Break for Me (Broken Bounty, #1) by Ember Nicole Review

This is a spoiler-free review! Please read trigger warnings - reader discretion is advised. A list of trigger warnings is available in the beginning of the book.

Stuff Your Kindle Day strikes again and sucked me down a rabbit hole resulting in about thirty new books in my Kindle library. After reading the first chapter, I was already drawn in, and Jersey reminded me so much of Josh from Lights Out by Navessa Allen and Rowan from Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver. This is exactly what I needed to round out my 2024 reads - I had such a fun time reading this book, and there were countless times where I was actually laughing out loud at how funny Jersey and Trista were together and on their own.

The comedic elements of this book perfectly balanced out the action and spice - I never felt as though there was too much of one or got bored and was waiting for more of the other. The pacing felt natural and draws the reader in - as we switch between Jersey and Trista's perspectives, it mimics the back and forth understanding of how the story is progressing without leaving the reader in the dark. The chapters are short enough that the reader does not become anxious for the next development, but still long enough that we learn something with each chapter or are along for the ride during the more spicy scenes.

Trista's development of learning to open up to Jersey the more she is with him and interacts with him was so nice to see - she is such a guarded character with a complicated past, and her being able to be vulnerable with someone with the first time in a long time was significant to her characterization. Jersey's ability to expand on his training and become receptive to hearing Trista out rather than just performing the job assigned to him was incredibly important to his growth as well. We see his relationship with Memphis, and while it is full of banter than rivals Garcia and Morgan's from Criminal Minds, at the end of the day, that working relationship only goes so far.

The spicy scenes were well done and balanced well with the more serious aspects of this book, and actually played an important role in the story. Seeing how they were incorporated into the plot and not just thrown into the book made the story even more enjoyable. Trista and Jersey's relationship as the story goes on was such a blast to see develop, and with both of them being complex characters, it made their developments and actions have purpose that propelled the story further. Learning more about Trista and Jersey's respective backgrounds gives the reader even more understanding of their actions, and you truly get a feel of who the characters are at their core.

There is not much need for side characters, apart from Memphis, for this story until we approach the last third or so - we have so much to learn and see with Trista and Jersey, that additional characters are actually not as pertinent to the main story as they would have been in other books. I honestly loved the intense focus that was put on Trista and Jersey as individual characters, as it gives the reader their full attention. Even Trista's relationship with Memphis - though limited - added to her development and increased the comedic factor of the book. I absolutely cannot wait to see what the second book has in store for us, and am so glad that I came across this book.

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The Taker (Men of Malice, #1) by Mae Malone Review

This is a spoiler-free review! Please read trigger warnings - reader discretion is advised. A list of trigger warnings is available at the beginning of the novella.

After literally throwing himself in front of notorious mafia killer, Leo finds himself at Rocco's every beck and call. In order to continue to provide for his younger sisters, he is forced to take a job being Rocco's personal employee. I really enjoyed how we jumped right into the story - since this is a novella, I was hoping that there would not be too many chapters focusing on random things, and I was pleased to see that the author sends us right into the story with enough background information that sets the stage.

Leo goes through a number of conflicting feelings throughout this story, and the introduction of Rocco into his life as he takes care of his sisters has a number of effects on his safety and anxieties. We really take a deeper look into his psyche and how his mental health is affected by being thrust into life with a mafia man while trying to maintain a balance with normalcy surrounding his sisters. Essentially becoming Rocco's possession, Leo is exposed to so much more than he could have imagined - even with his father being involved in the past, Leo was never this close to the action.

Rocco becomes completely enamored with Leo when he does something drastic - and brave - without thinking. Once he set his sights on Leo, there was no way that Leo was going to escape him. With dual perspective chapters, it was a great way to see into Rocco's mind and his "psychotic" tendencies as he did everything in his power to have Leo all to himself. He basically sabotages everything in Leo's life in order to get him to do what he wants, and while that is a major red flag in real life, this is a dark mafia romance, and I would not expect anything else.

