en-US Tue, 22 Apr 2025 14:44:24 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 231492485
Nash's obsession with Goldie is a distraction. He's tried to put distance between them while falling in love with her, but he can't stay away forever. When he finds out that she's in need of a helping hand, he's the only man for the job.

Warning: He's too big and she's too small but somehow they make it work. Yeah, just use your imagination folks... this one is completely out of pocket!]]> A.R. Taboo cloudy 4 novellas 3.38 2025
author: A.R. Taboo
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.38
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/22
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: novellas
review:

]]> 221609038
Welcome to The Tales of The Scorned, where offenders may, or may not, make it out alive.

From the minds of over fifty authors, we bring you all new stories. Each story will be filled with pure femme rage.

All proceeds from both paperbacks and E-book will be donated to three organizations that fund, provide, and benefit reproductive rights within the United States.

The Tales of The Scorned Anthology volumes will only be available for a limited time! Grab your copy today!

*No participating authors, organizers, or service providers are affiliated or endorsed by any of the chosen organizations. We are a community of individuals bound together by a single wish, to protect the right to reproductive healthcare in all forms.*

Authors featured:

Alaina T. Lee
Alina May
Aubrey Taylor
Aurora Graves
Cassie Fairbanks
Dakota Wilde
Drea Denae
Havoc Wilde & London Snow
Ivy Darling
K.M. Baker
Katie A Perez
Madi Danielle
Maree Rose

Aimee-Jo Hunter
Ash Redd
Chelsey León
Elm Jed
H.N. DeFore
Jack Whitney
Karlee Berrios
Lylah Taylor
Mandy Muse
Miranda Joy
S. C. Muir
Sage Mitchell
shar khan
Torrance Sené
C. S. Silverne

Ava Jay
B.B. Heron
CJ riggs
DK
Elizabeth Muse
KM ROGNESS
Lamia Lovett
Nicole Banks
S. Manship
Sasha Onyx
E.L. Emkey

Ab. Cynthe
Addy O’Brien
Akita Sparks
Ali K. Mulford & K. Elle Morrison
Kenna Bellrae
Luna K Wicked
Nova B. Quinn
RE Johnson
Ruby Nimz
Salem Sinclair
T.C. Kraven
TIlly Ridge
Billie Nicks
Rose Chase
LO Gold]]> 2226 Tilly Ridge cloudy 0 novellas, currently-reading 4.71
author: Tilly Ridge
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.71
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves: novellas, currently-reading
review:

]]> 198971955 He's used to hiding his love for her, even if it's quietly tormented him for years.
Then one day Emily needs a temporary place to stay, and Rock refuses to let her sleep anywhere but his bed��
while, of course, he takes the couch.
But what starts out as a friendly favor will soon push these best friends to confront their true feelings...
and force them to decide whether they're willing to risk it all for a chance at real love.

Hey lovely,
If you love a grumpy protective hero, a joyful curvy heroine, a fake relationship between best friends, and steamy sweetness, you're in luck. Happily ever after guaranteed.
xo,
Kate]]> 113 Kate Hunt cloudy 3 novellas 4.14
author: Kate Hunt
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.14
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/19
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves: novellas
review:

]]> 228707797 Battling his own demons, Nico needs a firm hand to grant him salvation for all the crimes he commits for his brother. But touch is a hard limit.
Can two broken souls survive that much pain?

Isle of Pain is a character-driven, dark mafia romance, intended for a mature audience. Trigger warnings can be found at the start of the book. It is Book 3 of The Moretti Chronicles but can be read as a stand-alone. ]]> 316 C.J. Lucci 9083386260 cloudy 5 4.22 2025
author: C.J. Lucci
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/16
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: genre-dark-romance, series-the-moretti-chronicles, tropes-badass-fmc, tropes-mafia-romance
review:
arc review to come because i'm not ok
]]> 210722967
From USA Today bestselling author Emily McIntire comes a dark and delicious fractured fairytale of The Little Mermaid.

Venesa Andersen has never been good. She wasn’t good enough for her parents, and she isn’t good enough for the gangster uncle who took her in after they died. But she’s cunning. Beautiful. Dutiful to her uncle’s demands. And she doesn’t have time for a moral compass, anyway. When her runaway cousin returns to their coastal southern town, she brings a man with her…and Venesa soon realizes he’s the only one who’s ever seen her for her.
There’s just one problem: she can never have him.

