Our Book Picks for the Week of Oct. 25th 💖 Reviews and Recommendations

 📚 Our Book Picks for the Week 📚

Reviews and Recommendations

Oct. 25th

♊ Intrigued By Love by Sienna Snow

💎 Diamonds in the Dust by Charmaine Pauls

🚔 Hidden Gem by Jennifer Kayne

🩸  Curse of Seduction by C.R. Robertson

💕 Unlikely Reunion by Lily Michaels

🏫 Somethin' About That Boy by Lani Lynn Vale

See all of our reviews and recommendations

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Intrigued By Love by Sienna Snow

Blurb:

I knew I was in trouble as soon as I read my horoscope.

Dear Gemini,

A blast from the past will force you to confront your dual nature.

Love is in the air, but only if you are open to it. Remember, your heart can't heal if you don't examine the wounds. Only one man fit that description. Jackson Burton. Libra. Breaker of hearts, my ex-boyfriend, and the best man for my sister's wedding. When he ghosted me, I ran as far away as I could, to this island paradise. Now, I was also trapped here for the wedding. With him. With the memories of our life together. Our chemistry was more than just a memory. It was a live wire. And he planned to spend the next month reminding me exactly what I was missing

Our Thoughts 💭:

What a sweet treat
A perfect second chance beach 🌴 read
Heart ❤ melting
Sigh 😍
This is the first book I've read from the Written in the Stars collection but being a fan of Snow's work I knew I wanted to take a chance and I am so glad I did.
Part owner of an exclusive resort it seems as though Kai is living the dream
But when you peel back the layers - She is hiding.
Oh, she is happy but she is missing that one special thing that would make everything perfect
Someone to share it with - The other half of her soul.
At first, I questioned her original pack and flee behavior but after meeting Jax's 'rents -
I would have tried for the moon.
Holy Cow how did Jax turn out so well?
Jax knew what he wanted and he had the patience to go after it
And what a fabulous way to show someone that they were the center of their world? Nothing sexier than a man that knows what he wants and has the forthwith to go after it
The chemistry between these two was nothing short of sun 🌞melting hot!
This is one of those that I truly wish had been longer -
Wonderful cast - Smexy as he ll - Strong story
#anthologies #contemporary #erotic #romance #siennasnow

Amazon

Diamonds in the Dust by Charmaine Pauls

Blurb:

Men like us, we see things. We do things, things that make us unfeeling. That’s the price of power and money, of living la belle vie and running the French mafia. Then she came along like a pretty wildflower pushing through the cracks on a dirty pavement—fragile yet resilient, a breath of beauty among the filth. She was supposed to be just another job, a nameless person I was to pluck from her life and hand to my brother, nothing but a pawn in the gamble of our diamond business. There’s a psychological label for men like us. We lack empathy and guilt. We do things to have what we want, things that make flowers wilt.

Our Thoughts 💭:

Liked it - Need More
I know this is the first in the trilogy
- setting the tone, introducing the players and providing the foundation and overall pace for the story
Actually the pace might be what is tripping me up -
I guess I should clarify?
The story moves swiftly from the moment we leave the market and kept me turning the pages.
I was constantly on edge, a touch stressed (you know holding my breath, whisper shouting at my kindle) fearful of what lay ahead.
Maybe for me, it was too swift?
IDK - My connection with Maxime was not as strong as I would have preferred.
I wanted more.
Maxime is an arsehole, most definitely, but he is also a gentle giant.
Confusing, I know.
I need (want) more time with him.
I felt like I got glimpses of who he was,
Vague concepts without the details.
Teasers.
As the story progresses I have no doubt I will get the emotional connection I so desperately crave
For now am left wondering who the real Maxime is
Zoe actually got my hackles up.
There is a scene where ... 🤬🤬
I wanted to shake her - Yell at her to wake up - Duck tape her inner monologue.
She capitulated a bit too easy for me and I had trouble with her ping-ponging emotions -
Stay the course until you have a solid reason to detour!
I'm not sure how Zoe is going to adapt to her new reality
I am a big fan of Pauls' work and this takes place in the same universe as Beauty and the Broken (You don't have to read that collection previous to this one but trust me you will want to!)
The way this first episode plays I out?
I kind of expect that from Pauls
She likes to play with our minds before decimating our hearts
I already have a few directions plotted for our casts futures from all the little innuendos and character development we were given in this first episode
- Now to see if I am right
This ends on a literal cliff hanger 😂 and my nails are not that long ... I need the next book ASAP 