This novella is a piece of cake to read - if you are a quick reader like myself, this can easily be tackled in an hour or so. Once you pick it up, the pacing moves fast enough that you can finish it in one sitting, or take a quick break before continuing on. In all honestly, I would read this as a full-length book, since the characters are so intriguing, and I would love to see more of them in the future. From my understanding, this is the first in a series of interconnected standalone novellas, so I certainly will be waiting for the second installment.

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And I Darken (The Conqueror's Saga, #1) by Keirsten White Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

I bought the third book in this series about six years ago and finally decided enough was enough and it was time for me to crack open this series. I was under the impression that this was a young adult series, however much to my surprise the main characters are children, and then as the book goes on, they age up into their teens. This was not something that I was looking for, and I am not a major fan of reading early teen books, but I was determined to see this through.

To be quite honest, this book put me into a reading slump - I was on a roll, and this book basically put my mind and comprehension skills on halt. I was really intrigued by the premise of this series, and the Ottoman Empire is something I have not tackled extensively when it came to historical fiction, so I certainly did not expect this turnout. That being said, this book made a complete 180 once it hit the 60% mark - I was drawn in and truly captivated. If the world building had moved at a quicker pace, I definitely think I would have enjoyed the story more. 

Lada is such an interesting and complex character - you see from the start that as a girl, she is undervalued and pushed aside in favor of of her younger brother, but as karma would have it, she is everything that they wanted her brother to be. As we watch their upbringing from childhood, it is evident that Lada's hostility toward her brother is due to her being cast aside from her father, and the cruelness she displays is an act of self preservation.

On the other hand, her brother, Radu, is sensitive, gentle, and finds comfort in his nurse rather than in the prospects of ruling. We see him go through a number of obstacles and hardships, mostly at the hands of Lada - while they may be indirectly, she is the common denominator when it comes to the harshness he has grown accustomed to. However, she does not put a stop to some of these punishments in order to protect him, for she knows that if they cannot get to her through her brother, than he is safe from their torment.

The introduction of Mehmed is the central plot line that essentially drives the largest wedge between Radu and Lada. While at first they all exist cohesively, as they grow older and more politics are thrown into place, Radu and Lada are forced to make a decision that essentially can be seen as betraying Mehmed in their eyes. This does not cause any true animosity between the three, but rather romance is the key factor than causes the siblings to truly go against one another. The tension between the Lada, Mehmed, and Radu was something I have not come across in a long time, and their dynamic was what kept me going with reading this book. The author gives us insight through both Lada and Radu's perspectives, and it is heart-wrenching to see them both go through so much emotional turmoil on top of the heavy political climate.

And I Darken redeemed itself after extensive world building, and I had my doubts on how this book would have me feeling towards completing the trilogy. The political aspect is intriguing and well-developed, and clearly has influence on the characters and their motives. White was able to turn things around and draw the reader in, and with how this first installment ended, I have to say that she has managed to keep me invested in the story.

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The Sweetest Oblivion (Made, #1) by Danielle Lori Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

Almost four years after I said I would read this book, I finally did it. Nico Russo is iconic in every sense of the word. He is absolutely psychotic in the best ways possible, and watching him invoke chaos because he was simply bored was a treat. This man is a COMEDIAN I literally was cackling at everything that came out of his mouth, and the pool scene, I died. He obviously has his flaws, but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing him go absolutely insane the more he interacted with Elena, and his perspective chapters were too funny.

Elena is riddled with following her family's expectations after a scandal, and when she is met with her younger sister's fiancé, let's just say that she is less than impressed, and yet more than intrigued when he begins to infiltrate her life at every turn. Her relationship with her sister is strong, yet they do have their secrets kept locked away for their own reasons. Adriana is unique in every sense of the word, and is the polar opposite of Elena, who is resigned and notorious for following her family's command. When an unexpected turn ends with Elena engaged to a man she soon thought to be her future brother-in-law, we are taken on quite the journey.

