Our Book Thoughts and Recommendations 💖 Week of May 23rd

 📚 Our Book Picks for the Week of May 23rd

📺 Love or Lust by Rachael Brownell

💋 Healed with a Kiss by Sharon Buchbinder

👑 Queen of Thorns by Lana Sky

🦢 Sancte Diaboli: Part One by Amo Jones

🔥 Forbidden Flame by Alison Aimes

🧠 Isak & Red by Cari Silverwood

See all of our reviews and recommendations

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Love or Lust by Rachael Brownell

Description:

The Bachelor meets Survivor meets Big Brother...

With the world watching, and hearts on the line, who will win at the game of love?

Twelve newly single contestants, each hoping to make it to the final prize.

Our Thoughts 💭:

I got to be honest here - I almost passed this up. It sounded fun but I wasn't really sure it wouldn't just be a bunch of created drama for the intent of entertainment packed with a cast that was far from tangible.
It wasn't - the blurb didn't do the story justice.
This is book one of the trilogy. We get to meet the players. Get glimpses of their personalities. A couple "don't judge a book by its cover" lessons. A few we get their strengths and occasional weaknesses. Just enough to get us invested. I have already picked my faves and a few I don't like
And I am addicted to what happens next
Can't wait for the next elimination round
Presley thought this would be a "whatever I don't truly care" experience. Something her sister tricked her into and a subtle middle finger to her ex.
Until Jace
And Lennon
Omg, how does a girl choose?
Games!
Presley is such a straightforward character. She says what she thinks and isn't afraid to be the odd one out if it means standing up for her beliefs.
Lennon is the strong silent type. Aware of those he is with and those around him. He is the watcher and something about him feels like home, safe?
Jace is fun, smart, and caring. I feel like he harbors a little playboy in him. I don't know why I get that vibe from him ...
The three don't hide how they feel about one another -
The guys even go as far as to openly befriend the "enemy" to stay close to their objective.
May the best man win.
I don't want to give spoilers but if you enjoy a well-rounded cast with vibrant personalities, an easy-to-follow story that is tangible and sizzles with romantic tension - Then you won't want to pass this one up.
This is part of a trilogy LOL ends after the first elimination -
Until the next episode...

#loveorlust #womensfiction #romance #kindleunlimited #RachaelBrownell
Amazon

Healed with a Kiss by Sharon Buchbinder

Description:

Brendan Redbird is a man of science and a medical professional. When this very uptight, predictable guy is adopted by a naughty talking cat (Tom) and his two brothers (Dick and Harry), Brendan's life makes an unpredictable turn.

Our Thoughts 💭:

Heartbreak
Sisterly rivalry
Family discordance
Unhappy decorations
Barking cats
Wait barking cats?
Yes it's another humorous holiday in Cats Paw Cove
Brendan is in love 😍
Tessa - a woman he just met has stolen his heart.
She has become his world.
That is until he finds her under Guy - Not just any guy
Needing to lick his wounds he decides to visit his sister in Cats Paw
A chance to heal and relax - get a new perspective on life
Instead, he finds his world in complete chaos
Talking cats
His estranged father
A sexy nymph ... wait magic isn't real
And Tessa? She won't let him go
Will the hits ever cease?
A fun and romantic adventure that I recommend for anyone who is a fan of the paranormal cozy genre
You can read this as a standalone with ease
#healedwithakiss #catspawcove #mystery #paranormal #romance #kindleunlimited #SharonBuchbinder
Amazon

Queen of Thorns by Lana Sky

Description:

With all hope of the peace shattered beyond redemption, Donatello Vanici is waging his most violent, bloody war yet.

And caught in the heart of the carnage is Willow Stepanova, the adopted daughter of his dangerous enemy and the girl who once adored him to the depths of her soul.

Our Thoughts 💭:

Bloody mind game!
Queen picks up right where King left us
One completely loopy psycho (maybe two)
One frightened yet determined princess
A wee innocent bound in the boot
And two families torn apart and seeking blood
This takes a darker path than book one
Roaches are crawling out of the woodwork on every page
Once decent souls are turning to bloodshed in search of justice
Who is behind the acts that just may drive the two to war?
I don't want to give spoilers-
Trust me the slightest miswording could spoil something
There are so many secrets that unravel in this episode
Some left me reeling others drew tears from my eyes
Willow is about to come face to face with truths she has knowingly avoided as well as a betrayal that just may destroy her
I honestly fear she won't emerge the same "innocent" she was when this started (Not that being in Don's hands is rainbows and unicorns)
Then there is the heartache Mischa and his family have to face along with the consequences of his choices - the ones he keeps making (mad face here)!!
So much pain
So much hope
This is told from multiple characters pov
Which IMO only intensified the suspense while strengthening my connection to the characters and my white knuckle grip on my kindle
I need the finale
I need to know how this ends
#queenofthorns #warofroses #miceandmen #romanticsuspense #dark #mafia  #lanasky

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Sancte Diaboli: Part One by Amo Jones

Description:

The Devil comes with baggage, and not the kind you can lose. I was two years old when he saved me. I didn’t understand much at that age, but I remember the pale boy with hair as dark as ink, saving me from two evils. He said he would protect me; I just didn’t know he meant from himself. I was raised in the arms of evil, tailored for the Devil like a custom Armani suit, and every day he wore it like a weapon.