Enzo “Loverboy�� Marino is a wealthy businessman by day and prince of the underworld by night. Underboss to a notorious mafia syndicate, he answers to no one except his father, the strongest don in the Northeast. When he’s tasked with marriage, Enzo doesn’t think twice.

Until he meets his fiancée’s cousin.

Venesa is everything he never knew he wanted, bewitching him with her sultry voice and supple curves. But Enzo learned long ago that for a man like him, life is better without the things you want.

When plans unravel and temptation sings its siren song, they’ll both have to choose what’s more important: duty to their families, or a forbidden love that was never supposed to be.]]> 544 Emily McIntire 1728275865 cloudy 0 4.17 2024
author: Emily McIntire
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: genre-dark-romance, series-never-after, tropes-badass-fmc, tropes-mafia-romance, tropes-retelling, universe-emily-mcintire, dnf
review:
i might try to read this again in the future
]]> 223364832 Even the monsters under the bed should fear me��

I’ve always been a freak in a mask. A cold-hearted psycho. Not fit for polite society.
But not in her eyes.
My stepsister, Shiloh, is everything I’m not. Kind. Sweet. Innocent. She took one look at me and saw someone worth saving.
So, when she was assaulted and justice wasn’t served, I took care of it.

I became justice.

That earned me eleven years in a psychiatric hospital. Everyone thought I’d be there for life.
They were wrong.
Now that I’m out, I want revenge. I’m going to destroy everyone who dared to hurt my girl while I was gone.

But not before I’m taking what’s mine, and that’s Shiloh.

Because even though I’m a sick, twisted monster, I’m her monster. We will be together.
Whether she realizes it yet or not��


Under the Bed is a spicy, taboo, dark, contemporary stepbrother romance that is (lightly) based on Michael Myers and Laurie Strode from the Halloween series. It has a guaranteed happily ever after and can be read as a standalone. Download today!]]> Eva Marks cloudy 4 "you're the only emotion i ever want to feel."

this was probably the most depraved book i've ever read and i can't say i'm mad about it? if the halloween movies were nearly as entertaining as this i'd be a michael myers girl.]]> 4.30
author: Eva Marks
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.30
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/14
date added: 2025/04/14
shelves: genre-dark-romance, standalones
review:
"you're the only emotion i ever want to feel."

this was probably the most depraved book i've ever read and i can't say i'm mad about it? if the halloween movies were nearly as entertaining as this i'd be a michael myers girl.
]]> 231171954
Now, he’s been caught by his superior in a compromising position with the tempting girl and his collar is on the line. He’ll have to pass a series of sensual tests, involving Farrah, to prove to the elder clergyman that he’s not going to forsake his faith for the beauty. And if he passes a single one of them, it’ll be a miracle��
]]> 90 Jessa Kane cloudy 4 novellas 3.92
author: Jessa Kane
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.92
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/11
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: novellas
review:

]]> 224105527 From USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author Michelle Heard comes a new STANDALONE, full-length MAFIA ROMANCE novel.

As the eldest daughter of Ilias Dimitrou, I’m next in line to become the head of the Greek mafia. I’m getting good at putting on an act while I learn everything I need to know about the organization, but behind closed doors, I’m terrified. If my father’s men catch a whiff of my fear, they’ll rip me apart.

Before I’m able to take over from my father, we’re attacked. I have to depend on my newly formed alliance to come to the rescue while I fight with every ounce of strength in my body to stay alive.

Barely surviving when my entire family is slaughtered, I end up being guarded by Lincoln Knight. For some reason, the damaged sniper refuses to leave my side, and I find myself becoming more and more dependent on him. He follows me like a deadly shadow, and I’m well aware of the fact that he’s the only person standing between me and certain death.

When I take my rightful place as the head of the Greek mafia, can I conquer my fears and become the strong leader I was born to be?

STANDALONE: A Mafia Romance full-length novel.
Each book in the Mafia Empire series is interconnected but about a different couple who will all find their HEA.]]> 263 Michelle Heard cloudy 5 she’s mine, and once we have my high priestess sitting on her throne, i won’t allow anyone to knock her off it.

this book, this goddamn book. michelle heard never disappoints, but she really outdid herself with this one. i need her to write more badass fmcs in power because that's my type. cassia was the perfect blend of winter and isabella (who will always be my favorite), yet still distinctively her. and her man? a simp. nevertheless, a simp with mental health struggles. the way they were portrayed really touched home for me. this is now on my top 5, if not top 3, of michelle heard's books.