Nico's constant frustration with Elena as he attempts to figure her out as a person was a delight to read - you could literally feel his agitation that he could not pinpoint her and understand what happened to her in the past to cause such a scandal. I was literally kicking my feet at every single one of their interactions, and their tension was flying off the page. He was so possessive of Elena even when she was not his, and watching his jealously manifest as she spoke to other men he had beef with felt like the perfect set up for him and Elena.

I loved that this book actually included mafia plot lines instead of just referencing that the families were important mafia families - the action really tied the story together, and the danger definitely upped the ante when it came to Nico being protective of Elena. The little touches of him watching her and everyone noticing was the perfect addition to add to his character - even when they would only speak in quick passings, you could tell that he wanted her from the beginning.

The side characters provided a lot of opportunity for both Elena and Nico to have plot lines outside of their developing relationship, and I was glad to see that they were able to learn things on their own and through trial and error. The infatuation they have with each other went so much deeper than either of them expected, and I loved how they were able to communicate (most of the time) and garner an understanding, rather than constantly fight with one another. That being said, their banter was fantastic, and even with their miscommunications, they were a pretty solid couple throughout their development.

For fans of When it Raynes by Montana Fyre, this is the book for you. Filled with familial conflict, mafia drama, and unexpected relationships, The Sweetest Oblivion will have the reader dying for more of Elena and Nico at every turn of the page. I honestly wish this book was longer, I would have loved to see even more of their relationship and how they fit in with joining the Abelli and Russo families.

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Twisted Hate (Twisted, #3) by Ana Huang Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can review my reviews of Twisted Love and Twisted Games on my blog, now!

Josh Chen... some may say he is rough around the edges and grows up as his relationship with Jules develops. I would say this man is an evil villain and committed levels of emotional terrorism that would land him on a FBI watch list. He is far too old to be acting like this, and his essential tormenting of Jules throughout this book had my skin crawling. There were so many moments throughout this book that had me questioning how Jules let Josh within ten feet of her, let alone inside of her. Truly body-shuddering choices were made.

Jules is one of the more complex characters of this series, with her backstory adding an entire hidden layer to the way she acts and how she chooses to move through life. I have to commemorate her in her efforts to put herself first and always know that she deserves more than she has been dealt. Her past, while tragic and full of struggle, was juicy in the sense that it really grabbed my attention and had me focused on the story. I wanted to see her grow and how she would handle being confronted by so much of her past while trying to figure out her future. She was really put through the ringer in this book and came out even more resilient.

Someone do the math on how old Josh is, quickly!! I swore he was just starting medical school at the beginning of Twisted Love, and it has been how many years since that book ending and all of the time jumps that occurred in Twisted Games?? I literally have no concept of time when I read these books. Either way, Josh needs to mature in order for me to like him - his concept of relationships was so incredibly surface-level, and it made it hard to root for him when his chapters were less than convincing of the readers that he was capable of change.

Josh is FREAKY in the sheets like I have to hand it to him, his character may be immature but my word that man has the stamina of a god. Jules, you are a lucky girl. Ana Huang has a true talent in writing spicy scenes, my jaw was on the floor several times. He was throwing Jules around like she was a lifeless doll, I truly could not believe my eyes. The enemies to friends with benefits to lovers in this book sent me on a rollercoaster of emotions that has sent me into a daze.

7,000 guests at a wedding, even for a royal wedding, is hard to believe. With how I picture the country in my head, I could have sworn that was the entire population. I loved how involved Ava, Bridget, and Stella were in this story - it goes to show that side characters that have already had their happy endings are still vital to the plot. Especially with how close they are all with one another, it would have been strange to not see them make any appearances - though Stella and Bridget did not have as big as a presence as Ava did, it did make the most sense.

"I lied." When I tell you I almost did something so drastic... I was calling for Josh to meet the electric chair. I do not have the words to express how insane of an emotional rollercoaster I went through after reading that, I was nauseous. With the amount of whiplash this man gives me, he is lucky that he is a doctor. I would not have blamed Jules if she killed him on the spot. I was begging for Alex to betray Josh again just to knock him down a peg, and honestly, he could have done it for fun and I would still root for Alex.

