Twist (Dive Bar #2) by Kylie Scott

4 Stars Here’s to a second round at the Dive Bar with some pretty loony characters, another adorable couple and a fun-filled spin on Kylie Scott’s friends-turned-lovers romance, Twist. A blossoming online relationship with the dreamy and outrageously gorgeous Eric Collins caused Alex Parks to impulsively step outside her comfort zone and travel cross-country to finally meet the swoon-worthy man behind the keyboard. As she entered the Dive Bar unannounced and smack in the middle of his birthday celebration, the huge surprise was on Alex when discovering the man she strongly connected with through emails was not pretty boy Eric, but his brawny and bearded brother Joe. Poor Alex. Already dealing with trust issues, she was far from thrilled about being played and embarrassingly caught off guard.  Did not blame her one bit for ticked off BIG time over the deception. However all that was Joe ~ his magnetism, his patience and immeasurable tenderness, made him irresistible. From their awkwardly comical beginnings, to their hysterical banter and scorching sexual chemistry, Twist was a passionate and enjoyable love story. Alex is everything I adore when it comes to this author’s heroines. Intelligent and sassy, she’s a witty chick who’s quirky yet a bit vulnerable. Her inner monologues, which were very entertaining, had me laughing out loud. “When it came to Joe Collins, my pussy was a wanton whore. And seriously, who could blame it? His body was one big beautiful playground. There wasn’t an inch of him I didn’t want to explore.” She had a headstrong stubborn side, giving Joe a tough time when it came to understanding the reasons behind his duplicity, which added some push and pull drama within the story line. I savored the build up of sexual tension between this couple, as it made their journey to love even more exciting and the chemistry between them explosively hot. Alex was the perfect woman for Joe. She was a positive force, persistent in encouraging him to pursue his dreams and helped boost his self-confidence. Sweet Joe. The gentle lumber sexual, who was patient, kind, and downright sexy. A rugged sex-god who cuddles – what more can a heroine wish for? Once my guard was down, due to complete and utter exhaustion, Joe had cuddled me. It was terrible, disgusting. Fingers caressing me, lips pressing soft kisses to my shoulder and the back of my neck. Normally I’d never allow it, but it felt so good. I adored the way he tended to Alex and his determination to prove that despite his deliberate misrepresentation, his online exchanges were his truths. He worked hard to regain her trust and eventually, to earn Alex’s heart. Aside from using his brother’s identity, Joe was a sincere and compassionate guy who went above and beyond for his friends and family. I loved that about him the most. Joe had me in the palm of his hand, adoring everything about his character, up until nearly the end. Somewhere along the way, Joe lost just a tiny piece of my heart with some of his actions and choices he made. In his defense, there were some intense, tear-jerking events that totally threw me for a loop and utterly devastated me. The tragedy absolutely messed with Joe’s mindset and I fully understood his pain. But, his missteps affected the dynamics of their relationship as well as my feelings towards his character. Regardless, in the end I walked away from this read liking Joe for all his big hearted, caring ways. Twist was another well-written, steamy romance from Scott that I truly enjoyed and hope you do as well. A good choice for when you are in the mood for a humorous contemporary romance with just the right amount of relationship angst and emotional drama. Joe and Alex’s romance captivated me, as well as the story lines involving the secondary characters. Looking forward to revisiting Coeur D'alene, Idaho in Eric’s story – Chaser.  I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this publication

The Deep End (Honey #1) by Kristen Ashley @KristenAshley68 @InkSlingerPR

 4 Stars 

The Queen of all Alphas finally entered the BDSM genre realm with her latest release, The Deep End. Welcome to the decadent world of the Bee's Honey Club and prepare yourself for Olivier and Amèlie’s wildly erotic ride.

I'm always excited when hearing there's a new series in the making and Kristen Ashley, my favorite author, now writing BDSM stories is like making all my literary dreams come true. Her romances are extremely steamy, I could only imagine what a full-blown D/s read would be like. Reading the synopsis piqued my curiosity and all these wicked thoughts flooded my mind…

A love story set in a sex club! Sign me up!

