ARC Book #Review: Grand Theft N.Y.E (Heist Holidays 1) by Katrina Jackson .@katrinajax

Book Title: Grand Theft N.Y. E ( Heist Holidays Book 1)
Author:  Katrina Jackson |Website| Twitter| 

Publisher: Katrina Jackson
Genre: Romance, Interracial Romance
Series/Standalone: Book 1
Format: ebook

Cost: $0.99

Pages: 161

How I got it: ARC from Author 

Purchase: Amazon |
Publication Date: December 31st, 2019
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Synopsis:

Cleo Wright is just a happy scammer on a mission to rob a rich man before his ex-wife or the federal government seize all of his money and possessions. She's not expecting to meet another rich man who makes her want to use her nimble fingers for other, not thieving, things. But Robert Shimizu is just that man.

The two share a night of fast cars, expensive champagne and the best sex of her life. But Cleo is who she is and when Robert wakes up the next morning, she's long gone... with his car and a few other very expensive possessions.

It takes him months to track down the woman who stole his favorite watch and his heart, but when he does, there's fireworks.

Content Warnings: Mentions of parental illness and death

Y'all already know that I go into books blind. I absolutely love following Katrina on twitter, so when she put out the call for reviewers I ran so fast to join the line. I have already purchased Neighborly from her and plan to read that next and I'm going back into Pink Slip series by her to get some more info about the trio in the end but I'm getting ahead of myself.  First, I want to thank Katrina for having a content warning at the beginning because it gives you time to prep for what is coming, it doesn't spoil anything but it does make sure your shields are up and in force for when it happens.

Cleo is running a successful con when she meets a distraction she can't afford. However, once she realizes that the chemistry is mutual she decides to take a bit of time for some fun for herself.  From the beginning, this night is like nothing she's ever done before and it just keeps getting better. Robert has also never been so attracted to a woman and when he gets Cleo alone it's mindblowing and he starts planning how to get more time with Cleo. When he wakes up, Cleo is gone, so is his watch and his favorite jag, now he's on a mission to find her. Cleo ran when she woke up because Robert wasn't apart of her plans and he wasn't a mark, so she needed to leave. Once gone that night affects them both until they meet again in Miami. Whew that moment?!!! Get you a fan.

From the beginning, this story flowed well and I loved the personalities we got to meet and hope we get more from them in future books. Both Robert and Cleo were strong characters that I loved. Cleo knew she was bomb and acknowledged she needed more. When I was reading I kept hearing Trina's song with Lady Saw ('cause I'm Jamaican it had to be with Lady Saw & of course Trina reps Miami which is a location in the story as well). Robert POV is also shared in the book and I love that

Can I say that I was reading this while on vacation in Florida with family for the holidays and I kept finding places to hide and read? First of all, Robert can totally get it because OMG fine, I can totally feel the heat and steam coming off the pages while they were together. Chemistry on 10. Cleo was such a fun character to read, her reactions were so me, I loved her. I almost lost it when the fire alarm went off like DAMN IT!! This was gearing up to be a sweat your perm out romp. It totally kept me glued.

I absolutely loved this story. I loved how the timeline worked out so that it played into the story as well. With it all coming to a head-on NYE. Those final pages I wanted to savor and at the same time rush thru so I could find out what happened  I'm not sure how to explain that while I love the historical romances and the contemporary sprawling cowboy saga ('cause who don't love hot Black men in cowboy hats??) there is something about reading books about millennial women living with social media and using so much of today's lingo (like when her team overheard her conversation & said her "p*ssy be yanking". It grounds it in the here and now and just makes you feel like you would know the characters or have met them before. While I might not have Cleo's experiences that led to her lifestyle, the sister bond and the use of colloquialisms make her more like a girl I would have met and hung with.

I really enjoyed the story and wish we could have it in a physical form as well so I can have her work on my shelves. I loved the ups and downs (and not just the bedroom ones, which were A.M.A.Z.I.N.G) of the story and since it's the beginning of the series I can't wait to see who else gets a story. And how the other series will tie into this one. Now excuse me while I go look up the other books Katrina has that I don't already own, I see a binge in my future.

 ★★★★☆

Erotic Rating
 ★★★★★
5 ~ Extra Steamy: great story excellent plot, amazing sex scenes

Series In Order

• Grand Theft N.Y.E

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Beverly Jenkins Sexy/Dangerous  (for another thicc woman with hella confidence) 

Enjoy and Happy Reading my loves, 

ARC Book #Review $ #GIVEAWAY: Finding Home Again (Catalina Cove # 3) by Brenda Jackson .@AuthorBJackson .@HarlequinBooks .@Netgalley #FindingHomeAgain #NetGalley

Book Title: Finding Home Again ( Catalina Cove 3)
Author:  Brenda Jackson |Website| Twitter| Facebook| 

Publisher: HQN Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series/Standalone: Book 3
Format: ebook, Mass Market
Cost: $5.99

Pages: 384

How I got it: NetGalley

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: October 29, 2019
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Synopsis:

First love. Second chances. In Catalina Cove, anything can happen…
Bryce Witherspoon’s heart races every time she sees Kaegan Chambray. Everyone in town knows they can’t stand each other, but the truth is, even though the man broke her heart ten years ago, she still feels that irresistible, oh-so-familiar jolt of desire.

When Kaegan returned to Catalina Cove to run the family business, he knew there’d be no avoiding Bryce. The woman he thought he’d one day marry was instead the biggest heartbreak of his life. But when Bryce lets slip a devastating secret, he discovers just how wrong he was to let her go all those years ago.

