** ARC was generously provided in exchange for my honest review. **
Ooh this world has plenty of potential. The premise was what My Rating: 3.75 stars!
** ARC was generously provided in exchange for my honest review. **
Ooh this world has plenty of potential. The premise was what initially had me curious to read this book, and now that I have, all I can say is it has kept me intrigued throughout.
Although this was marketed as Mafia Romance, I don’t think the mafia elements were as dominant as it could’ve been. Whilst there is some introduction to the world-building, it’s character-driven with the romance aspect very much on the foreground.
The writing style did however hook me in from the very first chapter, along with the characters themselves. Anastasia is a bubbly heroine and her personality leapt off the pages instantaneously. Damon may be part of the underworld, but he doesn’t necessarily ooze it. He’s somewhat of a closed-off character and the secrecy surrounding his backstory for most of the story made for an interesting hero in him.
If you enjoy reading romances with BDSM elements, then you might take an interest in this one. The level is mild but there are some kinky elements included. It is however heavy on the intimacy as a good portion of the book consists of sexual content. It’s definitely intended for readers 18+ only.
I would’ve loved if the story was more in-depth with substantial developments. I felt the relationship between Anastasia and Damon progressed too abruptly especially considering the storytelling is steady-paced. I wasn’t completely convinced that their feelings for one another had evolved into anything deeper as the relationship was lust-fueled.
Myers is a new-to-me author and I was introduced to her work through this book. It’s a standalone romance, as is the other books in the series, but after having read this one, I do have to echo the author’s recommendation in starting the series from the beginning. The world-building is still in its early developments and has potential to expand and become multi-layered. But the details leading up to the cast of characters’ current situation within the underworld is vague. Reading the first book would explain their circumstances.
As an avid fan of mafia romance books, I do think it is mafia-lite, but it does still contained some action and suspense. If you like the enemies-to-lovers romance trope, this does however have a cute, secret romance between these two of opposing mob families.
I thought it was an decent read finding some parts more enjoyable than others. It’s told from dual POVs and I liked seeing their contrasting characters through their perspectives. The dynamic between the MCs was an entertaining highlight. Their banter was absolutely smile-inducing. There were also certain secondary characters that caught my eye and will keep a lookout to see if they do end up with books of their own.
But all in all, Blood and Bourbon is a promising series. It’s one to watch out for as more characters are introduced and the world develops further.
**ARC was generously provided in exchange for my honest review.**
Deviously dirty. Check.
Highly erotic. Double check.
IntoxicatinglMy Rating: 4.5 stars!
**ARC was generously provided in exchange for my honest review.**
Deviously dirty. Check.
Highly erotic. Double check.
Intoxicatingly unputdownable. Triple check.
Oakmount Elite’s next damaged MMC will keep you on the edge of your seat and tightly wound. There is so much mystery right from the very beginning that it’ll instantly have you intrigued. The ominous atmosphere is set early on and it only builds further suspense from there.
I loved the thrills and spills this book elicited. Beck’s storytelling is very much for the avid dark romance reader who love unhinged characters and twisted storylines. And, I tell you Sebastian and Elyse will have you enveloped in their dicey little world in no time.
After having read The Wallflower and The Wildflower duet, and discovering that this third book in the series included another pair of MCs from “opposite sides of the tracks”, I knew it was a story not to be missed. It has a giddy-inducing employer/housemaid dynamic between Sebastian and Elyse that I could not get enough of. It not only brought about zingy interactions all throughout, but it made for a more anxious slow-burn romance, and an overall highly-entertaining reading experience.
There are a lot of layers to this story with a handful of secondary storylines developing simultaneously with the main narrative. It’s steady-paced, gradually providing more and more of Sebastian’s and Elyse’s backstories, giving insight into the reasons behind their fractured lives and the circumstances they find themselves in in the present day.