A hedonistic den where all dark desires are fulfilled;

Limits of sexual fantasies are boundless;

The promise of sizzling mouth-watering kinkery;

And gorgeous Alpha males submit to the salacious commands of their Mistresses...

Wait. What??

Okay, so the concept of an Alpha submitting to a Domme was nerve-wracking and screwed with my mind a little. It was inconceivable that KA, the author who spoiled me with so many beloved and incomparable heroes, would write about an Alpha-sub. (Not even sure what an “Alpha-sub” was for shit's sake – but I certainly do now). I LOVE the way her fictional men dominate both in and out of the bedroom. How can I possibly love a hero who sexually submits? It's their overly controlling nature that melts me into a big pile of goo and one of the countless reasons why I love getting lost within her stories.

Nervousness be damned, I trustingly laid my heart in KA's hands knowing full well that she would never - could never let me down. Delighted to say she hasn’t. Admittedly, the beginning of this read had a different feel than what I'm used to and it took some time for me to connect with Olivier and Amèlie. However, the vividly descriptive writing that I am familiar with surfaced as the story progressed. Once these characters revealed themselves, and their relationship evolved from sexual encounters and club scenes to feelings of love, I was all in. And note ~ it is a testament to Ashley's story-telling talents to pen an extremely different kind of tale, one that really tested my comfort level, while remaining true to her a style. That's why she's my queen of romance. Whether writing about badass bikers, anti-heroes, vampires & werewolves, ghosts that haunt the living, insanely hot PI's, brooding sexy cops or D/s erotica - I know down to my bones the very essence of a KA story that I relish will ultimately shine through. This time, she sprinkled a heavy dose of delicious kink into her goodness.

Olivier (Olly) is a KA hero through and through, who could be extremely dominant at times, despite his sexually submissive nature. He's all sorts of sexy, swoon-worthy manliness and I love him. A cocky and cheeky S.O.B who's insanely intense, temperamental, possessive, controlling and most importantly... ALL ALPHA-MALE. Amélie is undoubtedly his woman, and Olivier goes about claiming her in every way, in a very clear and dominant way, inside and out of the Honey Club.

Olivier is a mighty beast. Strong, passionate, devoted – he possesses some of the important qualities I look for in a storybook hero. But it was his internal conflict that fascinated me.

He struggled with submitting, regardless of his deep-seated yearning to surrender control. I loved the way Amélie sensed his hesitations and as his Mistress, handled him with care by freely giving exactly what he desired during their scenes.

Amélie was both patient and forceful when opening up her world to Olly. She broke through the barriers while allowing him the time to find comfort with his sexual proclivities. Conversely, being a dominant herself, Amélie willingly accepted the man Olly needed to be when playtime was over. It was an essential part of their dynamic relationship that I needed to understand in order to connect with this couple.

Amélie's (Leigh-Leigh) character took me by surprise and not what I expected a Domme to be. Overly sophisticated, reserved and confident in her sexuality, she wielded her dominance and riding crop with finesse. However, she was burdened with insecurities. Tired of entertaining temporary "toys", Amélie wanted to share her life with a man who could own her heart and satisfy her desires. I adored the way Olivier recognized Amélie's vulnerabilities and affectionately tended to her needs as well. Together, this couple’s relationship grew sexually and emotionally, both giving and taking. They balanced each other beautifully. I savored every moment of their journey from building bonds of trust to discovering a shared deep-rooted connection from their play/love relationship.