He knows they both still feel the spark between them, but it’ll take more than attraction to convince her. Kaegan will pull out all the stops to show Bryce he’s the man who can give her the future they once dreamed of—if only they give love a second chance.

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ahhhhh I'm so excited this is the third book ( and hopefully not the final) in the Catalina Cove series and we are going to finally learn just why these two have been angry with each other for ten years.  And what a story it was. A second chance romance with a bit of a mystery that makes the couple face their issues and finally admit what they truly feel for each other.

Kaegan, Bryce & Vashit have been best friends since childhood. Kaegan's father didn't believe in education and had kept his son from school, once Bryce's mom found out she pushed the community to get him to go to school and realizing he couldn't hold out against them the old man grudgingly sent his son to school but in doing so Kaegan was two years behind. From the first KGee, nicknamed that because Bryce couldn't say his name, was friends with the girls as the older kids ignored him and the others didn't engage. He's been their protector and friend for as long as they all can remember.

While Vashti was sent away during her pregnancy, Kaegan and Bryce leaned on each other and their friendship bloomed into love. And as with all young lovers untested by life believed that their high school romance would go smoothly into an adult romance. But life and some of the towns' people couldn't leave well enough alone and the young lovers split based on a misunderstanding that bloomed into a bitter fight.

And that fight and bitterness have defined their relationship for the past ten years. After drifting apart Kaegan moved away & Bryce moved on and became a successful business owner. Still angry with each other they have taken every opportunity to swipe at each other since KGee moved back home to Catalina Cove. Their bitter battle has placed Vashti in an awkward position because she knows more about the story from each of them than they know and she keeps trying to get them in the same area so they can air it all out.  This tragedy finally comes to a head and they both hurt each other again before separating, finally, Bryce breaks and tells her truth to Kaegan and he's left realizing his actions were based on lies.  He's devasted but determined to make it up to her and win her back. Also, I could understand his POV especially with all the misinformation he had been receiving, and the events of that night; Bryce acting as if she can't understand why he was angry doesn't fly. Girl reverse it, you would have lost it and wouldn't have believed him either.

This is a sweet second chance romance, where the couple now have to not only learn about each other as adults but learn to forgive each other for the mistakes they made as their younger selves.  It's hard to fight through the past while trying to hang onto the good memories; they both help and hinder them. Kaegan starts a campaign to gain her forgiveness and Bryce is afraid to trust again. Add to this he decided to win her back when she's decided to move on completely, she's trying to find someone who can replace the way Kaegan made her feel and she starts dating. As they try to move on, they just keep hurting each other and I wanted them to just get therapy cause y'all need to work through everything.

I really loved the strength of the friendships in this one, as they were the best sounding boards for both of them as they tried to find their ways back home to each other. Bryce has to learn to trust again and since this man has shown that he can break her heart this is a little harder to do than one would think. I loved that it wasn't an easy journey back to each other, as this means they will appreciate the love more.

However, while they are trying to make their way back to each other, someone has decided to wage a campaign against Kaegan, there are several incidents with each escalating in severity and then the ending happened.  Listen ok, I was yelling at the book no no no no don't go, call someone, send a text something anything. it was like watching a horror flick and commenting the whole time. I loved it.

This story flew and I loved that there was tension not only within the relationship but without as well, this kept me engaged and the story flowing well. Giving the characters time to develop and share with us their true motivations. I loved that we had several small stories within as well. We get to see Vashti and Sawyer's family and their progression. We learn what happened to the budding romance between the girl's grandparents while catching up on Ray & Ashley and their growing relationship.

I loved visiting this town again and hope it grows. I would love to see what happens to Jade in a few years.

 ★★★☆☆

Series In Order

• Love In Catalina Cove
• Forget Me Not

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Robyn Carr (pick any of her series LOL) 

Happy Reading my loves, 

Book #Review: Sleep With The Lights On (Brown & De Luca # 1) by Maggie Shayne .@maggieshayne .@HarlequinBooks

Book Title: Sleep With The Lights On ( Brown & De Luca 1)
Author:  Maggie Shayne|Website| Twitter| Facebook| Instagram

Publisher:  Harlequin MIRA
Genre:  Romantic Thriller, Romance, Paranormal Romance
Series/Standalone: Book 1
Format: ebook, Mass Market

Cost: $4.99

Pages: 384

How I got it: Purchased

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Publication Date: August 13,  2013
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Synopsis:

Through the eyes of a killer...

Rachel de Luca has found incredible success writing self-help books. But her own blindness and the fact that her troubled brother has gone missing have convinced her that positive thinking is nothing but bull.

Her cynicism wavers when a cornea transplant restores her sight. The new eyes seem to give her new life, until they prove too good to be true and she starts seeing terrifying visions of brutal murders - crimes she soon learns are all too real.

Detective Mason Brown's own brother recently died, leaving behind a horrific secret. In atonement, Mason donated his brother's organs, though he's kept the fact quiet. Now he wants to help Rachel find her brother, but when he discovers the shocking connection between her visions and his own brother, he suddenly has to do everything in his power to save her from a predator who is somehow still hunting from beyond the grave.

This is a fantastic start to a new series that kept me engaged right up until the story ended.  The case drew you in and makes you wonder how the story is going to progress overall. All the main characters were well written, I mean we start the story with the serial killer in the process of hiding a body. Right from the get-go we knew the story was going to be wild.  We got to learn the motivation of all the characters as the story progressed and even though I understood why certain characters did what they did a good chunk of the shyt happening wouldn't have if they hadn't made the choices they did. Or you could say Fate would have stepped in anyway.  Either way, the story was so good.

