and honestly had some moments that had my jaw dropping - some things were not for me, but they aligned with the basilisk way so it was appropriate. Some scenes were super juicy and I ate them up but others felt so repetitive in the sense that the author would inserting them into the story to avoid addressing the plot.

Overall, I wish I could wipe my memory from ever deciding to read this sequel - at least then I would be able to live in ignorance and bliss without the knowledge of this atrocious ending. Will I read the prequel being published later this year? Probably, but I won't be happy about it. Especially considering I thought it was actually the third installment and not about other characters. If you want to send someone through the ringer, then you can make them read this series knowing they will be met with disappointment and anger. I do not even know how I will be able to move on after finishing this book.

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Bratva's Secret Girl (Obsessed Bratva Bosses, #1) by Evie Rose Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

I have been in a reading slump for far too long and despite me saying I would read more literary fiction this month, I once again find myself in the throws of mafia romances. I am such a sucker for an age gap romance, and when presented with one that includes some more-than-toxic tendencies, I simply cannot resist the temptation. However, the excitement was short-lived with this novella, and I found myself less-than entertained as I flew through Hayley and Maxim's story. While my expectations were not through the roof, I was hoping this novella would be more captivating, but instead it fell flat and while I was able to speed right through it, I was left unsatisfied.

The writing felt juvenile - sentences were not well-structured and the entire thing read like an early Wattpad publication. If you are looking for a novella with plot, abandon ship now - the author chose smut over plot lines in this novella, and even calling it smut is overstepping in my opinion. The "erotic" scenes were nothing short of the bare basics when it comes to what should be included in dark romance, and none of them read well enough to have my jaw on the floor. The scenes felt as though they were somehow supposed to push Hayley and Maxim's story forward, but instead made it feel like Hayley was this naive little girl when she is an adult.

Maxim's characterization, at first, seemed like everything that I wanted in a male lead - that was quickly shattered when any of the anticipation of him wanting Hayley was bypassed by the author in favor in going straight into the story with Maxim and Hayley having a more formal working relationship. I was hoping for some raw tension, and instead I was presented with Maxim, the rough and tough mafia man, counting cash in a money laundering front in order to spend time with Hayley. It would have read much better if he had honestly was stalking her to at least give some darker undertones to their relationship rather than basically make them friends from the beginning.

If you are looking for a quick little tale to make you move from one book to the next, this novella provides enough pages to get you back into the flow of things. If you are looking for something with a little more meat on its bones, you can pass on this story.

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Kiss of the Basilisk (Split or Swallow, #1) by Lindsay Straube Review

This is a spoiler-free review! A list of trigger warnings is available here - reader discretion is advised.

I first heard of this book was it was originally the standalone Split or Swallow and was immediately intrigued - now as a series, I was even more drawn into what the author had in store for readers. Learning the powers of seduction from a basilisk in order to have the prince choose you as his wife? It's like The Selection but R-rated - right up my alley. As Tem navigates her teachings with her basilisk, who just so happens to be Caspen, the Serpent King, she is faced with her connection with Caspen and with the prince. The author wastes literally no times and dives right into a steamy adventure as Tem embarks on her journey to compete and train for the prince's choosing - my jaw literally dropped at how quickly we were being thrown into it.

There are a few reviews out there noting that this book is basically just five hundred pages of serpent smut, and to that I say - thank god!! I was having the time of my life. Going into this book I knew it was leaning heavily on the smut side, but I was pleasantly surprised on how balanced I found the smut and plot as I got deeper into the story. It was compelling, juicy, and just flat out fun to read. God forbid a girl wants to get our of her head and enjoy some wild and crazy storytelling. All the characters played such interesting roles to me, and even with smaller side characters, you could see that their presence was not there simply to fill the page, but to eventually support the plot.

I ate this book UPPPPP. Literally gobbled it up like my life depended on it. Literally every single page had me questioning if my eyes were truly reading what was written. Just when you think the author could not go any further, Tem is pushed even deeper into acts of seduction and secrecy. I have never been a big fan of "why not both?" / why choose books, but this is probably the first time that I have ever found myself actively rooting for Tem to be with Caspen and Leo. Her relationships with Caspen and Leo each have their own intriguing and alluring draw - it is like she is two different people. The power they could have together as a little throuple could be unmatched. And what's better than two boyfriends? Two husbands!! Girl, go get your men!!