Our Thoughts 💭:

I have to say this blew all my previous beliefs about the guys out of the water
Just wait for the twists - Yes that is plural
The castle of secrets that our Elite's have so viciously protected is about to be tested and things are about to change
Bishop is set to ascend
Mads is still missing but that is a whole other nightmare we have yet to visit
Nate and his sweet queen are facing challenges of their owns
The skeletons from Brant's past are about to become front and center in his present
And our white-haired little mouse?
Saint.
She is a force to be reckoned with and the hold she has over our dark monster is a blessing and a curse
This went in so many directions that I never saw coming
I am going to have to say that this may well be my favorite couple as well as my favorite episode in the King's series.
Dark - Emotional - Raw
I truly felt connected to the characters and a part of the events that were reshaping their lives.
I read this one from cover to cover in one sitting - It was that intense
This is a part of a series and to get the full effect you do need to start from the beginning. It takes place in a unique world that stretches the fabric of the imagination. The cast is vivid they will own your heart and soul. The story(s) are twisted and dark but have a unique beauty to them that imprints on the reader
A must-read for those who enjoy the twisted side of dark romance

#sanctediaboli #partone #elitekingsclub #NA #dark #romanticsuspense #amojones
Amazon

Forbidden Flame by Alison Aimes

Description:

He's out for revenge. She's out to escape. Neither intends to fall in love.

His instructions are simple: do not open the bag. To escape exile and enact revenge, crime boss Magnus Avitus agrees to play the part of errand boy. But when the volatile package he’s been tasked with delivering begins to squirm, he has to take a peek. He never expects to come face-to-face with her. Or to have everything inside him roar "mine."

Our Thoughts 💭:

This was much lighter and a touch shorter than the first in the series but still a wonderful read. Yes, I wish this was full-length instead of a novella. I enjoyed the dynamics between these two and would have liked to spend more time with them but I am greedy that way.
Amora is just the sweetest omega. She already knows the darker side of her dynamics but has been protected from that aspect due to a special little gift - or curse - that she has been blessed with. Despite all the evils she has suffered she still has the biggest heart. I admit she made some pretty eye-rolling bad choices but they were made in the name of love
Magnus was a brute of an Alpha or so he saw himself, but when a little slip of an Omega tests all his strengths he sees a side of him he had thought forever lost.
This story concentrates on these two and is the sweetest of romances. We still have some of the series dynamics playing out in the background but Magnus and Amora were the story.
I think we will get more of this cast in future stories as it did set up some of the territories and introduced us to a couple of Alphas.
#forbiddenflame #ruthlesswarlords #scifi #dark #omegaverse #mafia #romance #AlisonAimes

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Isak & Red by Cari Silverwood

Description:

Red fell into my hands and I kept her. Full stop. Done deal.

I've been wading in a sea of crime, abduction, and depravity for so long that it's nothing to me.

Until the day some men discover I can make most women do anything. These jerks want to use me to make them millions? They think they're powerful?

If they persist, I will destroy them.

Our Thoughts 💭:

"If beauty and the beast teaches us one thing, it's that looks don't matter if you keep her locked up long enough" - internet meme
I'm not sure how I feel about Isak right now.
I would say this ends on a HEA but I have to wonder if one-sided still counts?
Isak wanted to try being "human" - yea I laughed and cringed at that thought as well. But he promised Red her freedom in exchange for her help.
What did she have to lose?
Nothing - she had been his mindless puppet for, well, as long as she could remember (and yes that is sarcasm and wordplay)
What did she have to gain?
Lucidity
Reprieve from constantly being broken
Moments of tenderness
It may not seem like much to an outsider but it was the pot at the end of the rainbow for Red
I'm not telling you how the journey went you need to travel this road alone and with cautious footsteps. Know this is part of a series. It is dark. Bloody cruel at times.
But it also has moments that peel back social norms, that expose multiple sides of the human psyche-
scenes that should make you pause -
ask questions
I will say in rare moments we glimpsed the man Isak once was before the Mesmer. Before absolute power corrupted
I also saw the monster he would always be
I felt saddened at how lost our Red had become even when she was "free" while at the same time I felt her acceptance -
an inner peace with herself if you will
Do I agree with Isak's interpretation of events -
I'm not sure
That quietly murmured "yes" might have been a forever thing or it might have only meant that singular moment
For now, both have their HEA
real or perceived
Again who am I to judge?

#isakred #posessionofred #dark #enemiestolovers #romance #carisilverwood

Amazon