Alex Volkov I am sorry I ever doubted you and made fun of you throughout Twisted Love - maybe when you sang it was romantic... forgive me... He was constantly saving the day on multiple occasions throughout this book, and Josh was basically useless. I never thought I would see the day that I would be begging for more Alex - I thought he was fine, but after seeing Josh in action, Alex has bumped up in my ratings. Imagine your one of your best friends is dating a billionaire and another one is a queen engaged to a hot bodyguard, and you end up with... Josh.

Insane that this is Josh's book and yet he is being out mugged by every other male love interest, including Rhys, who I do not recall even having a single line of dialogue in the entire book. Big shout out for the Christian and Stella crumbs, I can already tell I am going to enjoy their book. Absolutely obsessed with Christian as a human being and his little contracts for every favor he does for everyone.

So much of the conflict in this book was so...cartoon character villain-like, sorry! I was literally laughing out loud at the situations they were finding themselves in. Was it top tier literature? Absolutely not. Did I think it fit the story? Nope! I could not take the last quarter of this book seriously, I truly had no idea how everything was being adding to the plot. That being said, I was entertained and even though it was absurd, I let it slide.

I feel bad for bashing Josh so much because in the end, he really did change and turn his whole perspective around, and I have to commend him for that. Especially because I did eat this book UP like it was my last meal on Earth. As well as finally giving Jules a relationship in her life -- outside of her friends -- that she will have someone to fall back on. She was put through so much in this book, and she deserves to have a happy ending. Truly had me cackling when Josh and Alex were living out their mafia boss fantasies, I needed that comedic relief.

I will be seeing this series through if it is the last thing I do. Thanks to TikTok, every single time Dante Russo was mentioned in this book, I now have another series by Huang to dive into and avoid my adult responsibilities. If you are looking for a quick read full of emotional whiplash, may I present to you the insanity that is Josh and Jules, enjoy!

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Brutal Heir (Court University, #1) by Eden O'Neill Review

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

I continue to fall victim to the insane college student romance genre - for about the tenth time this year, I find myself asking "You are in college, who taught you to act like this?" over and over again. Knight is two years older than Greer, and yet he acts like he is five years younger when it comes to maturity levels - he is so hot and cold with her, and then always seems to turn it around on her and acts like it is her fault he is upset. He does a complete 180 halfway through the book, and suddenly cannot live without her. Shocking.

Knight truly is something else... I could not get a true read on this man if my life depended on it. He clearly has experienced a number of traumatic events in his life, but I am not quite sure on how that translates to treating Greer so horribly, and how we are supposed to root for them. Yes, it is a college bully romance, but I felt underwhelmed in any type of redemption he was supposed to receive through this book.

Greer's characterization is probably the highlight of this book - she is very clearly aware of what she wants, and even when Knight causes a number of conflicting emotions for her, she still stays true to who she is. It was great to see her interacting with her mother and stepfather regularly, as it really demonstrated her relationships outside of the one she has with Knight.

Side characters, while sparse, add some humanity to Knight's character - without them, I would still be on the fence about him and his actions. I do wish that Greer had a better support system in addition to her mother and stepfather - it would have been nice to see her form some more solid friendships outside of the ones we did see. Her friends felt more surface level compared to the friends that Knight had surrounding him.

The plot mildly rushed and the side plot was a little underwhelming - while I do like plot with my romance, it needs to be developed that enhances the story. I felt more like we were given information and then the big reveal happened, which was not nearly as shocking as it was made out to be. That being said, the backstories for both Knight and Greer were well conveyed and I enjoyed learning more about them, especially because I was weary of Knight when I started this book.

If you are too intimidated to dive into darker college romances like The Ritual by Shantel Tessier, this is definitely a great gateway to get your foot in the door. The plot and spicy scenes are pretty evenly distributed, and one does not overtake the other.

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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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