This book is the first half of a duet, and concludes on a doozy of a cliffhanger. I was practically foaming at the mouth and cursing the book gods that it ended the way it did. You can bet I’ll be counting the days, weeks, and months until the next book because with all the action and suspense, secrecy and manipulation, there is no way I will be missing out on the conclusion of Sebastian and Elyse’s story.
Fair warning, this book is dark romance, with adult themes and sensitive subject matters that some readers may find triggering or disturbing. It contains graphic violence, kidnapping, domestic and child abuse, sexual assault, harassment, and stalking— all resulting in mental, physical, and emotional trauma/PTSD. It’s not for the fainthearted, and/or for romance readers who are not familiar with Beck’s style of writing. If dark romance is not in your usual wheelhouse, I would proceed with caution and read through the author’s detailed list of TWs (which you can find at the beginning of the book) before starting it.
I’m not going to lie, there were some elements in this story that even had me clutching at my imaginary pearls. But I’m glad I rolled with the punches because I ended up really enjoying the hell out of this book to the point that there are certain parts I’ve gone back and reread way too many times now.
Sebastian lives up to his broody, alpha-hole hype from when he was first introduced in the The Wallflower. I couldn’t get enough of seeing him navigate through is chaotic emotions and fighting his ever-growing fascination of Elyse.
Elyse is a spitfire and seeing her struggle with keeping her composure around Sebastian was just one of the light-hearted highlights of this book. I think this half of the story only scratches the surface of her character, and I hope with the next book, we’ll get to see her at her full potential.
The premise will have you curious, and the story itself will have you turning the pages. You’ll find a range of personalities amongst Sebastian’s close-knit group of friends, and with complex familial dynamics present, they lend the much-needed support system for not only Sebastian but Elyse as well.
It’s easy to follow and told from first person, dual POVs. If you’ve read and enjoyed the first duet from the series, then this newest spicy addition is not to be missed. Add it to your TBR if you're a fan of bully romance reads.
**ARC was generously provided in exchange for my honest review.**
Although I’m late to the Marry Me, Juliet series by reading theMy Rating: 3.75 stars!
**ARC was generously provided in exchange for my honest review.**
Although I’m late to the Marry Me, Juliet series by reading the third and final book, I have no regrets as it’s my introduction to McAlister’s writing.
Whilst the whole “reality TV dating show” premise caught my intrigue, the narrative itself was a bit of mixed bag for me. Although complex, there were elements I liked and enjoyed, there were also some questionable parts as well. But it was more my preferences than anything to do with the writing itself.
In my twenties I enjoyed a good, even cheesy reality TV show, and whilst I’m well into my thirties and hardly watch any now, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to read a little fictional reality TV dating setting where the contestants are not always how they’re perceived— Lily Fireball aka Lily Ong being the villainous character of the batch, but not necessarily all that she seemed behind the camera.
I love a villain. Gimme a morally grey character, an antihero with a striking personality and lovable characteristics and you’ll have a solid fan out of me. Unfortunately, Lily was a FMC and “villain” whom I just couldn’t fully get onboard with. She’s the type of character you’ll either love or hate, be friends with or not.
It was a slow start and it took a bit to get settled into the story. As I hadn’t read the first two books in the series prior to reading this one the entire cast of characters were new to me. It took some getting used to matching the name to the face, so to speak. But by the halfway mark, there were a couple of secondary characters who held my interests, and knowing that I could easily go back and read the other two in the series to get their POVs is a nice thought.
Murray is the MMC and another character I was on the fence about. I can understand the amount of pressure he feels is on him to make this show a hit had me sympathising is predicament, especially with Lily throwing a spanner in the works as she joins the show as a contestant. But anything involving him and Lily were murky waters for my liking. They have quite a backstory between them, lingering romantic history, and an array of life events the takes them on different directions until they reunited.
The story is also told from alternating timelines and POVs—going from past to present day. I’ve read plenty of books with this format and don’t mind it, but for some readers, it may take getting used to as there’s no consistent flow and tend to be choppy.