Regarding the actual plot of the book, the author did a great job setting the scene right off the bat on the contestants training to win the prince's heart. This was the plot with the "least" amount of stakes in hindsight - so much more comes into play and it honestly feels like a little side plot compared to the issues at hand for Tem. That being said, it is never sidelined to the extent where it no longer remains prevalent to the story at hand - it is always playing a part in the overall journey. As relationships are tested and feelings arise, Tem is forced to confront her complicated feelings while learning more about herself than she ever thought possible. On top of being in uncharted territory when it comes to the power of seduction, Tem must learn to explore the history between the basilisks and the royals before their so-called peace comes to an end.

I absolutely cannot wait to dive into the second installment and already placed my hold on Libby. For fans of more intense smut, you will definitely be fed - and for those looking to dive a touch deeper into world of dark fantasy romance, this is the perfect gateway.

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Hideaway (Devil's Night, #2) by Penelope Douglas Review

This is a spoiler-free review! Please read trigger warnings - reader discretion advised. You can read my review of Corrupt on my blog, here.

I kicked myself in the shin the second I requested this on Libby - considering how much I wanted to pull my hair out while reading Corrupt, I do not even know why I did this to myself again. I had much lower expectations going into this second installment, and yet somehow it disappointed me even more than Corrupt. The "twist" was so obvious I could see it coming from the beginning, and the constant going back and forth between six years ago and present day felt redundant - there was only so much we could learn from the past before there was no more content. I will say the last 15% of this book finally had me locked in - it finally felt as though some major plot moves were happening and it was not riddled with constant recalls to the past.

Rika this, Rika that... enough is enough!! I literally do not care about that girl a single bit. Yet she seems to be the apple of everyone's eye - I thought we were completely over her after the first book. Yet she continues to be the driving force of the narrative, even when she is no longer the female lead. That being said, Banks as a lead was interesting only for her relationship to Damon - she was certainly an improvement compared to Rika, but she still just did not have that factor that i was looking for in a dark romance. And of course, where there is Rika, there is Michael. While his appearances were few and scattered, I still rolled my eyes every single time he manifested on page and ran around saying how Rika will always come before his "best friends," even though up until how many months ago was he actively ruining her life???

Kai as the male lead in this installment was an improvement to Michael, but only marginally so. I still felt some distrust towards him considering the way he acted in Corrupt, but he definitely improved now that he was not chasing down Rika and trying to ruin her life at every chance he got. That being said... we get it, he went to jail. Yes, he beat up someone, but it was an abusive cop, so I say we let it go and move on. It felt like every single chapter in Kai's perspective, he was either moping about the fact that him going to jail was the biggest shame his family experienced, or him trying to stalk around town following Banks. Honestly, I was starting to wish that Kai acted more unhinged at some points because at least the plot would have felt like it was moving or had some excitement.

Banks felt like her whole characterization was meant to make readers start to feel sympathetic towards Damon... obviously I hate what he went through as a child, but good grief the man is running around actively trying to kill his "friends" and go way too far with Rika. Banks providing all of this lore on him as he grew up and honestly how he was in the present could have been much more played up if Banks had an actual personality other than being held hostage and crying that she loves Damon. She had more guts than Rika, I will give her that. The fact that she actually was actively aware of her surroundings was an improvement beyond comprehension compared to... whatever Rika was doing in Corrupt.

This needed to be juicier, crazier, and frankly, freakier. I needed the wildness that Corrupt gave us with Michael and Rika but cranked up hundred times, and instead we got a few little smutty chapters that cut much shorter than they should have. If Douglas did not spend so much time having the characters not use their braincells, then things would have wrapped up much quicker and maybe we would have been treated to some debauchery instead of lackluster problem-solving.

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Dirty Little Promise (Forbidden Desires, #2) by Kendall Ryan Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my reviews of Dirty Little Tease and Dirty Little Secret on my blog, now! 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.

Emma and Gavin's relationship faces a lot of obstacles in this second installment, and nothing short of dangerous is thrown into their lives. Considering I read Dirty Little Tease and Dirty Little Secret about two-and-a-half years ago and was able to quickly orient myself back into this series, I have to say that the author does a pretty good job at keeping readers up to speed. This book had a great combination of action, emotion, and spice - the book flowed very well and honestly kept me fully engaged the entire time.