* i was sent an arc by the author in exchange for a honest review]]> 4.18
author: Michelle Heard
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.18
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/08
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: genre-dark-romance, series-mafia-empire, tropes-badass-fmc, tropes-bodyguard-romance, tropes-mafia-romance, universe-michelle-heard
review:
she’s mine, and once we have my high priestess sitting on her throne, i won’t allow anyone to knock her off it.

this book, this goddamn book. michelle heard never disappoints, but she really outdid herself with this one. i need her to write more badass fmcs in power because that's my type. cassia was the perfect blend of winter and isabella (who will always be my favorite), yet still distinctively her. and her man? a simp. nevertheless, a simp with mental health struggles. the way they were portrayed really touched home for me. this is now on my top 5, if not top 3, of michelle heard's books.

* i was sent an arc by the author in exchange for a honest review
]]> 218414572
Trouble is�� I didn’t know I needed saving. Or that I was still being haunted by my past.

Now my loyalty to the Twisted Kings is in question, and the only man who can protect me is a tall, tattooed biker with a taste for revenge and a vow of abstinence.

Ghost is haunted.
He’s reclusive.
He ignores me at every turn, and I’m certain I mean nothing to him.

Until I discover Ghost has been watching more than surveillance through the clubhouse cameras.

He sees everything.
And I’m his favorite subject.

Author's Note: Ghost is a dark MC romance with a morally grey hero, heavy subject matter, mature content, and explicit scenes. Content/TWs (which contain spoilers) can be found on author's website. 18+ Standalone with HEA guaranteed]]> 369 Eva Simmons cloudy 5 “you weren’t the only one watching. i saw you too.��

if book one was about the jaded mc president dealing with the aftermath of his traitor vp and learning to put his woman in front of the club, book two was about the recluse hacker of the mc betraying his club because his woman always came first. even before she was even his woman. this ghost of a man had been celibate for years, sworn off love, yet one look at the little purple haired girl trying to hack into his club and he fell in love at first sight, hard. so hard that he lied to his brothers and protected her by bringing her into the very compound of the club she was hired to infiltrate, albeit unknowingly, and stalking her for over a year with the cameras around the clubhouse. talk about commitment, he was down bad while she thought it was unrequired. the moment she found out about his complete and utter obsession was so satisfying because she realized she had finally found her home in his found family. the orphan girl who went from foster home to foster home found refuge in the midst of a bunch of bikers that loved her like a sister, and not just because of their brother.

* i was sent an arc by the author agency in exchange for a honest review]]> 4.23
author: Eva Simmons
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.23
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/07
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: genre-dark-romance, series-twisted-kings-mc, tropes-mc-romance, tropes-badass-fmc
review:
“you weren’t the only one watching. i saw you too.��

if book one was about the jaded mc president dealing with the aftermath of his traitor vp and learning to put his woman in front of the club, book two was about the recluse hacker of the mc betraying his club because his woman always came first. even before she was even his woman. this ghost of a man had been celibate for years, sworn off love, yet one look at the little purple haired girl trying to hack into his club and he fell in love at first sight, hard. so hard that he lied to his brothers and protected her by bringing her into the very compound of the club she was hired to infiltrate, albeit unknowingly, and stalking her for over a year with the cameras around the clubhouse. talk about commitment, he was down bad while she thought it was unrequired. the moment she found out about his complete and utter obsession was so satisfying because she realized she had finally found her home in his found family. the orphan girl who went from foster home to foster home found refuge in the midst of a bunch of bikers that loved her like a sister, and not just because of their brother.

* i was sent an arc by the author agency in exchange for a honest review
]]> 222830131
He’s a biker to the core.
Gorgeous and lethal.
Trouble at its finest.

And I’m his daughter’s new nanny��

It's my job to take care of the one person in his life who comes before his patch. If only Jesse wasn't making it so difficult.
He’s resistant. Infuriating. He doesn’t trust anyone except for his brothers, and he fights me at every turn.

But when bickering turns into him claiming me in the back of his truck, we start a scorching game of emotional roulette neither of us is ready for.

I thought nothing was more terrifying than the past I'm running from. Until I handed my heart to a biker and asked him not to break it.]]> 413 Eva Simmons cloudy 5 arc review to come 4.43
author: Eva Simmons
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.43
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/05
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: genre-dark-romance, series-twisted-kings-mc, tropes-mc-romance
review:
arc review to come
]]> 229192052
Callum has been keeping a close eye on his niece Charlie and that includes her best friend Tinsley. The more he watches Tinsley the more he wants her. He can only control his urges for so long before he finally makes his move.