But all in all, not bad. The supporting storylines in the background with the secondary characters was light-hearted, and made for the fun and easy portions of a reality TV dating show. The world-building is vivid, and set during the pandemic. It transports you to what I imagine a film set would look like with cast, crew, and various cameras present, and a peek at everyone behind the scenes. It also deals with certain realistic topics such as complex relationships and personal struggles, which I think plenty could relate with.
If you like the friends-to-lovers romance trope and are a fan of reality TV dating shows like The Bachelor, then I think this book will be right up your alley. This book along the other two in the series can be read as standalone novels and read in any order.
**ARC was generously provided in exchange for my honest review.**
Fun, flirty, and one helluva mood-boosting read! James needs to My Rating: 4.5 stars!
**ARC was generously provided in exchange for my honest review.**
Fun, flirty, and one helluva mood-boosting read! James needs to write more romance novellas because they are just as amazing as her full-length novels.
This story is set within her world of the Evil Dead MC, but it’s MC-light. I think it’s a nice change of pace getting to see one of the brothers’ lives outside of their motorcycle club being in the forefront.
If you like the fake-dating romance trope set in a holiday themed narrative, I highly recommend you give this one a read. It may be a novella, but it’s punchy. I love the vivid backdrop of New Orleans and getting to see through two difference pairs of eyes— from New Orleans native; Lobo and sightseer Hope. And who doesn’t enjoy a little holiday romance?
With the fast-pacing and constant developments, Lobo and Hope’s relationship technically evolved rather quickly, but with their close proximity and time spent getting to know one another, as you’re reading, it didn’t necessarily come across as abrupt.
The familial dynamics exhibited is your stereotypical hectic yet lively atmosphere whenever a gathering is in place. Whilst it has an overall light-hearted contemporary setting, I liked that there was still a little bit of suspense thrown in as well. Regardless of the holiday theme, it wouldn’t be one of James’ MC romances without bikers making an appearance, adding some brotherly banter and a wreaking little MC havoc. ...more
**ARC was generously provided in exchange for my honest review.**
What a satisfyingly happiness-inducing fourth and final book in thMy Rating: 5 stars!
**ARC was generously provided in exchange for my honest review.**
What a satisfyingly happiness-inducing fourth and final book in the Campus Wallflowers series! It was a bittersweet read. I loved reading every minute of it, but also knowing with Jane finally having her story told, that this hella-addictive series has come to a close. But what a stellar finish though!
What initially started out as the “wallflower” I was least intrigued by when I started reading this series, has now ended up with one of my favourite stories! (Tied for first with Dahlia in Scoring The Player). It’s a true testament to Jenshak’s ability in creating such dynamic characters. Once I realised that there was a lot more than meets the eye with Jane, she quickly garnered a fan in me.
It’s beautifully written and just about had me hooked from the get-go! Jane with her optimistic, thoughtful, upbeat attitude, she was an infectious personality that had me cheesy-grinning or in a fit of giggles for much of the read.
It’s also the book that has a slightly different premise from the others. Each one in the series is very much sports-focused, except for Jane’s story. There are still some sporting elements but it’s minimal and secondary to the main narrative.
An ex-football player turned bodyguard; Hendrick has a pretty complex story of his own. I swooned over his hard outer shell and pillowy-soft centre of a character. There wasn’t anything about him I could fault.
A recurring presence in this series has always been the solid friendships, but the introduction of Hendrick’s family; a second close-knit crew added a high buzz and another level of excitement. The familial dynamics was probably one of my favourite aspects of this story. It was just as gripping as Jane and Hendrick’s evolving relationship.
I loved the humour included and connections formed, it made for a sweet and overall easy-going reading experience, and really brought about a sense of realness amongst the different relationships shown—whether it’d be between Jane and Hendrick, Jane and her besties, Hendrick with his family, or the one that sparked a ton of good fun, Jane with Hendrick’s family. (I wouldn't say no to reading books based on his family).
Told from first person, dual POVs, Jane and Hendrick come from very different backgrounds, but these opposites-attract couldn’t have been a more fitting pair. There’s a little bit of an age-gap, and smidge of a grumpy/sunshine trope that really made their interactions down-right amusing to observe. Although they have personal struggles and go through parallel journeys, I was glad to see a strong support system in place for them both.
