📚 Our Book Picks for the Week of Jan. 31st
🗡️ From Evil by Pam Godwin
❣️ Blood Winter by S. J. Coles
🔥 Cursed by N. Isabelle Blanco
🖤 His by Fiona Murphy
🍎 Bad Apple by Selena
🏈 In the Grasp by Cadence Keys
See all of our reviews and recommendations
From Evil by Pam GodwinDescription:
The Deliver Series continues with three dangerous romance thrillers from New York Times bestselling author, Pam Godwin: Devastate, Take, and Manipulate.
Time to meet your next book boyfriend.
Tiago Badell might be the scariest villain you’ve ever encountered, but he’s also the sexiest. The notorious crime lord worships his new captive as deeply as he hurts her. She can run, but there’s no escape from a bond carved in scars.
Each standalone is a different couple with its own dark love story, all interconnected in a dangerous underworld of murderers, kidnappers, and cartels. You’ll be glad there are over 1000 pages of addictive romance and vigilante bad boys.
Are you ready to binge the continuation of the Deliver series?
Our Thoughts 💭:
My stomach is in knots - literallyWow - where to start?
Each story is a standalone but to truly understand the connections between the characters and the emotions that drive them you need to read the series in order.
Devastate is the first book in this collection - it is Lucia & Tate's story
I think this it is my favorite in the series so far.
Emotionally I was wrecked when I left them.
"One Night, Lucia. Everyone needs someone. Even me. Tonight, I'm yours. Your someone."
"My person?"
Tate believed he had lost his forever love. Even if he could never have her he believed he could still make her happy (while also keeping his mind and body occupied. Distraction. Possibly.)
Enter his quest to find her sister -
Lucia
I don't even know where to start with this one.
Despite the fast pace of events, the limited window of time I developed the deepest emotional connection with these characters
Their journey is violent - bloody - raw
It was meant to test the bonds of love
At the same time, it was also one if the most beautiful love stories I have ever read
I am off to read Take Kate and Tiago's story
I met Tiago in Devastate and honestly I am unsure Kate will make it out alive.
"There's nothing more vibrant , more beautiful, or more treasured than the flower that blooms in hell."
I actually cried - dont judge - I really had a hard time accepting, forgiving (?) Tiago. He never pretended to be anything than what he was. He never lied. Yes he manipulated, wagered, blackmailed to get what, he wanted and he crossed some serious lines. But when you peel back the judgments the societal constraints- I got it
"You and me. Wide awake. Alive."
Their story is bloody. Dark. And in its own sickly unique way
Beautiful.
The final story is Manipulate this is Tula, Martin & Ricky's story - Bound to be a rough journey
I will be back to update you when I finish
#fromevil #darkromance #thriller #organizedcrime #deliver #pamgodwin
Amazon Kobo Nook Google Apple
Blood Winter by S.J. Coles
This wasn't your typical romance story.
There were plenty of extremely heated moments but I felt like their relationship played secondary to the main storyline - IDK how to explain it (probably why I am the reader and not the writer 🤷 )
The story was engaging and suspenseful filled with some twists that had me questioning events - How did I miss that?
The characters, even the ones who played small cameos, were so vivid - not in an in your face way - each characters action, words even something as small as a glance changed the landscape of a scene
And the author's twist on vampires was wholly unique.
I actually would have liked a bit more background on " the Blood" (Sorry that would spoil one of the surprises) as well as some more detail within other scenes but I am greedy that way.
Alec was a recluse in many ways - by choice. I personally think he was licking his wounds and just decided people sucked (bad pun there) He and Clem ran an auto restoration shop on the outskirts of his manor. Yep, he was nobility but he preferred being nobody.
Terje was a heamophile a sort of vampire if you will.
When he ends up in the hands of blood traffickers barely holding on to life (or death) he begs Alec to end it.
Things do not go quite the way either imagined.
I'm not even going to try and summarize this - There is a moment (a few actually) that had me going back and looking for clues, had me questioning events - Wait for the unveiling
This had everything.
Mystery. Political Climate. Suspense. Cruelty. Kindness. Deception. Heart Ache. Past Hurts. Hope. Love.