Now with a new series, a new genre and taking a great departure from the norm, fans may be apprehensive fearing the unknown. After all, this is unchartered territory for Ms. Ashley. Having read The Deep End and expressing the same concerns, I would encourage both fans and those who enjoy BDSM reads to open their minds, take a faithful leap into this couple’s story, and judge it for themselves. I had my doubts, it was unfamiliar to me in the beginning, but happy to say I enjoyed it. I will warn that Olivier and Amèlie's sexual play was wildly kinky and outrageous at times. More than once I needed to take a step back, catch my breath and wrap my head around the scenes – they were extremely intense and scorching hot. A good start to what I believe will be a great series. I cannot wait to play with more sexy bees from the Honey.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this publication  

Pucked Off (Pucked #5) by Helena Hunting @HelenaHunting

I could not wait to get my hands all over Lance “Romance” Romero’s story. Seeing glimpses of this hot hockey player throughout the Pucked books, all his philandering ways, and his tumultuous relationship with the team’s ex-trainer (Tash), had me itching to see who would steel his man-whoring, bunny banging heart. In all honesty, I had a special girl in mind as his heroine and thank goodness my wishes came true! (I won’t say who she is; you’ll need to discover that on your own). The wait for this couple’s romance felt like forever, as this is one of my all-time favorite sports themed series. With greedy grabby-hands, I attacked Pucked Off the minute it hit my kindle, anxious for more hysterical over-the-top hijinks from Hunting’s loony characters. However, a few pages in I realized the story was taking a different turn. It was totally unexpected and unlike anything I would have imagined for Lance…And I absolutely LOVED everything about it. From beginning to end, this story owned me. It was a far cry from the riotous and light-hearted romantic comedies I am used to when it comes to this series. Sure there were some funny moments and plenty of sexiness that I savored ~ Hunting’s trademark humor was lightly peppered throughout this read and Lance was adorable. I fell in love with this swoon-worthy and off-the-charts HOT Scotsman. The door swings open, and my dick starts crying. Maybe a third whacking session would’ve been a good idea based on where all the blood has redirected itself in my body. But there’s so much more to him... Lance is a dynamic character haunted by past demons and painful secrets. His vulnerabilities, all his insecurities, his lack of self-worth, belief that he is unworthy of affection and happiness… everything about him pulled on my heartstrings and had me aching to see his brokenness healed. So moved by Lance’s torments, I wanted to crawl inside the story, wrap my arms around him and make everything better. That’s how moved I was by his heartaches. It was going to take an extraordinarily patient type of girl to help Lance move beyond his sorrows. It was heartwarming seeing how this couple’s relationship blossomed – from flashbacks of first kisses they shared long ago, to building trust, a friendship and true love.   I wrap my arm around her and pull her closer. I don’t know why I can handle her touching me when I’ve never been able to handle anyone before. It’s like she connects to some part of me I didn’t know was there.  The serious tone and Lance’s circumstances may have taken me totally by surprise, but the journey to discovering the amazing hero he proved to be and the sweet girl that stole his heart both devastated and overwhelmed me. Both vulnerable and dealing with their own hang-ups, they were perfect together. And Lance, the perfectly flawed former manwhore, was beyond sweet and incredibly romantic. He stole my heart and certainly became my favorite hero in this series! I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this publication