I was fascinated by Rachel because she was a woman who was selling the idea of positivity like a drug but she refuses to believe it herself.  And as the story progresses and the changes come, her snark and the way she handles it all?? Just so good. While Rachel is one of my favorites, Mason really makes my heart hurt because I understood his motivations. He so badly wanted to protect his family from the fallout, yet his decision carries with it a lot of repercussions even he couldn't have foreseen. And you just know that somewhere down the line the other shoe is going to drop and when it does?!!! Shrapnel everywhere.  That moment in his apartment, when the instinct to protect overruling everything else?? That's a moment I can totally identify with.

Some of the secondary characters were well written a few were a bit one dimensional. We didn't focus on the outside people too much, just those within the case. I'm hoping as the series progresses we get more from them especially his partner. I haven't read a thriller in a while so having the book start with the POV of the killer?? Listen I was so hooked like my gawd this man is a trainwreck; which even he had to acknowledge and yet he couldn't stop.  When we go from him to Rachel and she's so normal that it's jarring to realize how far gone the killer is. As we progress we get Mason's side as well and between the three we get one hell of a story, as each character shares more from their perspective that enhances the story and I was just hooked.  Sadly as with any of these books, the plot was way too believable especially because serial killers seem to abound on the ID channel. It was all too real from Mason's choices and actions to what the killers did (even if their motivations didn't always add up).

As a first book in the series, it established really well how Mason and Rachel become a team and why it was necessary; while laying the groundwork for the other books to come.  The central case was the killer being identified (and that was easy, as we the reader knew who it was from the beginning, but the rest?? yeah that took a while) but how do you stop a killer who is supposed to be dead?? How do you accept the knowledge you now have?? How do you undo your mistake?? How do you protect the innocent without there being fallout for everyone?? While we knew the killer would have to be apprehended the ending was still very suspenseful and unpredictable. At least I didn't see all the twists that were coming but they didn't feel too far out from the plot so yeah, I was addicted to the very end.

I gotta say as a person who will eventually have to have the surgery Rachel had, I liked that Maggie didn't try to go too hard on the medical information but shared just enough so you knew what was happening. ( Also this is my wheelhouse and I hate when authors don't get it right, just share just enough to be believable but not enough for me to get annoyed when you get it crazy wrong).  My favorite scene is when post-surgery Rachel kinda freaks out but still tries to be 'strong' while quietly losing it on the inside. I also loved whenever Rachel talked because she constantly challenges Mason but at the same time is learning about herself now as a sighted woman.  Her snarky side has to be one of the reasons I love her, the other reasons are her family, she had an amazing relationship with her sister which I could totally relate to.

There are so many good moments in the book that made me marathon read it. I am however forever and always going to side-eye Mason for his choice, I mean I understand as there isn't anything I also wouldn't do for family, but being who is?? Way too many of his real-life counterparts make those choices and they aren't always for the altruistic reasons he did it.

I also liked (even though normally I wouldn't) that this was a slow burn romance, the story focuses more on the development of the case and the characters the romance takes a backseat (as it should as we are trying to survive here) and yet it still flavored their interactions and when they finally give in??? Awesome!! Must read the next ones immediately!!

 ★★★★☆

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Lisa Jackson
• Heather Graham
• Julie Garwood ( No paranormal slant but the Romantic Suspense) 

Have you read this series my loves?? Or can you recommend a few more like this??
Happy Reading my loves, 

Book #Review: Shadow Blade (Shadowchaser 1) by Seressia Glass

Book Title: Shadow Blade ( Shadowchaser 1)
Author:  Seressia Glass |Website| Twitter| Facebook| 

Publisher: Pocket Books
Genre: Romantic Suspense, Urban Fantasy,
Series/Standalone: Book 1
Format: ebook

Cost: $0.99

Pages: 344

How I got it: Scribd Subscription 

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: January 06, 2010
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Synopsis:

For Kira Solomon, normal was never an option.

Kira’s day job as an antiquities expert, but her true calling is as a Shadowchaser. Trained from youth to be one of the most lethal Chasers in existence, Kira serves the Gilead Commission dispatching the Fallen who sow discord and chaos. Of course, sometimes Gilead bureaucracy is as much a thorn in her side as anything the Fallen can muster against her. Right now, though, she’s got a bigger problem. Someone is turning the city of Atlanta upside-down in search of a four-millennia-old Egyptian dagger that just happens to have fallen into Kira’s hands.

Then there’s Khefar, the dagger’s true owner-a near-immortal 4000-year-old Nubian warrior who, Kira has to admit, looks pretty fine for his age. Joining forces is the only way to keep the weapon safe from the sinister Shadow force, but now Kira is in deep with someone who holds more secrets than she does, the one person who knows just how treacherous this fight is. Because every step closer to destroying the enemy is a step closer to losing herself to Shadow forever. . . .

I absolutely fell in love with this series and it all started with this one. Told from the perspective of Kira Solomon a trained Egyptologist who has an extra sense, when she touches things she can learn it's entire history. Kira is a trained Shadowchaser, whose job it is to help the Light battle Shadow and keep objects of power from causing trouble among the mundane world.  I had picked this book up due to it being blurbed by LA Banks (one of my all-time favorite authors), and to know she liked it meant it would be right up my alley. It's a book featuring black women kicking ass, taking names, being the heroine and also with powers. Other than LA Banks I hadn't read a book that included all of this and I'm so glad I finally got to the series.