Jenshak’s writing is effortless to follow and the cast of characters are truly loveable, each in their own way. It’s well-paced, constantly progressing, and has a good balance of highs and lows. Although this has an overall playful tone, it does contain some sensitive matters that may be disturbing or triggering for some readers such as stalking, drugging, kidnapping, and touches on abandonment, terminal illness and death. It’s intended for mature audiences.
It can be read as a standalone, and each book in the series can technically be read in any order, but I recommend reading in publishing order. As each “wallflower” finds love, the couples make appearances in the books that follow.
I adore the Campus Wallflowers. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This series introduced me to Jenshak’s writing, and now it’s one of my favourite sports romance series ever! If you like reading college romances and MCs in close proximity, add this (and the rest of the series) to your immediate TBR. It’s the perfect mood-boosting comfort read.
**ARC was generously provided in exchange for my honest review.**
Wow. Dark psychological thrillers are not in my usual wheelhouseMy Rating: 4.5 stars!
**ARC was generously provided in exchange for my honest review.**
Wow. Dark psychological thrillers are not in my usual wheelhouse of romance reads, but I am so unbelievably glad I took a stab (no pun intended) at this one!
Merged review:
My Rating: 4.5 stars!
**ARC was generously provided in exchange for my honest review.**
Wow. Dark psychological thrillers are not in my usual wheelhouse of romance reads, but I am so unbelievably glad I took a stab (no pun intended) at this one!...more
**ARC was generously provided in exchange for my honest review.**
Anyone in search of Bodyguard Romance?? Because I’m recommendingMy Rating: 4.5 stars!
**ARC was generously provided in exchange for my honest review.**
Anyone in search of Bodyguard Romance?? Because I’m recommending this one! It’s slow-burn goodness between a food-loving, camera-wielding Socialite and her dangerously sexy Assassin-temporarily-turned-Bodyguard.
I think I’ve finally found my fictional spirit animal in Camille! It’s scary how much of myself I was seeing in her whilst I was reading this book. Give me my very own Max and we’re practically… *singsong voice* twinning! ...more
**ARC was generously provided in exchange for my honest review.**
This had spice and all things nice! It’s an edge-of-your-seat miliMy Rating: 4 stars!
**ARC was generously provided in exchange for my honest review.**
This had spice and all things nice! It’s an edge-of-your-seat military romance with an overall surprisingly playful atmosphere. If there’s one thing that James does well when writing romance stories, is the way she creates her characters with such personality that instantly has you perking up with interest. Each one of the characters introduced in this book, whether main or secondary have left an impressionable mark.
James can write from any romance sub-genre and it will immediately suck you in. This first book in her new military romance series has set the tone for what you can expect in the next books to come. I’m going to need advance copies of books two, three, four, and onwards because I was left wanting more.
It’s fast-paced with constant developments. The storytelling is told from a third person narrative and switches between the protagonists POVs. If you’re familiar with James’ type of romance, then it’ll be no surprise to see some laugh-out-loud banter, some cheeky flirtation, and some seriously sweet relationships that ultimately balances out the grittiness, the action and suspense, and the darkness that some of her characters endure in this story.
Although the majority of this story is light-hearted, there are some serious content that may be triggering for some readers such as, kidnapping, rape, violence and abuse that results in PTSD. It also brings up matters of drug and human trafficking. This book is intended for readers 18+ only.
There’s such a contrast of settings and unexpected subplots within this story that felt somewhat disjointed in certain parts, but it does eventually fuse together by the end and ensures Chris and Lani’s story come full-circle. It’s an emotional journey that I was invested in from start to finish. With the military backdrop as the base of the world-building of this series it’s obvious James has done her research. There’s intricate details and jargon that could easily have gone over my head but I needed have worried as it’s effortless to follow and similar to its heroine, I came away learning something new. ...more
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