I have added the author to my list of must-reads
#bloodwinter #paranromal #lgbt #mm #romance #sjcoles
Amazon Kobo Nook Google Apple
Cursed by N. Isabelle Blanco
Trust me this is far from that!
I'm torn between slightly upset and over the moon happy
Upset because I want more
This was like an appetizer
The stage is set
The opening act begins
All kinds of action and tension are presented
These two had me dying - the tension, the denial, the need
Explosions and destruction with every turn of the page
then...
A Happy for Now
What a refreshing and unique blend of the mystical
(I've always been fascinated by the Voodoo religion)
and the paranormal
(witches vampires and werewolves)
The author set up so many possibilities for a future series in this short story
Packed with heart-pounding action
Vivid characters
Wrapped up in a solid storyline that comes to life leaving the reader feeling as though they are a part of the events
I have so many questions
Who is Silas a descendant of?
What's up with Marie and Baron?
Why did our little fire witch suddenly awaken with more power? ( this was a bread crumb in the story)
Silas, during a drug-induced haze, traded his soul for the dream. Now a decade later he has almost everything he was promised (the word almost is important).
During a celebratory party, after a blackout, the woman of his dreams suddenly appears claiming his life is forfeit.
Small problem there
He wants a taste of her first - after he rinses out his mouth - Ewwww - and figures out why he has fur???
The fire-throwing witch (not sure her name is in the blurb and if it isn't I don't want to spoil the surprise 'cause trust and believe our man Silas had to go deep to get it) has been betrayed by her coven - and the werewolf she's supposed to "harvest"?
He is more than she bargained for in every way
Can she evade her coven long enough to dispose of them?
When the time comes can she rid her werewolf (wait he's not her) of his essence
Does she want to?
Blood Winter by S.J. ColesDescription:
FROM EXCITING AUTHOR OF LGBT+ PARANORMAL ROMANCE, S.J. COLES
Vampires are attempting to integrate into human society. When Alec MacCarthy first meets a ‘haemophile’ in the flesh, it’s not the obvious dangers that frighten him.
Alec MacCarthy, Lord of Aviemore and largely-forgotten descendent of a once-proud family line, keeps the wolf from the door of the crumbling family mansion by restoring classic cars.
He leaves the real world alone and wishes nothing more than for it to return the favor. But in a reality where haemophiles—still colloquially known as vampires, despite the publicity campaigns—have come out of hiding and are attempting to integrate into human society, the real world is rapidly becoming a disrupted and conflicted mess that threatens to trouble even Alec in his remote Scottish hideaway.
When he unwittingly attends a Blood Party to please a friend, he has his first meeting with one of these mysterious and dangerous beings. Terje is like nothing he has ever encountered before…literally. His reactions are as troublesome as they are undeniable.
Alec’s snap decision to help the haemophile rather than sample his sense-heightening and addictive blood sets them both on a path that will lead them into a tangled web of intrigue with consequences that will change their lives—and the world—forever.
Our Thoughts 💭:
Fantasy - Suspense - RomanceThis wasn't your typical romance story.
There were plenty of extremely heated moments but I felt like their relationship played secondary to the main storyline - IDK how to explain it (probably why I am the reader and not the writer 🤷 )
The story was engaging and suspenseful filled with some twists that had me questioning events - How did I miss that?
The characters, even the ones who played small cameos, were so vivid - not in an in your face way - each characters action, words even something as small as a glance changed the landscape of a scene
And the author's twist on vampires was wholly unique.
I actually would have liked a bit more background on " the Blood" (Sorry that would spoil one of the surprises) as well as some more detail within other scenes but I am greedy that way.
Alec was a recluse in many ways - by choice. I personally think he was licking his wounds and just decided people sucked (bad pun there) He and Clem ran an auto restoration shop on the outskirts of his manor. Yep, he was nobility but he preferred being nobody.
Terje was a heamophile a sort of vampire if you will.
When he ends up in the hands of blood traffickers barely holding on to life (or death) he begs Alec to end it.
Things do not go quite the way either imagined.
I'm not even going to try and summarize this - There is a moment (a few actually) that had me going back and looking for clues, had me questioning events - Wait for the unveiling
This had everything.
Mystery. Political Climate. Suspense. Cruelty. Kindness. Deception. Heart Ache. Past Hurts. Hope. Love.
