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Our Book Thoughts and Recommendations 💖 Week of July 11th


📚 Our Book Recommendations & Thoughts  

🐺 Wolfmanny by Julia Talbot

🕱  Black Sunshine by Karina HalleLucian's 

🖤 Reign by V.F. Mason

🔥 Crash by Grahame Claire

🎭 Midnight Danger by C.R. Robertson

👑 King of Beasts by Diana A. Hicks


See all of our reviews and recommendations

Amazon  BookBub  Goodreads 



Wolfmanny (Nose to Tail Inc. #1)Wolfmanny by Julia Talbot
Description:
Three hot werewolves, sexual tension thick enough to cut with a knife, an impending Colorado winter, and a rambunctious pack of werewolf pups. Stand back and watch the fur fly.
When Kenneth Marcon loses his nanny to a bite from one of his inherited kids, he knows he needs someone strong to contain five werewolf children. What he finds isn’t a stalwart nanny, but a werewolf manny named Jack. Kenneth and his assistant, Miles, aren’t sure if Jack is what they need, but he’s what they have to work with.
Jack’s got what it takes to keep the kids busy—and attract both Miles’s and Kenneth’s attention. The two old friends have been circling each other for years, but with Jack as the final piece to the puzzle, it’s time to finally act on those urges. When Kenneth is forced to travel instead of solidifying the bond with his new mates, Jack and Miles take desperate measures to get him back, even as they save the kids from one disaster after another. Amidst the chaos, they have to learn how to become not just a pack, but a family.
Our Thoughts 💭:
This was a sweet throuple story that played heavy on the bonds of family and set up the foundation for the series.
Kenneth is the pack Alpha and also its resident genius, moneymaker, Uncle, and workaholic. (Props to Jack for providing the intervention regarding that matter)
With a house full of small feet and floppy ears, some of who are experiencing hormonal years things can get a bit hectic
Miles the cute but tough beta is the oil that keeps everything running smoothly - he also has had a thing for his Alpha since they were pups and
When Monie bites the nanny Kenneth is forced to seek someone with a bit more "backbone" to care for his brood
Enter Jack a growly in control fun-loving manny who is about to turn everyone's world on its axis
This was an even-paced romance that touched heavily on familial connections
Lots of light-hearted moments interwoven with a few angsty scenes (nothing too drastic)
Peppered with smexy adult moments
All wrapped in a family saga that has all the feels
This is the first in the series and introduced us to quite a few characters as well as light introductions into their backgrounds. It set up upcoming possibilities and left me with a taste for more.
#wolfmanny #nosetotail #mmromance #paranormal #werewolves #juliatalbot
Amazon