There are plenty of books on the market featuring women who have a sacred duty to help keep the balance between Light and Shadow but I haven't read any that used the Egyptian pantheon as the basis instead of Judeo Christian beliefs; while I love LA Banks for her inclusive series even hers relied on Christianity as it's main basis for the battle of "good vs bad" . This has no Judeo Christian beliefs at all, it's all West African, Egyptian, and Nubian lore, myths, and pantheon.

There are so many great reasons to love the story, let's start with some amazing characters including a West African God, it took me a few pages to figure out who he was and when I did I loved it. He became one of my favorite characters throughout the book (and the series).  Kira is also one of my favorites because, despite all the reasons she should collapse beneath the weight of her burden, she refuses to, and she's having a bit of fun while doing it. Then we get introduced to the Immortal Warrior and he is just everything awesome. I mean the reason he's nearly indestructible sucks and how he came to have his powers isn't a great thing but this helps to make him a great helpmate and team member for Kira.

This is a fantastic start of a new series that includes the groundwork without dumping the information. makes characters relatable while being different enough to make the story engaging.  The world-building, the writing, the plot were all five stars for me. From the very beginning, I was hooked into knowing all about Kira and her abilities and how they would impact her world and her work.  Secondary characters were well fleshed out and engaging enough that you wanted to know more about them as well. I laughed so hard once I figured out who the older gentleman was, I kept picturing him as he is portrayed in American Gods the show. The Nubian/ Immortal Warrior was an interesting and intriguing character, just to know he had witnessed all of that history and those civilizations come and go. I can't wait to find out more about him.

While the story of Kira's struggle to find acceptance with her powers while never being able to get or give a hug ( like oh my gawd that must be so hard). it's her job as a Shadowchaser that brings trouble to her doors. Facing the different shadows and their minions is one thing, taking on the big bad that she has to?? Considering almost no one ever survives?? Fighting the urge to take a blade that is sentient and wants a new master?? The changing of her gifts and her understanding of them?? All while trying to navigate basic human interactions with friends. While there is the potential for a love match this is a slow burn and the battle and the cases take up a good chunk of the story, while the budding romance weaves between without distracting from the main plot. I who normally would hate a story without romance blatantly being all up and through it ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT.

The action kept flowing; the battles were waged and the lines between Shadow and Light are being re-drawn, where will Kira land when it does?? I loved every second of the journey of reading this and ended up marathoning the rest of the series as well. I highly recommend it my loves,

 ★★★★★

RECOMMENDATIONS

• L.A. Banks Vampire Huntress Series 

Happy Reading my loves, 

YA Book #Review: Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally .@Mirandakenealy .@SourcebooksFire

Book Title: Catching Jordan (Hundred Oaks 1)
Author:  Miranda Kenneally |Website| Twitter| Facebook| 

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Romance, Sports Romance, Young Adult Romance, Young Adult
Series/Standalone: Book 1
Format: Trade paperback, ebook

Cost: $8.99

Pages: 288

How I got it: Purchased

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Publication Date: December 01, 2011
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Synopsis:

ONE OF THE BOYS

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university.

But everything she's ever worked for is threatened when Ty Green moves to her school. Not only is he an amazing QB, but he's also amazingly hot. And for the first time, Jordan's feeling vulnerable. Can she keep her head in the game while her heart's on the line?

I have been reading Miranda's Hundred Oaks series out of order for a while and have caught glimpses of Jordan throughout, she's especially mentioned in the final book Coming Up For Air, Having read and loved the finale I wanted to see what started it all. I grabbed Jordan's book and just loved diving in. Right from the start, we see the dedication Jordan has to her craft and her need to prove to not just herself but everyone that she takes the game seriously.

Jordan Woods is the starting QB for the Hundred Oaks team, she's the daughter of a famous football player and the sister of a top collegiate football player, football is in her DNA. She's best friends with Sam Henry who also is her go-to guy on the field. She's been playing and kicking butt for years and this is her senior year, she's taking the team to the state championships so she can prove to her favorite school Alabama that she's worth having on their team.

For a book that's only 288 pages, Miranda packs quite a punch taking on the inherent misogyny within sports and how athletes are viewed. Jordan is good at the game and while her teammates and her high school coach take her seriously no one else seems to be doing the same. She wants to go to Alabama because it's her dream school and while it appears they are interested, there is a chance the opportunity isn't all it appears to be.  Miranda writes great likable characters and even the ones who seem to be the worst are even more nuanced once Jordan starts to pay attention.

For her senior year, Jordan wants to concentrate on getting that perfect season and getting into Alabama.  Then one day at practice a new guy appears and makes her knees weak, for the first time ever Jordan is noticing a guy, and this one could be a threat to her perfectly ordered life. Tyler Green is beautiful and someone she's happy to look at and get to know, he makes her nervous, uncertain and remembers that she's a girl. Jordan knows that she wants to explore these feeling she's having for the first time and while she's confident on the field she's not so sure anywhere else.  I loved the exploration of what makes girls feminine. Jordan discounted a few of the characters who eventually because good friends and sounding boards for her because she considered them "silly girls" because they embraced being 'girly'.  She believed and worked with the idea that she couldn't be taken seriously if she embraced her feminine side and as the story progressed she had to learn to balance the two.  Jordan's decision to explore with Tyler opens up a whole new world for her, and at the same time becomes a source of great upheaval, it makes her question friendships, and what she believes about relationships.