#dark #mafia #romance #charmainepauls 

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Hidden Gem by Jennifer Kayne

Blurb:

The last thing Officer Max St. Stevens expects when he responds to an armed robbery at a grocery store is meeting the woman of his dreams. Now, he needs to figure out what she’s hiding and how to convince her that she belongs with him.

For over five years Opal and her younger sister, Pearl, have been on the run, hiding from the dangerous people who wish them harm. Everything in their lives is a lie, and they need help, but don’t know how to get it. One night, Opal meets Max when the grocery store she’s working is robbed. There’s an instant connection that can’t be denied. Will she trust him with her secrets that could destroy more than just her?

Our Thoughts 💭:

Max... you are a horses backside!
You could have swallowed broken glass and I still wouldn't have given you a second glance
Darn lucky that girl loves you 💓
Felix, you can handcuff me anytime
Lance hope you meet the underside of a bus
I'll be back I still have a couple of chapters left but my blood is boiling and I needed to vent 🤷‍♀️
I'm back ...
At a little past the midway point the story finally captured my complete attention and I couldn't flip the pages fast enough-
I almost put this one down - So glad I didn't.
Max and Opal find an instant attraction between them which they pursue. Opal is hiding something and Max knows it, having been betrayed before he is a bit weary but he can not deny how he feels when they are together. As things begin to unravel Max finds that he may have been made the fool once again.
The beginning chemistry between these two felt a bit forced but as the story progressed their connection became tangible. A couple of times I wanted to smack Max upside the head for letting his past cloud his present. Opal needed a good talking too as well.
I think this should have been a duet or longer. There is a lot to these characters and the author does touch on it but for me, as a reader, I wanted more - I wanted a deeper connection.
The supporting cast was a blast their personalities were spot on providing the reader with a bit of laughter, comradely, and family.
I really am looking forward to their stories.
#dark #newadult #suspense #romance #jenniferkayne

Amazon

Curse of Seduction by C.R. Robertson

Blurb:

An evil queen cursed the princes of Purgatory to claim their magic. Only their fated witch mate can save them, but a blood sacrifice is required that demands the highest emotional cost. Ilana has spent two hundred years believing she is a defective vampire, until the day she bumps into the incubus Ezekiel. Her witch powers finally awaken as they sense the presence of her mate. She finally discovers why she has all the strength and abilities of a vampire but the inability to feed.

Ezekiel was cursed by The Blood Queen centuries ago. Every time he feeds, she takes something from the woman he’s with – a memory, an emotion, a vital part of them that leaves his lover changed forever. Compelled to feed, can Ilana save Ezekiel before his curse changes her from the woman he loves to a mindless sex slave?

Our Thoughts 💭:

I don't wanna go 😭😭
This has got to be one of the best fantasy reads this year.
I can't even begin to list all the positive things I adored about this story
The world-building? Phenomenal
The story line? Magical
The characters? 💞 Enchanting
What a way to begin a series
Ezekiel is the incubus prince cursed by Ophelia to forever feed her lust (She was after a bit more but I'm not telling). After 200 years it was becoming harder for him to find hope with each new day. He was slowly fading.
Until a vampire did the unthinkable
Curiosity - Anger - Betrayal
He would get the truth at all costs
Ilana was a solider, a half breed, considered one of societies throwaways. But in times of war, even the undesirables were desired. Gotta have cannon fodder.
Chosen to fight alongside Prince Ezekiel's people she finds herself in new territory - both literally and figuratively. She knows she can do this, she is a warrior.
Until the unfathomable happens
Revelations - Desire - Strength
Is her life a lie?
I don't even know where to start
So many magical creations -
dragons, wyvern, elves, witches, wraiths
I could go on forever
A war rages between good and evil
Unlikely friendships are forged in the fires of battle
Hope
Love
Ilana was such a strong heroine. Even when things were all discombobulated. She took a moment to acknowledge and feed the chaos before she bucked up and crafted a plan.
Ezekiel had spent centuries emotionally empty. He had crafted that emptiness into anger, the anger into a sword of revenge. Seeing him at full power, balancing duty and love.
I am keeping him
Each of the supporting cast was just as vibrant and played solid roles in the story line.
The story is easy to follow. The author does slip in little tidbits that hint at future events. Just enough to get my curiosity peaked but nowhere close to sated.
I am still amped on the afterglow🤯 That is why this gets 5 stars!
I can not wait to see where the author takes us - Though we already know who is falling next.
#dark #paranormal #romance #crrobertsons

Amazon  

Unlikely Reunion by Lily Michaels

Blurb:

Erik’s adolescent crush becomes a very adult relationship at his high school reunion. Seeing his former bullies starstruck is definitely on Erik Stevens’ agenda for his high school reunion. Hooking up with someone is not. He has resolved to end the meaningless sex that has dotted his life, even though it fed his need to dominate. Now he is looking for a man—a submissive—for a relationship that will last forever. But Erik hasn’t counted on Kyle. For ten years, Kyle Lincke has cursed his repressed sexuality that, in high school, kept him from acting on his crush…Erik. As soon as he receives Erik’s RSVPed ‘yes’ to the reunion, Kyle begins working up the courage to finally act on his desires, difficult for him to do following a disastrous break-up. But six weeks of exploration into BDSM and small steps toward a deeper relationship are thrown into jeopardy when Erik’s fame threatens their bond—and Kyle’s fragile psyche.

Our Thoughts 💭:

You know that saying to start as you mean to go on
(something like that anyway 🧐)
That was Kyle and Erik.
The author just tossed those two straight into the deep end - and dammmmnnnnn if they didn't make it look easy
I was having a hard time picturing Kyle jumping into Eric's arms but...
Love can make miracles happen
Seriously though - this was a wonderfully balanced second chance (high school crush now adults) romance that skirted reality but in the absolute sweetest of ways.
An easy read that delivers all the feels 💓
This is one of those that just invokes all the warm fuzzies
I'm moving on to the next in series
#mmromance #contemporary #secondchance #gayromance #lilymichaels 

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Somethin' About That Boy by Lani Lynn Vale

Blurb:

Banner Spurlock knew the moment that he walked into Kilgore High School and saw Perry Street that life was about to get interesting. Forced to move due to a problem at home, a problem in the form of his ex-best friend hating him for something that Banner’s father did, Banner doesn’t think very much could improve in his life. He left his status as king of Benton High School behind and moved to a new school where not only would he have to try out for a new football team and prove himself, but he’d also have to find a place for himself in the hierarchy. Only, the moment that he arrives, he knows that finding a place for himself won’t be too hard. Especially when his reputation follows him all the way to Kilgore, Texas.

Our Thoughts 💭:

**Sigh**
Absolutely Positively a must-read!
All the feels wrapped up in a heart-melting emotional roller-coaster that I definitely would ride a second time.
This is what I consider a solid beach time read.
Sometimes I just want/need something that gives me all the feels without expending a whole lot of energy (not really the best description but hopefully you get the jest)
This is not a complicated story line and there isn't a whole lot going on that you need to keep track of.
Insta love with the sweetest of physical intimacy
A nemesis that just sort of fades out.
A bit on the far fetched side - but it works here!
I came away feeling a whole lot better and with a big ole smile.
#military #newadult #romance #lanilynnvale 

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