Black Sunshine (Dark Eyes Duet #1)Black Sunshine by Karina Halle
Description:
All Lenore Warwick wants for her 21st birthday is to hang out with her friends, finish her second year at Berkeley with flying colors, and maybe catch the eye of a hot musician playing a show at a club that she can now (legally) get into.
Unfortunately, fate has other plans for her.
A week before her birthday, she’s kidnapped by the brooding and dangerous stranger with cold eyes and a lethal touch, who has been stalking her on San Francisco’s fog-shrouded streets. Absolon "Solon" Stavig isn’t your average criminal though. He’s a centuries-old vampire who’s caught between wanting to kill Lenore and wanting to save her.
You see Lenore, too, is a vampire.
She just doesn’t know it yet.
Taken by a pair of vampire slayers when she was just an infant, Lenore was raised never knowing her true nature. All Lenore knows is that she has (normal) parents who love her, that she’s exceptionally smart, and she’s squeamish around blood. But once she turns twenty-one, she’ll fully turn into a vampire, and Solon hopes he’ll be there to guide her, opening her eyes to her deepest hunger...both sexual and otherwise.
But this turning can’t be kept a secret. Soon both slayers and vampires are hunting Lenore, with only Solon and his unpredictable motley crew of vampires to save her.
If they don’t kill her first.
Black Sunshine is a dark adult romance with a paranormal twist, about sex, love, secrets, and revenge, set in contemporary San Francisco.
Our Thoughts 💭:
A bit of suspense mixed with a touch of betrayal and a whole lot of smexy
Lenore is a blended female a bit on the witchy side and a bit of a bloodsucker -
But she is completely unaware that her life is - well - Not real
What do you do when everyone wants a piece of you - Some quite literally?
Who do you choose to protect you - the family you thought you knew or the stranger cloaked in darkness that calls to your soul?
I sort of have a crush on Absolon. In the beginning, I may have wanted to introduce him to a lighted blade but he kind of grows on you. He comes across without emotions. To him things just are and they just need to be done. It just is
Then there is Wolf who is more personable and lightens the group a bit.
We do not really get to know the third that well but I think his double-sided persona is going to be revealed soon. I did enjoy the swift reminder from Lenore that she is not a helpless female.
They each offer something a bit different to the group.
We also have a few antagonists at play and then there is Poe? Sod needs a painful thrashing.
I agree with the author with regards to this cast and the overall universe needing another book. There were some great concepts within the story. Enjoyed the Black Sunshine and am very curious to learn more as well as how each faction came to be. The cast was so vivid but again I wanted to know more - the author did a bang-up job of introductions but I want more.
This is a standalone but there are so many smaller storylines, vivid characters presented in such a unique universe that it definitely deserves (and needs because I have all kinds of questions!! and I want to see Wolf and a certain someone get together) a couple more books 📚
#blacksunshine #darkeyes #dark #vampire #paranormal #romance #karinahalle
Amazon

Lucian's ReignLucian's Reign by V.F. Mason
Description:
Power. Money. Status. 
All the riches this world has to offer belong to me. 
Whatever I want, I get. 
And those who stand in my way?
They don’t live long enough to tell their tale. 
I’m a villain thriving in darkness, who seeks no redemption.
A hunter who sets his sight on an irresistible prey. 
There is a monster reigning inside me who covets to stake his claim and drag her to his cave.
A beautiful siren who ends up captured by a possessive beast and locked in his castle. 
She will be my wife. 
No matter what I have to do in order to achieve it. 
Our Thoughts 💭:
" Vulnerability is a weapon in the hands of other monsters"
This is not only Lucian and Esmerelda' story it is also a glimpse at where the "four horsemen" evolved from -
Some of my favorite Mason characters
" We are all sinners to a certain degree"
Esmerelda was such a fountain of strength when it truly mattered. As a child, she had been witness to a monster's wrath leaving her with emotional scars and memories that still called out to her nightly in her dreams.
She thought she had escaped him in the arms of Lucian
She was wrong.
He was coming for her and this time she would be his greatest masterpiece
Seems that more than one monster has her in its sights
"No one truly knows who hides behind the mask people wear to the world"
Lucian comes across all hard edges and black and white lines. But don't let that fool you. Beyond the dark crimson walls that enshroud his heart, he is susceptible to love just like everyone else.
Even he can't fight against what the heart wants.
He may justify this strange feeling as one monster's desires being another's power - which it is - but now it may also be his weakness
This was a bit different than some of the others in this series - a bit more than just a tale enchantment - a bit of foundation work ( can't think of a better description) if you will.
It takes us back to the beginning, answers a lot of questions, and provides us with IMO one of the sweeter romances in this collection. It is a standalone. No cliffy.
And yes it still has plenty of mature themes
#luciansreign #dark #romanticsuspense #vfmason 
Amazon   