As the story progressed with Jordan having so many lessons to learn, she's growing out of the idea that football is all she needs to be about, as she and her friends embrace the season and she explores her feelings she realizes that her friends are nuanced and have so many more facets to themselves than what they do on the field and that it's all acceptable. There are many lessons for Jordan, and for the people around her. I loved that she had so many different kinds of friends and friendships they were great friends and some were quite hilarious.  Her relationship with her brother is fantastic and I loved that even though her father didn't seem to care about her playing football, he still tried to reach her even if it was with things that she no longer liked. I loved the familial relationships because while her parents fundamentally didn't agree on football for Jordan they still had a great relationship, one where her mom wasn't afraid to call him out.

I loved the discussion of familial expectation and how it impacted each of the players on the team differently. What they wanted vs what their parents desired was a great source of stress for a few of the team and as Jordan realized it wasn't just her father's issues with her playing that she had to deal with as Captain.

I loved the overall lesson that what you once planned doesn't have to be the only way. Your dreams are allowed to change and sometimes embracing change can bring an even better outcome.  This was a fantastic start to this series and I can't wait to get to the others and share my thoughts with you.

 ★★★★☆

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Coming Up For Air
• Wild Cards Simone Elkeles 

Happy Reading my loves, 

Book #Review: A Brother's Honor (Grangers 1) by Brenda Jackson .@

Book Title: A Brother's Honor (Grangers 1)
Author:  Brenda Jackson| Website| Twitter| Facebook
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA

Genre: Romance, Romantic Suspense
Series/Standalone: Book 1
Format: Mass Market, ebook

Cost: $6.99

Pages: 392

How I got it: Purchased

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: May 15, 2013
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Synopsis:

The Granger brothers left behind their family's Virginia estate and the bad memories it holds 151 years ago. But their dying grandfather's request brings them home: to a failing business, a legacy of secrets and a deathbed promise to make things right.

As the eldest brother, attorney Jace Granger is determined to take responsibility for Granger Aeronautics, his family's failing business. But the years of mismanagement seem impossible to untangle. As CEO, he hires a consultant to turn the company around. Smart, sexy Shana Bradford is the right person for the job and the right woman to turn Jace's world upside down.

But the passion between them is jeopardized when old secrets begin to emerge. A woman from Jace's past suddenly reappears. And an explosive discovery changes everything Jace thinks he knows about his mother and his father, who was convicted of her murder.

Jace Granger tried to leave his family history behind once before. But this time he needs to face the past or risk losing his future.

Three brothers. One legacy. A lifetime of secrets.

This has been on my highly anticipated list since its release. I placed it on my Top 19 I'm looking forward to for this year as a way to motivate myself to read it, and I'm so glad I did. I LOVED this one.  I went into this one not really knowing much ( like I always do) and while it took a few chapters to get going once it was started?? The story just flowed.

Told in a few perspectives, we meet the Granger men who are living their lives as successful men Jace is a successful lawyer, Caden a Grammy award winning Saxophone player and the final brother Dalton is a ladies man with a gift for the stock market.  The brothers have come back together because their Grandfather has suffered from a life-threatening illness and they all come home.  Not long after they get there he extracts from them a promise that they will right his wrongs and from there we get one hell of a story.

The brothers are left to grapple with a company that should be more successful and now they have to figure out what and who is damaging its ability to succeed. While doing that they have to grapple with the history of being in this town and seeing so many of the people who turned their backs when they needed help as children whose lives had just been devastated.

Not only are they trying to work out how to save the company and still meet their own personal goals and life needs, Jace meets a woman he can't resist. Caden is haunted by his past and Dalton has so many secrets he's holding. But he's not the only one someone wants to make sure the brothers leave it all alone. No digging and no trying to save their dad. The mystery of who it is goes larger than the brothers realize.

Jace and Shana can't keep their hands off each other, they've tried valiantly to ignore the chemistry between them and eventually it implodes and they fall into each other's arms. I love that they are such strong characters and have such great chemistry together. They try to keep it professional at work and doing so allows them to advance their relationship both at work as partners who rely on each other and eventually as personal partners. However, keeping their relationship on the down low eventually saves lives as the villain is unaware of how interconnected the group is and just how much more advanced they are.

I love all the moving parts of the story and getting to know some of the side characters like her father and his love interest Mona. I kept getting anxious as I realized we were getting so many strings to follow and only had but so many pages. I kept freaking out like wait a minute she can't solve all of this in ten pages. What?? What??!! Luckily I was right she didn't try to solve it all in ten pages, some of those strings lead into several other stories and I can't wait to follow them. However, the major who done it for this novel was solved and I have to say it was someone I never even thought to suspect so there is that. However we get even more info to let us know this doesn't stop here, there is more going on and this is just the top layer of it all.

 ★★★★☆

Happy Reading my loves, 

Book #Review: Enthralled (The Enslaved Duet 1) by Giana Darling .@GianaDarling

Book Title: Enthralled (The Enslaved Duet 1)
Author:  Giana Darling |Website| Twitter| Facebook| Instagram

Publisher: Giana Darling
Genre: Dark New Adult, Dark Romance,
Series/Standalone: Book 1
Format: ebook, Trade paperback

Cost: $3.99

Pages: 394

How I got it: Purchased

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: March 2019
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Synopsis:

It was the biggest day of my life. I know most people say that about something joyous; a graduation, a wedding ceremony, the birth of their first child. My situation was a little different.

Sure, it was my eighteenth birthday, but it was also the day that I was sold.
Sold to a man with hair like a crown of gold and eyes blacker than the darkest pits of Hell.
He bought me to own me, to control me, and to use me as a means to an end.
I was his tool and his weapon.
And through it all, somehow, I also became his salvation.