Warning: Come for the steam, stay for the extra steam. We know why you’re here!]]> Alexa Riley cloudy 4 novellas 3.41 2025
author: Alexa Riley
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.41
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/03
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: novellas
review:

]]> 210407215 RILEY
Nearly everyone who enters Elsberry leaves in one way or another, but I am the one constant. I am always here. I continue to remain. Time doesn't pass in days between these walls. It passes in people. The girl with peach pink hair who I loved in my head but never got the chance to speak to. The boy that swung from the stairwell because he couldn't love himself enough.

Until Blair steps out of the back of that ambulance, time stops then. Her wrists are wrapped in gauze and her lips are bloodied, but she's more alive than anything else I've seen in some time. Dr. Demosi warns me that I'm fixating again, but what we have is real. I can feel it.

The closer we get, the more I start to believe what they say about how I landed here. I could do it again too, if it means she won't leave me.


BLAIR
If you'd told me three days ago I would still be breathing today, I wouldn't believe you. If you followed that with the knowledge that I'd find something close to love at Elsberry State Psychiatric Institution, I'd say you're full of shit. It's not written into my DNA. I'm incapable of it, right?

Riley is beautiful in a macabre sort of way, with her dark, dead eyes and her hollow cheeks. Her voice is raspy and scratches my fucked up brain just right, like a number two pencil against grainy college-ruled paper. She's more like me than maybe I am myself, more out of her mind than I think she realizes. I could happily live in delusion with her forever, but there's one problem.

I'm getting better. Everyday I work toward getting better with hopes of being released, while Riley is a lifer. Content with swimming in the pool of her illness for eternity, refusing to admit to what she did that landed her here in the first place. Once I find out what that is... it changes everything.]]> 98 K.C. Blume cloudy 0 3.94
author: K.C. Blume
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.94
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: to-read, sapphic-dark, sapphic-novellas, spooky-season
review:

]]> 153422397 Nadine O'Keeffe cloudy 0 0.0
author: Nadine O'Keeffe
name: cloudy
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: to-read, sapphic-dark, sapphic-mafia, tropes-badass-fmc, series-blessed-hearts
review:

]]> 62069039
But she was like a parasite worming her way into my heart and even after three years, her heated gaze made my knees weak.

It was for the money, is what I told myself. But I knew better��

And so did my soon-to-be fiancee.

Note: This is not your typical romance novel and if you are looking for something sweet with good people�� this book is not for you. For CW please check the author’s site.]]> 234 Eden Rose 1737600021 cloudy 0 3.71 2022
author: Eden Rose
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: dnf, sapphic-dark, series-club-pétale, universe-eden-emory, sapphic-novellas
review:

]]> 56775723 K

My life. My rules.

That’s how it’s always been for me. Well, since I did something that ripped apart the threads of my humanity.

After that, I let go of everything that left me exposed.

Relying on myself alone was the best option.

I can’t allow anything near me anymore, not even the one girl who somehow intoxicates my blood and proves she means more.

Calypso

Sacrifices were made when I was young. Vital pieces of my vulnerability were stolen from me.
It would have been far too easy if I hadn’t seen her again.

So, of course, the one girl I hate most is the constant reminder of my most painful past.

She thinks I’m still the weak one between us.

It’ll be my sweet revenge proving her otherwise.

Trigger Warning: This book is recommended for ages 18+ and contains many subjects that could be a potential trigger. A blanket trigger warning is listed for this story. Please be aware before stepping into this dark world.]]> 434 Liza James cloudy 0 3.76
author: Liza James
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.76
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: to-read, sapphic-dark, series-pandoras-box
review:

]]> 58862808
This wasn’t the life I was meant to live.

No, I should be working on solidifying my ladder of ascension.

No matter what the cost or what I had to give up.

No matter what they made me do.

Their little wildflower, that’s who I am. Quiet, meek, gullible.

Until I met the one person who changed all of it and became something more.

She’s my filthiest secret.

And one I intend on taking to the grave.

Ruby

Another night at the club I work at—Pandora’s Box.

Another dance, another tease, another round of shots and callously thrown dollar bills.

Until her.

Until the energy shifted and one moment became the only thing that mattered.

Because she changed everything, claiming my attention and making it hers.

My dangerous little mistake, my favorite enticing regret.

My Vibe Girl.