Preston’s Honor by Mia Sheridan @MSheridanAuthor

5 Stars I’ve read Preston’s Honor days ago and the story still haunts me. So much so, I needed to read it again hoping my emotions would stay in check the second time around. I was seriously wrong.  It’s difficult for me to let this story and these characters go as it still has me feeling like a sobbing emotional mess. I really shouldn’t be surprised at this point. After reading all of Sheridan’s tales, I know full well that her somber romances ~ heaping with love, lust, passion, angst and pain ~ wreck me each time. It’s what her stories do. However, Preston’s Honor nearly destroyed me. I felt battered, bruised and abused as Sheridan ripped out my heart, flayed it open, tossed it to the ground and stomped on it… before placing the shattered pieces of me back together again. I relished every moment experiencing Preston and Annalia’s soul crushing journey. They told a story filled with so much beauty and pain, it overwhelmed me. Although I adored the hero Preston grew to be, it was the heroine ~ my sweet innocent Lia, who seized my heart and completely annihilated me. Taking me from childhood and through the decades, this is a story about a poor and neglected little girl and her love for twin boys. Preston, the serious one who owned her heart and soul from the moment they met; And Cole, a dear friend who was like an older, protective brother. Together, they all made mistakes and perpetuated misunderstandings that had me on edge. These characters’ experiences pulled on my heartstrings while I searched deep within my soul to find forgiveness for all their faults and egregious misjudgments. All along, I felt their anguishes, losses, joys and tragedies as if they were my own. Needless to say, my emotions were twisted throughout this read.  "Yes, I loved two brothers-identical twins-but it was only one soul that spoke to mine. One soul I'd always belonged to." The Prologue had me on pins and needles as it described Lia’s situation, which made me uneasy. She made some terrible decisions that did not sit well with me. But as Sheridan held my hand guided me through the tale, I opened up to Lia. I understood her mindset, saw all her demons, and it did not take long for Lia to earn my affections. Seeing all that she had endured, as well as the way she worked to regain Preston’s (and my) trust and forgiveness, I could not help but love her character. Lia’s a victim of terrible circumstances and seeing her life made my heart bleed. I loved her strength, her determination to persevere, and her forgiving nature. She truly was a remarkable heroine. And Preston... the sweet little boy I fell in love with grew up to be broody, sexy and extremely stubborn. His character constantly struggled to do what was right and just, failing at times, but his love for Annalia was sincere and immeasurable. He made so many blunders, which shattered Lia I was utterly heartsick. Nevertheless, he turned out to be a hero worthy of her affections. Reading Preston’s Honor set me off on an emotional roller-coaster ride. This was Sheridan at her very best ~ her flawless writing style, the way she developed her characters, the captivating plot, the passion and heartache she evoked – it all touched me deeply. Bravo Mia and thank you for another wonderful read. Preston and Lia’s story will stay with me for a very long time.  I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this publication

Rock Chick Reawakening by Kristen Ashley, a 1001 Dark Nights novella @KristenAshley68 @InkSlingerPR

5 Honey bunches of love stars

Daisy and Marcus’ romance was nothing short of brilliant. Comprende?

One of my most anticipated releases, this eloquently written novella is not only Kristen Ashley at her very finest but also absolute proof that she truly adores her fans. Reawakening is a gift to all the Rock Chicks out there who yearned for this couple’s journey. For new readers, it’s a great introduction into the fantastical world of KA. Be prepared, this emotional story will pull on your heartstrings and have you swooning. From the prologue to the very last word, I was a blubbering mess crying both happy and sorrowful tears. It surpassed everything I could have possibly hoped and dreamed for these beloved characters.

As secondary characters and an already established couple in the Rock Chick and Unfinished Heroes Series, I was constantly teased with bits and pieces of Daisy and Marcus’ relationship. But being the greedy little reader that I am, I’ve always ached for more.

I wanted all of them.

I craved their beginnings to discover the reasons why they chose certain paths in life. I needed to own a piece of their future, hopeful to see more of a ‘happily ever after’. I wanted to experience all the beauty and pain that led this sweet, kindhearted former stripper to fall into the life and heart of one of Denver’s most notorious mobsters. And after years of longing, I thankfully got my wish. It was pure bliss stepping into Daisy and Marcus' lives, falling in love with their characters all over again. 

Daisy’s like the best friend every woman needs whose radiant personality brightens even the cloudiest of days.

Larger-than-life and The Ultimate Rock Chick, I’ve been in love with all things Daisy and her tinkling-bell giggle ever since she exploded onto the scene in RC Rescue. A woman who speaks her mind and has a unique sense of style, her sassy attitude and bubbly persona never failed to make me giggle. However, it is here where her character broke me. With a past filled with sorrow and undeserved mistreatment, her only escape to find peace was to build castles in her mind.