There are so many feelings I have about this book, I'm not sure where I'm supposed to go with it. First I went into this based on the review of a fave booktuber (Jess from Peace Love, Books) and I'm just a mixed bag of emotions ever since the book finished.  There are so many things going on in this story and it's all so complicated. There are many moving parts and just...OMGawd. The story was extremely engaging and the writing wonderful even if a bit poetic at times but once you got used to the writing style it wasn't a problem. I will give trigger warnings for those who need them, discussion of anorexia, sex trafficking, and suicide are within this novel.

Ok let's start with the fact that the protagonist is being manipulated by so many different people that it's impossible to see where she's going. Everyone has their reasons for using her to get to the other and no one is including her in the choice, of course almost all the people manipulating her young heart and life are the powerful men playing at getting back at each other.

Cosima is a young model struggling to support herself and her family. Born into poverty in a town controlled by the mafia and its violence, she's one of the few people in her family trying to stay above water. Her father is a drunk who gambles the families livelihood away, her mother is a devout wife and Catholic who despite all the reasons she should leave to protect her children actually puts them in deeper harm. She's hellbent on penance and suffering, even though as a child and even now Cosima doesn't' see her failings. (she's an infuriating insufferable idiot but we don't learn all of that until later & I'm so effing pissed at this woman, like all of this could have been avoided if she wasn't such an effing coward).

Cosima and her twin brother are pushed into using their beauty as models so they can earn money to protect their younger siblings from the terrible decisions her parents are and have made.  She puts herself into a risky situation and saves a man's life, in doing so puts the crosshairs of unseen enemies unto herself. Once the ball gets rolling and debts are called in her father who is another massive coward uses her as his trump card and sells her to pay his debts. Cosima sees little alternative to aide her family as her father's enemies are powerful and she's afraid of it blowing back on her family.

Trapped with a beast who now owns her, she's furious when she realizes the ties she has to this person. Forced into sexual slavery, she discovers a part of her craves giving up control. This she fights the best she can until she realizes that she's only hurting herself even more. Her sentence is for five years, and she's negotiated a deal that aides her family in getting out, now she's here not because of her father's debts but because of her own deal. While their initial scenes maybe triggering for some, they are very darkly erotic.

Then the story just unfolds beautifully, we get more mystery as the hands that are pulling the levers begin to be revealed and until the very end, we don't know who all the players in this game are. We get mystery, murder and mayhem, which while going in I didn't expect. I wouldn't necessarily call this one a romance, it's an extremely dark new adult with a few erotic moments.  I will say I was very intrigued by all the moving parts, the mystery the who done it of it all. The past comes back full force and the part that an unsuspecting villain plays is heart rendering. There are moments when Cosima is close to seeing some of the true nature and yet she is unwilling to see it. As the story unfolds and we learn that even her beast has monsters who can and will harm him, I'm even more intrigued. Who scares the big bad?? Unfortunately, we are given the answer to that and I just can't deal. I wanted to reach into the book and break them all. That moment is when we realized even he was making the most of bad situation and it wasn't all that it seemed and we get a glimpse of the hidden man.

As I stated there are many hidden and moving parts. So many enemies masquerading as friends, and hidden friends among them all. It's so engaging that I finished it in one weekend because I just needed to know. I'm on pins and needles until the second comes out in May. I want to know how it all unfolds. I want to know more about her brother and what's happening in his life.   I definitely had a deadly book hangover when I was done and didn't know what to do with all these feels.

Once out of the book, it reminded me of another I read a year or two ago and also a true life story I read about trafficking that told of a fame similar to the one played in this book and by similar men ( I believe even a royal of Europe was arrested in the sting operation). It made it even more real and brutal to know that these games do truly exist.

At the end we are left on a cliffhanger, how does it all turn out?? I looked and saw that the second comes out May 31st (to which I have already pre-ordered) and that the other family members have books. I'm hoping she comes out with a book for the brother soon as well because hello?? That sounds awesome.

 ★★★★☆

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Captive In The Dark (The Dark Duet) by C.J. Roberts

Happy Reading my loves, 

Book #Review: A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy 1) by Deborah Harkness

Book Title: A Discovery of Witches ( All Souls Trilogy 1)
Author:  Deborah Harkness |Website| Twitter| Facebook| Instagram

Publisher: Viking Penguin
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Paranormal Sci-Fi
Series/Standalone: Series Book 1
Format: Hardcover

Cost: $10.99

Pages: 572

How I got it: Purchased

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million
Publication Date: February 2011
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Synopsis:

Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

I read this after watching the show on tv. I absolutely loved the show adaptation (and will be doing a review later) I thought this was a very good story with unique mythology which made me love the story even more.  In the book we are introduced to Diana who is a witch who doesn't practice magic due to a tragedy in her past she refuses to associate with anything having to do with magic and as such choose to study history and Alchemy.  Her belief is that science took away the chance for magic to interrupt her life. And she was right until a magical book lands in her lap and puts her on a collision course with all the things that go bump in the night.

I have to say that after watching the show and liking the Diana we meet there at times the Diana in the book is a bit weaker in constitution. ( I know I know it's not fair to conflate the two but the comparison lingers. In the book, Diana isn't willing to embrace her magic, her legacy or herself even after being shown that her previous beliefs were erroneous. She takes a "bury her head in the sand" kind of approach to life and when you're talking about trying to stay alive that's not the best way.  There are a great many more details within the book that showcase that Diana is way more unique than she believes. From her family's magical genetic make-up to the things she herself has found out by trial and error.