Trigger Warning: This book confronts several issues that could be potential triggers. It also contains sexual scenes written in explicit details. It is incredibly dark, please be aware when stepping into this world.]]> 466 Liza James cloudy 3 all that being said, the sex positive element throughout the story, with the group of female queer strippers and the f/f sex scenes filled a hole in my soul that had been looking for this representation for so long.]]> 3.51 2020
author: Liza James
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2022/02/23
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: sapphic-dark, series-pandoras-box
review:
i can't objectively review this book like i would any other because this wasn't just another book for me. as a lesbian, reading a queer story written by a queer author means that for the first time i truly felt validated and represented and seen. there aren't a lot of f/f dark romance novels, even less published by lgbtq+ writers. so i can't help but hold this one to a higher standard. this book tried to tackle a lot of aspects that are inherent to being wlw. the male gaze, conversion therapy, fetishization of queer women, stereotypes associated with these relationships (e.g., hyper sexuality). through the cult analogy it managed to both achieve this purpose of acceptance, self-discovery, empowerment, and cross the line between trauma bonding and sexual assault as a means to justify and validate women's sexuality. being wlw isn't just about the attraction to women, is sharing the same experiences, circumstances, belief systems, but at times the darkness of the story took away from that, from what separates gay women from straight women, and the romance suffered from it. these are things i wouldn't normally criticize in a m/f book but this is different; normalizing queer couples isn't synonymous with heteronormativity.
all that being said, the sex positive element throughout the story, with the group of female queer strippers and the f/f sex scenes filled a hole in my soul that had been looking for this representation for so long.
]]> 61268300
Siobhán Branigan has spent her whole life devoted to her family, given everything to be the perfect heir to her father’s gang. But what happens when it’s still not enough? She refuses to sign her life over to the enemy, to be used as nothing more than a pawn to unite the rival families. Marrying Oisín, the heir of the Cavanaugh gang, may be the answer to her father’s problems, but she’d rather sell her soul than marry a man she barely knows.
And so, instead of saying I do, she runs.

Nessa Tobin has given her all to crawl out of the gutter. She’s worked hard to earn her place as the enforcer for the Cavanaugh’s gang. She’s learned to be fierce. Brutal. Feared. But what happens when it’s still not enough? She refuses to put her life in the hands of her enemies, to give the girl who ruined everything the power to take her down with her.
So now, she’s on the hunt.

As their families teeter on the edge of war, Nessa and Siobhán must decide: where do their loyalties lie? And what happens when your enemy becomes more trustworthy than the people you've spent your life devoted to?]]> 303 Nadine O'Keeffe cloudy 5 “does it scare you? that i’m fucking you in the same room as death?��

this book is my holy grail. i’ve been looking for a dark ff mafia romance for what feels like forever. the homophobic subplot in mafia surrounding gay men is easily found and there’s even mm stories out there, but a mafia book for queer women written by queer women? and there’s no internalized lesbophobia or closeted fmcs? most women in the mafia are either pawns or princesses, but not these two. a female heir to a gang she doesn’t want and a female enforcer that makes grown men cry, they are the chess players that end up dominating the entire board game. one was forced into the life, not able to defend herself and the other was saved from life and taught how to protect herself. so to have their first time be after a sparring session because nessa wanted to teach shivy how to fight added so many layers to the bond they share. but the climax of it all was the church scene. two queer women in the house of a god neither of them believes in praying to each other, desecrating sacred ground with blasphemous confessions, sexual penance and spit as the blood of christ was a religious experience for me.]]> 3.79
author: Nadine O'Keeffe
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.79
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2022/11/03
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: sapphic-dark, sapphic-mafia, tropes-badass-fmc, series-blessed-hearts
review:
“does it scare you? that i’m fucking you in the same room as death?��

this book is my holy grail. i’ve been looking for a dark ff mafia romance for what feels like forever. the homophobic subplot in mafia surrounding gay men is easily found and there’s even mm stories out there, but a mafia book for queer women written by queer women? and there’s no internalized lesbophobia or closeted fmcs? most women in the mafia are either pawns or princesses, but not these two. a female heir to a gang she doesn’t want and a female enforcer that makes grown men cry, they are the chess players that end up dominating the entire board game. one was forced into the life, not able to defend herself and the other was saved from life and taught how to protect herself. so to have their first time be after a sparring session because nessa wanted to teach shivy how to fight added so many layers to the bond they share. but the climax of it all was the church scene. two queer women in the house of a god neither of them believes in praying to each other, desecrating sacred ground with blasphemous confessions, sexual penance and spit as the blood of christ was a religious experience for me.
]]> 53239110 53 Ally Vance cloudy 4 3.39
author: Ally Vance
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.39
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2022/11/15
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: sapphic-dark, sapphic-novellas
review:

]]> 166345233 Addie has a stalker.
And not one of those hot ones from the romance novels. A real, murderous, and probably not-so-drool-worthy stalker. So when her best friend pushes her towards a private security company how could she say no? Especially when the owner of the company has dark hair, tattoos, and�� oh no.