Do I feel bad for Cooper? Absolutely. Do I think he needs to get a grip and move on? Sure thing! His friendship with Emma was so great, and unfortunately not everything is made to last and his own feelings seemed to get in the way of their friendship ever getting back to the way that it was before Gavin came into the picture. I think the relationship between Gavin and his brothers took more of a forefront in this book, and I was happy to see Gavin really start to work through his own feelings and past experiences. Given that in many romance books we do not see the male leads actually work towards being better and opening up to others, it was a pleasant surprise.

Gavin and Emma definitely had some things to work through - we get a much better picture of the horrors of Emma's last relationship and we see Gavin grabbling with a past that has come back to haunt him and linger over his relationship with Emma. Both have to tackle things on their own, but they were able to support one another once they each decided to reveal information about their pasts and allow themselves to be open with one another - in more ways than one.

The spice in this book was crazyyyy. I do not know how Emma came out of this book without having her limbs dislocated with the way that Gavin was throwing this girl around. The author really upped the game from the prequel novella and first installment - compared to the minimal presence it had in the first book, this truly upped the game and honestly showed how much Gavin and Emma trusted one another. Their chemistry literally feels like it is coming off the page and the author truly makes readers invested in the development of their relationship. I truly ate this book up and honestly look forward to seeing where we are taken next with Cooper's story.

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Tease Me Once (Shame on You, #1) by Willow Winters Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my reviews for other works by Willow Winters on my blog, now - Do You Want Me?, It's Our Secret, and A Single Glance.

I am no stranger to W. Winters, and with a number of their works available for free on iBooks and Kindle, it makes an easy choice to continue to dive into yet another series. Maybe one day I will actually finish one instead of only reading the first installment as a filler book - this book certainly makes a case for that hope. Declan and Braelynn share a history that is seemingly glossed over a number of times throughout this book - Braelynn mentions through her internal dialogue and to her close friend that she knows Declan from "before" but we never see how they were actually connected, unless I somehow managed to miss that. I would have loved some more explanation or even flashback chapters from Declan or Braelynn's perspective to understand how entangled they are and what the tension they share is from.

Braelynn is too easily convinced of, well, everything - she trusts easily, which I found odd, considering her past, and seemingly falls into a number of inopportune scenarios that would have been completely avoidable had she either paid attention or minded her business. I wanted her to use common sense so bad throughout this book that I was willing to donate some of my brain cells to the cause. She eventually smarted up at one point, but I still wish she was aware of what was going on around her - she needed to lock in and realize that she cannot trust everyone in her life, especially when it seems too good to be true.

Declan... good lord. The author should have given us some background on him - clearly we get the face value details of him and his brothers, but still no exploration into why he is the way he is or why he is into the things he is. I will say that he is an effective communicator and actually sits down with Braelynn explaining to her that she needs to be very clear with him about what she wants and what she does or does not like - he is not good at reading people and needs her confirmation before moving on with more delicate matters.

The spice was going wild in this book - definitely on the more extreme end of dark romance and juicy, I ate it up. Some of it was a little out of pocket considering Declan basically threw Braelynn into the relationship and only asked her if she was willing to do whatever he said - she basically nodded her head and then was in the middle of an intense BDSM relationship without even knowing what she signed up for. And I say "signed up for" in the lightest of terms given they did not even talk about anything before launching into this relationship. Declan is a wild man and Braelynn just does not know what to do, so she seems to go along with anything that anyone tells her to do.

Looking at the mafia plot - I will be honest, it felt like a little bit of a mess. Declan and his brothers are clearly involved in some super shady stuff, and readers are exposed to much more than Braelynn ever saw. However, it did not feel finished and Declan's involvement felt unpolished to me - it would have been interesting to see more of his leadership and what he has done to get to this position. I know there are more books to get through, but considering this is our introduction to the character, it would have been helpful information in case it influenced his character.

With an ending like that, I will be continuing on with this series in order to see what in the word Braelynn has gotten herself into. I can only imagine the tomfoolery that she allowed to happen right under her nose, and considering Declan is not a forgiving man, I know she has a world of punishment in her future. You can read this series in its three installments, or in its complete work, Only for Him.