I had the feeling Daisy’s backstory would be emotional. But seeing the cruelness she survived totally shattered me.

Nevertheless, all the ugliness served only to strengthen her character into the gracious woman I admire. She embodies everything I downright idolize when it comes to KA’s heroines ~ Daisy’s a steel magnolia, possessing the will to persevere, regardless of the circumstances. She’s a remarkable woman worthy of the affections from her very own prince charming ~ the handsome and classy Marcus Sloan.

As much as I enjoyed seeing Daisy’s character blossom, it was Marcus who stole the show and my heart during this read. When it comes to leading men, Kristen Ashley wears the crown as my “Queen of all Alphas”. There’s just something magical about each one that touches me so deeply. The Marcus I met in Reawakening is in a class of his own and has become one of my all-time favorite heroes.

Mysterious, dark, edgy, and a crime boss who’s feared, Marcus is an anti-hero. Seeing all the heartaches from his childhood I finally understood the shrewd man he needed to be. But is was through his love for Daisy that I saw into his beautiful soul and fell hard for the true gentleman beneath the exquisite three-piece suits. His limitless patience and dedication to Daisy, his unyielding determination to break through her walls, his fierce protectiveness and his tender passionate ways…the reasons why I adore him are immeasurable. In Marcus, KA created my vision of the perfect dream man.  

Rock Chick Reawakening was an amazingly poignant read. Soul crushing, inspirational, filled with passion and oodles of laughs, this novella, which was a whole lot of story, will make your heart burst. And the epilogue…Epic!  All I can say is so many tears of joy were shed ~ I was out of control. A glorious ending that ties into the Rock Chick Series magnificently. A great big heartfelt thank you to Kristen for giving Daisy and Marcus such a wonderful story that will stay with me forever.

 

I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this publication.

Satisfaction (Lawless #2) by Lexi Blake @authorlexiblake

4.5 Suspense filled stars Good heavens I am totally obsessed with this series. The Lawless siblings quest to discover the truth behind their parents’ murder and to clear their father’s name continues in Satisfaction and once again Lexi Blake reeled me into her tangled web of secrets, lies and deceptions. With a plot masterfully filled with suspense, twists and loads of passion, I could not put Brandon and Carly’s romance down. It was a satisfyingly juicy and steamy read. Following the story line we met all the Lawless children, how they were left orphaned years ago and their need for justice. Satisfaction is Brandon’s story - the younger brother riddled with fears who felt unworthy of being loved. Left on his own for so many years, he barely survived the cruelty of the foster care system. Bran’s past was heartbreaking and I couldn’t help but fall for his character even more. Seeing his childhood traumas, I understood his need to protect ‘damsels in distress’ and his constant struggle to become a man his family could rely on. The next stage of their grand plan is to unearth information guarded by one of the family’s enemies, Patricia (TV personality and their father’s former partner). Carly, Patricia’s mousy personal assistant is the key to getting the information. It’s up to Bran to convince her to cooperate by using any means necessary. But Bran could not bring himself to be deceitful, and I loved how honest he was with Carly from the beginning. She had her own troubles to contend with, and Bran immediately recognized her vulnerabilities. As a result, a deal was struck – Carly will help Bran, as he offers her protection against the thugs who threatened her life. Along the way, they discover there is more to their relationship. There’s an electrical spark, an undeniable attraction between the two that could no longer be ignored. Bran and Carly were perfect together. Both insecure and hopelessly struggling against personal demons, their blossoming relationship led them on a path to discover not only love, but also the potential to build trust and confidence. The chemistry they shared was HOT. Brandon was just as sexy as he was sweet - a true and honest hero that I could not help but adore.  Satisfaction was an intense roller-coaster ride with a cliffhanger of an ending that had me screaming for more. This is a great series that I highly recommend to lovers of steamy romantic suspense novels. Now my wait begins for the final Lawless saga, Revenge. I voluntarily read an advance copy in exchanged for an honest review

TRIPLES with EMMA