While the overall story is really engaging, and the writing is clearly written with love and attention to detail, history and every sentence has a purpose, it felt rather like ten words were used when five could have sufficed.  The beginning of the book was a bit slow to build up the characters and I think if I hadn't watched the show already I'm not sure I would have finished this book as quickly as I did. I read this in three days in an attempt to get to the cliffhanger from the show and get all the good stuff in before the end. The story does eventually pick up the pace of action, storylines converging and incidents happening all at once.  Considering the size of the book I do wish we had gotten more background on some of the characters who came to mean something to Diana in the end.  They seemed to appear out of nowhere and who they are on the outside of Diana's immediate universe isn't known.

As the story progressed we learned as Diana learned more about herself and the man she's entrusting to help her navigate this new world. Diana blinded herself and was resistant when her aunts tried to teach her anything from childhood and this willful blindness is what puts her in the greatest amount of danger.  Matthew Clairmont has his reasons for protecting Diana and at first, they start with the book she retrieved that he's been hunting for the last 150 years.  It's however, no longer the main reason and as enemies make themselves known Matthew has to battle against his basic nature to hunt everything that threatens Diana down and kill it. Not just because he knows Diana wouldn't like it but because it would start a war that would expose them to humans.

Matthew was certainly one of the most intriguing characters, he tried to keep as much of himself back from Diana as possible and learning about him was like pulling teeth. However, for a vampire his age he's a walking treasure trove of knowledge that Diana is at first intrigued by then drawn to.  Reading about his life and his adventures is one of the reasons I was so drawn to the story. As the story progressed and more about him and his connections to the book come to light I became even more immersed in the book and couldn't put it down until we knew what happened and why.

Once we established that they were going to flaunt the rules and take on the Council I'm not sure why Matthew kept resisting the consummation of their relationship. I know he kept saying as a vampire he has plenty of time, but humans/witches die easily, was he hoping that by holding back this part of himself he would be able to survive her?? Who knows, I'm going to read the other two books to find out though.  While I did like Matthew, I didn't like that he played his cards so close to the chest. Even in cases where it was absolutely necessary for him to divulge information he kept as much as he could to himself until the last second.  Which didn't always end well for him and yet he persisted in doing it.  o_0

Some of the major questions I had were what was in the ampule?? Who altered Ashmole 752?? What other powers does Diana have?? What exactly did her parents know?/ I want to learn more about the characters who are now apart of Diana's world.

 

 ★★★★☆

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Maggie Shayne's The Portal Series 

Happy Reading my loves, 

Book #Review: Perfect Timing (The Perfect Series) by Brenda Jackson .@AuthorBJackson

Book Title: Perfect Timing (The Perfect Series)
Author:  Brenda Jackson |Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher: Dafina Kensington
Genre: Romance, African American Romance
Series/Standalone: Series 1
Format: Mass Market, Ebook

Cost: $4.99

Pages: 317

How I got it:  Purchased

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Publication Date: March 1, 2004
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Synopsis:

Childhood friends Maxie Chandler and Mya Rivers, estranged for years and brought together by a class reunion, turn to each other for support when Maxie's fiancae dies and Mya discovers that her perfect marriage is not what it seems.

I went into this one not knowing the premise (which is a popular refrain around her so you guys know autobuy author means no need to check synopsis).  I originally started Perfect Fit then discovered it was actually a second book, so I put it on the back burner and went into this one. Let me tell you, I wasn't ready for the mess, the drama and the steamy down to earth love story we got, but I was all for it.

via GIPHY

We went into this meeting Mya and Maxi on the playground forming a friendship that will be the basis of this novel and the reason they both go on the class reunion cruise. Years later Maxi is facing a daunting diagnosis and for her the cruise will be a chance to stop taking the knocks the world seems to be handing her and have a chance to relax, for Mya it's a chance for her and her husband to have fun without their little ones around & also to break up the cycle of their lives which is hectic right now.

I loved the characters, the story and just about everything about the story. I loved that everyone was so casually successful. I was saddened to realize that for Maxi her goals outside the home had been accomplished but her deepest desire wasn't and not because she hadn't tried but because fate kept stepping in.   Once we got deeper into the story and we met the Paige I knew it was going to be some drama, and when homegirl stated her intentions??? Yeah no ma'am you a problem!!

I did love the fact that the characters were relatable, that each of them had grown out of their stupidity from childhood, as many of them had made life hell from Christopher during school over something he didn't have a choice in.  I loved that Maxi was his friend from the beginning and even though he had left without a goodbye she still was such a good person that she only had the best intentions for him.

Chris and  Maxi getting to know each other again and realizing that they had more in common than they thought was beautiful to watch. I loved the story unfolding between them and how they come to the solution they did.  I loved that Chris was open and honest about his feeling with Maxi as far as he knew.  I loved that they were honest with each other, even if Chris was slow on the uptake about the change in his feelings for Maxi.  I loved how despite everything he thought when faced with having to make a change to their plans, his immediate actions weren't to just call her but actually seek her out and discuss the changes. I also gotta say I loved that Brenda wrote them as real people. I loved that while she shared how sexual Chris was, she never wrote his other partners like they were whores for enjoying sex with him.  I loved that they were allowed to enjoy their sexuality the same way he was and not be denounced for it because of a sudden he's met "the one and she's perfect and virginal" which is a sad plot device I see a lot in other romances.