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The Wolf and the Sheep (Wolf, #1) by Penelope Sky Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

This book was literally sitting in my TBR pile since August 2020... Well folks, we made it! I have been itching for an arranged marriage trope for awhile, and this needed to hit the spot for me. Arwen and Maverick are at immediate odds with one another and they find themselves at the alter in order for their families to get what they want - to both of their resentment. Arwen wants a family, and Maverick is the last man on the planet who wants a wife, especially one he did not pick for himself.

Every other chapter was basically filled with "I do not want to be married to this person" while simultaneously followed by "Wow I think I am attracted to the person I am married to," which makes the plot become repetitive very quickly. However, you see Maverick and Arwen try to support and connect with each other in their own way, and while they do have this tension filled with arguments or the silent treatment, you could tell the chemistry was brewing. I would have loved to see that chemistry develop just a little bit more - they were in limbo for a majority of the book.

It never felt as though there were any stakes in the game until the last 15% of the book, and even then I was not that invested in Maverick and Arwen's relationship - if you could even call it that. They basically just existed in the same house together and have about three more intimate interactions with each other. You could tell that they were beginning to care for one another, but it was so distant that it does not cause the reader to form a major attachment. However, I am intrigued enough to continue with this series, solely to see what exactly is in store for their chemistry development and possible obstacles with Maverick's family.

The dual perspective at least allowed the reader to see both sides of the story, but it felt surface-level at best, and as stated before, became very repetitive. I did not love their whole open marriage situation, even though they were basically forced to marry each other from the beginning. It made it hard to root for them to be together when they were always with other people or by themselves. That being said, I did like both of their personalities, and while they disagreed on things more often than not, I can certainly see a future between Maverick and Arwen.

If I remember correctly, I saw a blurb of this on TikTok, and we all know that my track record for recommendations on that app is questionable... I have gotten some hits, and definitely some misses - unfortunately, I just could not find myself invested in this story. I cannot even remember what the blurb was, and since it has been living and haunting my TBR pile for over four years, I figured it was time to tackle it. If you are looking for a super quick read with only a touch of smut, this is definitely the book for you - it is low stakes, and can essentially be thought of just the world-building aspect of the story, since it is the first installment of a trilogy.

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Dante (Chicago Ruthless, #1) by Sadie Kincaid Review

This is a spoiler-free review! Please read trigger warnings - reader discretion is advised.

Once again, I have let my TikTok feed from 2020 influence my reading, and I am not going to lie, the first half of this book had me doubting everything I had ever done to lead to that moment. Dante Moretti rivals Rowan Kane from The Fine Print in levels of delusion that I did not think were possible. Sure, Dante kills people and Rowan simply was a major idiot, but boy was I about to lose my mind at nearly everything that came out of this man's mouth. His logic is completely out the window, and yet he somehow manages to be the head of a major mafia family.

When Kat is taken as payment for her brother's unpaid debts, she is essentially strong-armed into working for Dante because he thinks she is hot and hiding some major secret about her past. She gets Stockholm Syndrome in approximately four chapters, and proceeds to be the secret girl that Dante keeps to himself and pretends to not have feelings for - you can imagine where that leads us in the end. She is changing her mind on how she feels about Dante nearly every other chapter, and after certain past events come to light, she somehow just forgets about the trauma until it becomes relevant to the plot again.

Dante is constantly shocked that Kat is always on high alert and scared that she is going to end up dead or in a horrible situation that she will not be able to escape - and yet no matter how many times she explains her reasoning, Dante somehow ends up mad in the end. In between the constant hookups even after Kat made it explicitly clear she did not want to be used as someone's "entertainment," they are being secretive towards one another. In Dante's case, it is the information he is seeking out and in Kat's case, it is what was done to her in the past.

Kat loses her backbone so quickly, you would have thought it never existed. She was looking to be a pretty strong female lead from the first few chapters, but that went away after she was lost in Dante's eyes. She experienced a lot of internal conflict throughout the book, and coming to terms with the fact that she was now deep in the throws of a powerful mafia leader did not help her adjust to her new living situation. Throughout the book, it felt as though Kat was constantly getting knocked down and being thrown into situations that were targeted to make her uncomfortable or even put her at risk. Dante even plays a part in this at one point, and I genuinely felt like I was going insane during those chapters - I did not understand how he could redeem himself after what he put her through.