I have added the author to my list of must-reads
#bloodwinter #paranromal #lgbt #mm #romance #sjcoles
Amazon Kobo Nook Google Apple
Cursed by N. Isabelle BlancoDescription:
“They sent you here to kill me, but that’s not what you’re here to do. You’re here to own me . . .”
I let my blood hit that contract—thought it was a joke.
Later, I convinced myself it was a hallucination.
Truth is, I sold my soul.
“I awoke surrounded by death. It wasn’t long until I realized it’d all been by my hand . . . and my teeth.”
They call themselves The Bestowers.
They’ll give you the world, but it’ll come at a price.
And before they send their assassins after you, they’ll bring out the monstrous darkness within.
You’ll kill and destroy every bit of the gift they gave you, leaving nothing behind in your wake.
My time is up and they’ve chosen their most dangerous murderer to end my miserable life.
”I dreamt of her before I met her. I saw her. Tasted her. She’s a stain on my insides I can never erase.”
Her destiny isn’t to kill me, but she will own my soul.
I would’ve been better off dying by her hellish flames.
Our Thoughts 💭:
"Plain and simple"Trust me this is far from that!
I'm torn between slightly upset and over the moon happy
Upset because I want more
This was like an appetizer
The stage is set
The opening act begins
All kinds of action and tension are presented
These two had me dying - the tension, the denial, the need
Explosions and destruction with every turn of the page
then...
A Happy for Now
What a refreshing and unique blend of the mystical
(I've always been fascinated by the Voodoo religion)
and the paranormal
(witches vampires and werewolves)
The author set up so many possibilities for a future series in this short story
Packed with heart-pounding action
Vivid characters
Wrapped up in a solid storyline that comes to life leaving the reader feeling as though they are a part of the events
I have so many questions
Who is Silas a descendant of?
What's up with Marie and Baron?
Why did our little fire witch suddenly awaken with more power? ( this was a bread crumb in the story)
Silas, during a drug-induced haze, traded his soul for the dream. Now a decade later he has almost everything he was promised (the word almost is important).
During a celebratory party, after a blackout, the woman of his dreams suddenly appears claiming his life is forfeit.
Small problem there
He wants a taste of her first - after he rinses out his mouth - Ewwww - and figures out why he has fur???
The fire-throwing witch (not sure her name is in the blurb and if it isn't I don't want to spoil the surprise 'cause trust and believe our man Silas had to go deep to get it) has been betrayed by her coven - and the werewolf she's supposed to "harvest"?
He is more than she bargained for in every way
Can she evade her coven long enough to dispose of them?
When the time comes can she rid her werewolf (wait he's not her) of his essence
Does she want to?
#cursed #fantasy #paranormal #romance #nisabelleblanco
Amazon
His by Fiona Murphy
I get you did what you had to do - honor and all that blubber you were spouting
But now...
Props old man - Feels good doesn't it?
Regina my dear sweet child - YOU GO, GIRL!
I am so proud of you for not backing down (most of the time)
I gave you a bit of leeway with your choices because of your age and the fact I probably would have reacted similarly
This is a forced marriage, light suspense, with a whole lot of push and pulls mafia romance.
Chocked full of "Oh no you did not" moments followed up with "OMG" and even some " Awwww" scenes.
Great cast - from the butler to the driver and all the muscley guards in between each character was instantly loved or loathed or soon to be forgiven
Dominic is an overbearing man and at times he pushes the boundaries when it comes to emotional pain - but it is never his intent to hurt Regina - he just lacks the skills to tone down the truth. He also has his own fears constantly riding shotgun on his shoulders. I have to admit when Johnny's long game is revealed I was thrown for a loop.
Regina has been cloistered her whole life. Add in that she is suddenly thrown into a world where arm candy beauty is the norm and we find an intelligent woman drowning in her insecurities. Never mind that instead of throwing her a life vest her father and his cronies are tossing rocks at her.
The back and forth between these two only adds to their appeal.
The story was easy to follow and actually made sense (in the fictional sort of way)
This is my first book by this author - Not sure how but she has been added to my list of authors who do it right.