CrashCrash by Grahame Claire
Description:
USA Today bestselling author Grahame Claire introduces a firefighter who doesn’t play by the rules in a story of secrets and suspense.
Teague Hollingsworth crashed into my perfectly predictable life like a rocket, turning everything upside down and setting it ablaze.
It was the world’s worst first impression and one I’m not likely to forget . . .
Until he shows up just when I need him.
It turns out he’s not at all the man I thought he was.
He’s kind to my dogs.
He’s protective of me.
And he doesn't seem to mind the chaos.
Slowly, he's winning my trust . . . and maybe my heart.
But there's more to this man than I could’ve imagined.
Shadows and secrets that threaten what I love the most.
I've lost everything once.
I won't do it again.
Not even for him.
Our Thoughts 💭:
What a wonderful romance!
It was nothing like I expected and everything I didn't know I wanted - I mean that in so many ways - fell in love with the characters instantly. The story was like little puzzle pieces that are slowly being put in place (I can not think of a better description) -So many different directions this can go.
Oh and it ends on a cliffy (for those who missed the word duet in the title)
It was a little bit of humor
A little bit of snark and bark
Some angst from a mean ol' crotchety man (or two I am not sure yet) and some whose origins are a mystery
And a a couple real mysteries' that are building in the background
The romance was a slow build but the chemistry between them is front and center from the beginning and when they do take that step - it was done in the most romantic way *swoon*
I am at a loss on feeling as though I have the words to properly share what a fun and adventurous read this was. Different from my norm but so worth it.
#crash #crashburn #duet #contemporary #romance #grahameclaire
  
Midnight DangerMidnight Danger by C.R. Robertson
Description:
The darkness cloaks sinful acts and deadly deeds.
Secrets are the currency, death is the penalty, and pleasure is the ultimate obsession.
Cassandra’s past has finally caught up with her as all the explosive secrets associated with her dead family emerge to haunt her. What was once a conspiracy in her head becomes real, and leaves her running for her life.
To save the woman he loves, Xavier must become the monster that he keeps hidden deep inside. When death stalks Cassandra and secrets hide around every corner, the only way to protect her is to bind her to him in every way possible. The safest place for her is in his bed because no one would every dare walk into the devil's lair without permission.
Readers of CD Reiss and Penelope Sky will devour this series filled with dark desires and explosive secrets.
Our Thoughts 💭:
"Thank you for saving me"
"You saved me first"

Cassandra comes face to face with the dark truth of Xavier's world which leads her to question her feelings as well as her beliefs.
When her past catches up to her she finds there is only one place for her to turn - One man who can keep her safe
Zee never wanted Cassandra to be tainted by his world but it was inevitable. Now he intends to claim her publicly. He will protect what is his with his last breath if necessary
So many secrets were revealed - Some I kind of saw coming others OH HECK NO!! And how do they all connect? And can I get a Jordan of my own? Oh and Ash? Looks like he might have gone just a step too far with his declarations.
Midnight danger was filled with twisted on the edge of your seat suspense and some serious pantie melting romance(s) all offered up by a heart-melting cast of smexy protagonists and evil antagonists
This came to a quiet HFN but stay tuned because things are just getting started
#midnightdanger #midnightdynasty #romanticsuspense #crrobertson 
Amazon   

King of Beasts (Beast Duet, #2: A Dark Mafia Arrangement with the Billionaire RomanceKing of Beasts (Beast Duet, #2:by Diana A. Hicks
Description:
From award-winning author Diana A. Hicks comes the enthralling conclusion to the King of Beasts duet.
Caterina Alfera
My Enemy
My Obsession
My Queen
I have left it all on the line for Caterina Alfera. She holds the keys to everything I have ever wanted. But would she do the unthinkable for me—the right thing?
If you like dark, steamy romance with a heavy dose of suspense and intense twists, then you’ll love Diana A. Hicks’s King of Beasts
Authors Note: King of Beasts is book two in the Beast Duet as part of the Crime Society World. It contains explicit scenes and bondage.
Our Thoughts 💭:
I'm a bit upset (I have more colorful words but ... )
At Rex for not believing - for not listening - for tainting what should have been a special moment - something pure and beautiful
At Santino for not telling the whole truth
And a touch disappointed at Caterina
Maybe I am being petty but you should have turned that nob -
And Michael? I get it in so many ways I understand how tainted your world had become from your grief
This is the conclusion to Rex and Caterina's story but far from the end of the Society's
Hang on tight because nothing is at it seems
Not sure who I believe - even now that we are calm and seem to be regrouping
Can the king and queen take their rightful places and if they do can they align the families once again? Or has too much damage been wrought upon the Society?
#kingofbeasts #beastduet #dark #mafia #romance #dianaahicks

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