Sure, Dante is a complex character with a complicated backstory riddled with familial issues, but I found it hard to support him when he was being shady nearly the entire book. He tried to solve every single little argument with sex, and Kat basically folded every single time. They would fight, then hook up, fight again, and hook up two minutes later. It felt repetitive and very much was used as chapter fillers in an attempt to spice up the book, but the plot suffered for it. Lorenzo, Maximo, and Joey had to work their way into my support, and even when Joey was acting horribly to Kat, I still liked her more than I liked Dante.

Regarding the actual mafia aspect of this book, the author did a pretty good job at making Dante morally grey and actually involved in the family business. He definitely knew how to play dirty and it is explicitly shown in this book. The action points of the plot certainly had me drawn in, and I have to say that I was really invested in the actual mafia plot points compared to Kat and Dante's relationship, only because Dante was constantly screwing things up with Kat and Kat was just accepting it.

I have some mixed feelings about this book, but overall I did have a decent time reading this installment - it does end on a cliffhanger, but if you are only interested in Kat and Dante's story, then you can count this as an interconnected standalone. If you are looking for a quick, spicy read, this book is definitely up your alley.

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Lights Out (Into Darkness, #1) by Navessa Allen Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

TikTok has led me to places I never knew I would go, and after seeing about one hundred videos about this book, I knew I had to see it out for myself. With the way it is described, I thought it would rival Butcher & Blackbird and maybe Haunting Adeline in terms of being dark, but I was left wanting more and feeling slightly misled. Do not get me wrong, I enjoyed Aly and Josh's story, but even the tagline on the cover notes "The couple that slays together, stays together," and yet there was not a ton of slaying at all throughout the entire book. This leans more towards a stalker romance with BDSM elements, but I would not call it a dark romance in true form.

I was not in love with the first person perspective - it is never my first choice, but Aly's inner dialogue felt underdeveloped and she was constantly referencing her "lizard brain" when she is a whole adult woman. However, her character as a whole was pretty entertaining to read, and while she does make some choices I was not pleased with, she added the "quirky" aspect to her and Josh's relationship. She was so real for spending hours on TikTok watching and favoriting the thirst trap videos because girl... same. Aly must have a horror kink because this girl is horny about twenty-four hours a day, and she literally does not care how dangerous the situation is.

The second Aly thinks she knows who her stalker is, she starts tracking him, and when she realizes that he is hot, she literally celebrates. This reminded me so much of Haunting Adeline, and I just know her and Addie would be friends. Her self preservation goes out the window and across the yard at nearly every scenario - going into a room alone with a known rapist... girl, get out of there!!

Josh is hands-down one of the funniest stalkers - compared to Aly's inner dialogue, I found his much more enjoyable and humorous. I did not love his Batman voice and references, and I thought he would be more dangerous throughout the book - it felt like Aly was more prepared to commit crimes than he was even though he is a literal stalker. Based off of the summary, I was under the impression they would be killing or committing crimes a lot earlier in the story, but it really was not towards over halfway into the book. Together, they literally commit one crime together and it was not even that exciting.

The scariest part of this book is that Aly said they were not going to have any safe words, and when she told Josh that he could do anything he wanted to her, his first thought was knife play. Like let's be so serious right now, this probably would have sent her spiraling. Their spicy scenes were pretty good, but I would have preferred them more spaced out rather than being somewhat lumped together in the second half of the book.

The epilogue was a fun way to wrap up their story, and I would have loved to see more chapters like that in the actual book. Josh was a fun male lead, but he could have been a little more wild, especially compared to other stalker romances out there. If you are looking for a tame introduction to stalker romances or dark romances in general, Lights Out definitely provides the gateway.

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Fear and Desire by Sophie Kisker Review

This is a spoiler-free review! This book contains graphic material - please look up the trigger warnings before reading.

I have not read an undercover crime book in what feels like years, and luckily enough I was downloading books like no tomorrow at the last Stuff Your Kindle Day. Fear and Desire kept popping up in my recommendations based on my past reads, and needing a quick read, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to put it to the test.

This is not a causal read, and certainly not for dark romance beginners -- I would argue it is approaching Haunting Adeline to be quite honest, and I would only suggest this book to readers who are comfortable reading this genre at length. I genuinely think that I have read everything under the sun -- there was nothing in this book that I have not come across before, but the author certainly goes into extensive detail when it comes to dark themes.