His by Fiona MurphyDescription:
Any minute I’m going to wake up from this nightmare. Being tied up and thrown in the trunk of a car doesn’t happen in real life. Except the silk tie around my wrists feels very real. And my father, Johnny Conti, the head of the Outfit, is telling me to be a good girl—that I’m to be the wife of the man who tied me up and has me over his wide shoulder.
Some women might swoon over gorgeous Dominic Sabatini with his blue eyes, dimples, and muscled body in a silk suit. Not me. Those are just distractions from who, what he really is: a ruthless killer with blood on his hands and ice in his veins.
There is no way Dominic could actually want to marry me. A virgin, curvy, buried in an all-girls Catholic boarding school for most of my life and seventeen years younger than him. He’s marrying so far beneath him it’s absurd.
No to all of it. Tomorrow I’m going to marry the man of my dreams, a nice, kind accountant. I’m going to have the safe, boring life I’ve always longed for. I have to escape this nightmare. But Dominic growls I belong to him and he keeps what is his.
Our Thoughts 💭:
Dominic, you started out as the back end of a horse I get you did what you had to do - honor and all that blubber you were spouting
But now...
Props old man - Feels good doesn't it?
Regina my dear sweet child - YOU GO, GIRL!
I am so proud of you for not backing down (most of the time)
I gave you a bit of leeway with your choices because of your age and the fact I probably would have reacted similarly
This is a forced marriage, light suspense, with a whole lot of push and pulls mafia romance.
Chocked full of "Oh no you did not" moments followed up with "OMG" and even some " Awwww" scenes.
Great cast - from the butler to the driver and all the muscley guards in between each character was instantly loved or loathed or soon to be forgiven
Dominic is an overbearing man and at times he pushes the boundaries when it comes to emotional pain - but it is never his intent to hurt Regina - he just lacks the skills to tone down the truth. He also has his own fears constantly riding shotgun on his shoulders. I have to admit when Johnny's long game is revealed I was thrown for a loop.
Regina has been cloistered her whole life. Add in that she is suddenly thrown into a world where arm candy beauty is the norm and we find an intelligent woman drowning in her insecurities. Never mind that instead of throwing her a life vest her father and his cronies are tossing rocks at her.
The back and forth between these two only adds to their appeal.
The story was easy to follow and actually made sense (in the fictional sort of way)
This is my first book by this author - Not sure how but she has been added to my list of authors who do it right.
#his #dominic #dark #mafia #romance #thesabatinifamily #fionamurphy
Bad Apple by Selena .Description:
My name is Harper Apple, and people say I’m rotten to the core.
“Girls like you get one shot.”
When my shot comes in the form of a scholarship to Willow Heights Prep, you can bet your ass I take it. If getting out of this hellhole town means spending my last two years of high school at an elite academy full of rich, entitled pricks, then bring it on.
“Girls like you don’t belong.”
The arrogant and infuriatingly gorgeous Dolce brothers reign supreme in the hallowed halls of Willow Heights, and they don’t welcome my kind. Especially when I get in their way, don’t play by the rules in their twisted games, and refuse to bow to the cruel tyrants who run the place.
“Girls like you are bad news.”
Royal, Baron, and Duke Dolce set their sights on me. They think a poor girl will be an easy target, that they can break me and bring me to my knees like the girls who came before me. But the Dolce boys underestimate me. In this town, even girls from the trailer park hide deadly secrets. Secrets that could destroy them.
After all, it’s those from the wicked world of wealth and privilege with the most to lose.
This is the start of a brand new, dark high school bully romance/enemies to lovers story. It is not for the faint of heart. It is in *no way* safe. I don’t want to list specifics bc they are spoilers IMO, so I’ll just say this. If you have ANY triggers or hard lines, avoid this book. It is truly sick. 18+ readers only
Our Thoughts 💭:
A NA/YA survival story that will test all your boundaries"Sometimes, you forget tomorrow, and you do what benefits you most today, and you realize it's a betrayal of the person who matters most."
Harper has one dream
To escape the world she was born into
She will do whatever needs to be done to get out of this town
Face whatever evils the sanctimonious throw at her
Because when her chances comes?
She will grasp it with both hands and run
"You matter most."
My heart cracked for Harper.
She is literally alone.