Now the chemistry that Mya and Garrett had??! Whew chile, all those years together and they never faded, took each other for granted or had any real issues. They did, however, have two very different philosophies in life and for many that would have been the end of their relationship. I don't like the way it was resolved, I thought she should have stuck to her guns, but far be if for me to judge how another woman lives her life.  Mys should have known going into the relationship that this is how he was raised, how all the men in his family are currently with their families and this for him goes deeper than their surface.  Garrett failed to take into consideration that Mya wasn't the kind of woman he wanted her to be. He should have had to learn to accept that and their family would have been stronger for it I believe.  Now I get what his dad was talking about speaking to someone who had been there so he would be the best to concousil them, however, I call B.S. on that, you are supposed to be a shepherd, I don't need you leading a double life being my counselor. You willingly lied, cheated and broke not just the trust your partner had in you but the church had in you?? Bruh fail!!

I will say I felt all the emotions, from Maxi's fear about her situation to Mya's heartbreak, to Chris's contempt of the town and it's people. Brenda writes in a way that draws you in and you can't help but become invested in the story and the characters.

I loved the friendships here and the fact that the family was the backbone of the story. Even though Chris didn't have a conventional family, they still supported him and loved him like one.  I loved the great relationship that Maxi had with her mother, that Mya had with her in-laws. It's just great to see amazing healthy relationships being shared.  The only part I wasn't a fan of was the throw-away line at the end of Mya's decision, but I get she did it for her family.  I was going to make this a 4.75 stars, taking off points for that small dislike but I realize the overall story and the overall romance makes this a full 5 so yeah I'm changing it back to five stars.

 ★★★★★

Have you read this one?? Can you recommend some more amazing romance stories?? Share in the comments down below and as always Happy Reading my loves, 

ARC Book #Review: One Tough Cowboy by Lora Leigh .@LoraLeigh_1

Book Title: One Tough Cowboy
Author:  Lora Leigh |Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher: St. Martin's Press/ Romance
Genre: Romance
Series/Standalone: Series 1
Format: ebook, Mass Market

Cost: $7.99

Pages: 304

How I got it: NetGalley

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: January 29, 2019
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Synopsis:

LAW AND ORDER.
For as long as Samantha can remember, Hunter—a man as strong as steel, with a heart of gold—has been her hero. It came as no surprise to Samantha when she found out that the ranch-hardened cowboy who always protected her from bullies went on to become the town’s sheriff. What does surprise her is how incredibly hot he still is. And how much she still wants him…

PRIDE AND PASSION

And, lo and behold, Hunter still has feelings for Samantha. The long-smoldering heat of their innocent flirtation has grown into a full-raging fire. But when tragedy strikes, and their small-town community is shattered, Hunter vows to do everything he can to keep his childhood sweetheart safe. But can Samantha trust that Hunter has her best interests at heart…and that, after all these years, his love is true?

Ok, y'all know I have been a fan of Lora's writing for years,  of course, I snagged this one once I had a chance and I'm so glad I did.  This is a second chance romance and apparently, it's the start of a new series?? Heeyyyyy!!!

Let's look at the setup, Sam returned home to the small town that captured her heart. She's also back for the man she has idolized since she was younger. A veteran police officer in her adopted city she's visiting to put her grandmother to rest, and to carry out her will.  I absolutely loved that Hutner and Sam had a history but were always 1 to 2 steps away from each other. Just a little out of sync.  One of my fave lines was "Sam, we're in a cornfield right now". I cackled for a good fifteen minutes.  They had good chemistry and flowed together well.

I was intrigued by the mystery of the town and wondering what the mayor was up to. I loved how the mystery behind the town drew Sam in and put her in the position of wondering if she should move back home.  This also put her back in Hunter's crosshairs as they hadn't synced before and yet here they are now, she's grown and capable and they have the opportunity that they never had before.

I was horrified at the end during the woods scene because like Hunter I knew it would have broken Sam.  The idea that people would be so careless and greedy is always so shocking (and yet if we only look to the news now we can tell this is something that really happens) . I have to say as the story unfolded and the villains became known, I had to wonder at people's motivations. I especially had to wonder about the people in each of their lives, like her ex showing up and putting himself in the mix of things and expecting her to be happy about it. UGhhh.

I want to know more about Hunter's mystery friend and his team especally the woman that gave Hunter the peep show. Cackling at that scene by the way.

A few cons I noted was each time that Sam started to show some skill as a police officer, to question things, Hunter shut her down by seducing her. Now I don't know if he meant to do that each time, but whenever they were alone and should be working on the case they just ended up having sex. It was erotic and steamy but at times I was like Right now?? You think right now is the time for this??

As erotica, it flowed well and was very erotic and kept you turning the pages to get to those scenes, however as erotica that's supposed to have a mystery suspense angle they spent way too much tie having sex (I Know shock I said that. Lmao). Lora herself has written the Breed series which balances this at times good and sometimes they end up like this where the story kind of gets buried beneath the romance and erotica aspects.  I felt like necessary scenes were either too short or kind of rushed so that we could get back to the romance, and I wanted more of a balance.  Don't get me wrong I still enjoyed the story and can't wait to see more from Hunter's friend, but I'm hoping there is more of a balance from the second novel.

Have you read it?? Let me know what you think in the comments down below.

 ★★★★☆

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Sierra Cartwright's Danger Zone ( Contemporary- Military) 
• Lauren Dane's Undercover (Sci-Fi Erotica)
• Kaitlyn O'Connor's Clone Wars: Armageddon (Sci Fi Erotica)
• Forbidden Pleasure by Lora Leigh ( Contemporary Erotica-- Romantic Suspense) 
• Jory Strong's Inked Magic (Paranormal Suspense~~ Menage) 

Happy Reading my loves,