Laura is in an incredibly horrifying and insane situation -- her reasoning has gone out the door after she is taken to be sold at an auction. An auction that her best friend Dan has been working undercover for two years to take down traffickers, and with Laura now being used to test his loyalty, they both need to do things neither ever thought they would be forced to do. I did find myself yelling at her a lot -- she has more information regarding the situation she is in compared to the other girls, but I feared that she would ruin everything that Dan has worked towards nearly every other page.

I enjoyed getting multiple perspectives in this book -- seeing more than only Dan and Laura's thoughts definitely added another layer to this heavy situation, and Josh's perspective were somehow adding a lightness in between intense chapters. Claire's chapters really laid into the despair and hopelessness that the girls were experiencing, whereas Laura has so much more knowledge on what is happening around them.

Around two thirds into the story is where the plot really lays into the seriousness of the situation everyone is in, especially regarding making sure Laura and the rest of the women end up safe. There are a lot more people in play compared to the beginning of the story, and with a decent amount of perspective changes, the author is able to give readers a pretty good sense of what is happening on all fronts.

The progression of Laura's state of mind as the story goes on was handled very well, and even in such an extreme situation, she had a shred of hope to hang on to and as much as a support system as she could get from Claire and Dan. Chapters in Dan's perspective really allowed the reader to understand all sides of the story, and to be able to see how Dan was personally handling what Laura had to go through, essentially at his own hands, added to the depth of the book and their character development.

For fans of Shantel Tessier's L.O.R.D.S. series and Debt Inheritance by Pepper Winters, this dark romance stand alone is not for the light-hearted. If you are looking for something dark, gritty, and taboo, this is the book for you.

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

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Mafia Captive by Kitty Thomas Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

I am a sucker for a good mafia romance, and Mafia Captive's free download was calling my name as I searched through iBooks for my next read. It has been some time since I have come across a dark romance that really entertained me, and this book really got me back into the groove of things. I had so much fun reading this book -- the pacing was just right, and the inner conflicts of Faith and Leo shown through their dual perspectives makes readers get a great sense of their characters.

After Faith witnesses a horrible crime, she is gifted to Leo, a member of a powerful mafia family who maintains his doctoral duties while indulging in some debauchery when the sun goes down. This was a surprise age gap romance to me, with Faith only twenty-two and Leo in his early forties. Thomas does a great job at showing the restraint and maturity in Leo, while mirroring it with Faith's naivety and minimal knowledge of how casual crime is in this family.

At first I thought there was going to be some form of love triangle between Faith, Leo, and Leo's brother, Angelo, but that was quickly dismissed -- however, that did not mean that there would be an end to the conflict between the brothers and how they view Faith's role in their family. With Angelo only saving Faith to basically torment his brother, the dynamic between the three of them becomes complicated to say the least.

Faith is constantly on high alert, and I cannot blame the girl -- she really was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and was thrown into the most insane circumstance in order to survive. Her development throughout the story seems slower to Leo's in comparison, but she is really the one that has to adapt to a new life, whereas Leo needed to adapt to having Faith in his life. I truly felt bad for Faith, she never seemed to have a moment of peace without someone threatening her, forcing her to put up a farce, or scaring her at every corner.

Leo genuinely does not know what to do with Faith once she is thrown at his feet by Angelo, but his perspective really allows readers to work through his inner struggles as he confronts his past and who he wants to be now that Faith is tied to him. You can tell that Leo wants to do good by Faith, but he certainly had his faults that makes readers second guess on how saintly he really is, especially when it comes to what he wants to do to Faith.

For a stand alone novel, Thomas really captures the full story in a sufficient amount of pages without drawing out the plot -- I never felt as though there was a dull moment while reading this book, and honestly I had to force myself to not finish it in one sitting. Leo and Faith's story is complex and at times heartbreaking for both characters, as they are both going through so many adjustments in order to save themselves.

I will definitely be reading more works of Kitty Thomas -- this was a great introduction to her work, and I cannot wait to see what her other books have in store. If you are looking for a dark romance to read after Mafia Captive, I highly recommend Debit Inheritance by Pepper Winters.

You can add Mafia Captive 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!

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.

You can add Escort 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!