She fights, she gambles, she bends
She sacrifices
She does not break
When an anonymous donor offers her the chance of a lifetime -
A scholarship to a prestigious school that will give her the education she dreams of
One that will bring her dream to fruition
She takes it understanding the price and willing to pay
She thought she understood depraved
She never had a clue
Now she must survive long enough to make the sacrifices mean something while still remembering
She Matters D@mmit!!
The Dolces' brothers rule the halls, the football field, and the amount of oxygen you are allowed to breathe each day
And they do it with a dark cruelty that will ensure their subjects never forget where they stand in the hierarchy
Let's be honest- when the world gives you everything you need it is easy to get bored
The courts of old had their jester
The Dolces?
They have the students
And nothing is more entertaining than reminding others they are nothing - merely toys to enjoy until they are no longer needed
Then discarded
Literally
I swear there is not an ounce of morality between these three
This plays in the deep end of the pool of depravity
both the psychological and physical but more psychological IMO
It is a bit of a stretch from reality - rich boys, poor girl, professors that look the other way - but the author made it work= with the multi-faceted characters, the little hints dropped to something more wrapped in a strong storyline that just kept me guessing
I devoured it
There are a LOT of unknowns and WTH's floating about in the background and front and center
We get little clues and some twisted mind games. I would feel solid then with the turn of a page I was once again lost.
I wasn't able to form any solid hypothesis - love a good WTH was that?
This ends on a cliffy
I need the next now!
#badapple #dark #highschool #bully #romance #selena
Amazon
In the Grasp by Cadence Keys
Just talk to him!!! Ughhhh!!!
Thank goodness Gina had some sway, not that we didn't end up upside down for a bit anyway
Jack was pretty straight forward from the beginning. His romantic side was a total turn on and the scene where they first connected had me swooning and snickering. (That whole across the room thing though this wasn't a room though the concept was the same)
Poor Jack thought he was suffering side effects.
Max and Will are Jack's voice of reason. I'm looking forward to their stories.
This has all the "trip and stumbles" tones of a second charge romance made even more enjoyable with a solid story and easy to love characters. The chemistry between Jack and Gina burns as brightly as when they were young. And as before, they need to find a balance between their worlds a safe place that is uniquely theirs.
Unlike their younger selves this time they have experience and love to guide them.
Oh and let us not forget - a few good friends.
A smexy second chance romance
In the Grasp by Cadence KeysDescription:
He’s football’s hottest quarterback.
Jack Fuller, the most notoriously private player in the league, is at the top of his game, but his personal life leaves something to be desired.
She’s the newest reporter for the LA Chronicle.
Paige O’Malley has worked her ass off for her career, and now she’s just landed her dream job with the biggest paper on the west coast.
They broke each other’s hearts nine years ago. Now fate is giving them another chance to get it right.
When Paige gets assigned to write an exposé on Jack, she must decide where her loyalties lie: with the career of a lifetime or the love of her life.
In the Grasp is the first steamy contemporary sports romance in the LA Wolves series. Jack and Paige’s story begins in the novella Intentional Grounding.
Our Thoughts 💭:
Multiple times I wanted to yell at Paige. Just talk to him!!! Ughhhh!!!
Thank goodness Gina had some sway, not that we didn't end up upside down for a bit anyway
Jack was pretty straight forward from the beginning. His romantic side was a total turn on and the scene where they first connected had me swooning and snickering. (That whole across the room thing though this wasn't a room though the concept was the same)
Poor Jack thought he was suffering side effects.
Max and Will are Jack's voice of reason. I'm looking forward to their stories.
This has all the "trip and stumbles" tones of a second charge romance made even more enjoyable with a solid story and easy to love characters. The chemistry between Jack and Gina burns as brightly as when they were young. And as before, they need to find a balance between their worlds a safe place that is uniquely theirs.
Unlike their younger selves this time they have experience and love to guide them.
Oh and let us not forget - a few good friends.
A smexy second chance romance
#inthegrasp #lawolves #newadult #sports #romance #cadencekeys
Twitter:
@pamgodwinbooks @CadenceWrites @SJColesAuthor @Nyddi @FionaBooks
Instagram:
@pamgodwinauthor @cadencekeysauthor @sjcolesauthor @nisabelleblanco @fionaaina.murphy
@pamgodwinauthor @cadencekeysauthor @sjcolesauthor @nisabelleblanco @fionaaina.murphy
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