Natalia has an obsession.
A lethal obsession in the form of blue eyes and freckles. Her line of work is dangerous, both her day job and her double life. She hides bullet wounds under finely pressed suits as she uses her security company as a cover for the less than savory work she does for the mafia. When Addie bursts into her life with a stalker whose modus operandi matches that of a serial killer she’s searching for, it is all too easy of an excuse to fall for her deadly obsession.]]> 306 Haydn Hubbard cloudy 4 "i'm yours just as the moon is the sun's. there's no light in my world aside from you."

this read more like a novella than a full lenght novel - it was light on the mafia and on the smut, making this a great introduction to sapphic dark romance. i especially appreciated the normal and mundane way queerness was approached in this book. the best way i can put it is as if it were a mf couple dynamic, there were no labels, no questioning, no homophobia, they were just together and they happened to both be women who loved women. no one questioned their sexuality or their relationship, they didn't question themselves identity nor sexuality wise, there were no stereotypes, it normalized and validated sapphic relationships in the simplest form. and i found it precious. did i wish there was more romance to the story? yes, despite being grateful for the representation, i wanted more - more passion, more drama, more darkness. this almost felt like a prequel before a fully fleshed out story, as if we were being introduced to the characters before their arc. the potential for development was there, the plot had good bones, albeit a bit predictable and safe (i called that plot twist in the first chapter). there should have been a more nuanced and clear evolution to the story, instead of it feeling rushed and superficial, to me it lacked depth. not that it wasn't emotional at times, but overall i just wanted more.

* i was sent an arc by the author in exchange for a honest review]]> 3.86
author: Haydn Hubbard
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.86
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/14
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: sapphic-dark, sapphic-mafia, sapphic-novellas
review:
"i'm yours just as the moon is the sun's. there's no light in my world aside from you."

this read more like a novella than a full lenght novel - it was light on the mafia and on the smut, making this a great introduction to sapphic dark romance. i especially appreciated the normal and mundane way queerness was approached in this book. the best way i can put it is as if it were a mf couple dynamic, there were no labels, no questioning, no homophobia, they were just together and they happened to both be women who loved women. no one questioned their sexuality or their relationship, they didn't question themselves identity nor sexuality wise, there were no stereotypes, it normalized and validated sapphic relationships in the simplest form. and i found it precious. did i wish there was more romance to the story? yes, despite being grateful for the representation, i wanted more - more passion, more drama, more darkness. this almost felt like a prequel before a fully fleshed out story, as if we were being introduced to the characters before their arc. the potential for development was there, the plot had good bones, albeit a bit predictable and safe (i called that plot twist in the first chapter). there should have been a more nuanced and clear evolution to the story, instead of it feeling rushed and superficial, to me it lacked depth. not that it wasn't emotional at times, but overall i just wanted more.

* i was sent an arc by the author in exchange for a honest review
]]> 218586686
objective:

steal brother’s girlfriend
work the tattoo shop
pierce
skateboard
play drums
be the hotter twin


PLAYER TWO: FAUNA

objective:

snacks
dress in all pink
excel in favorite RPG game
play with kittens
beat V for Valin

sWitch is a masc loves femme, contemporary dark sapphic romantic comedy.
Start game?]]> 201 Kat Blackthorne cloudy 4 3.81
author: Kat Blackthorne
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.81
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/19
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: sapphic-dark, sapphic-novellas
review:
my marceline the vampire queen and princess bubblegum loving, old closeted teenage self is healed. this was forbiddenly comforting and now more than ever i want a girlfriend.
]]> 230331792 Lee Jacquot cloudy 0 0.0
author: Lee Jacquot
name: cloudy
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: to-read, sapphic-dark, series-divine-corruption, tropes-badass-fmc, tropes-mafia-romance, tropes-retelling, universe-lee-jacquot
review:

]]> 229100174
Enter Caleb. On the surface, he's a strict and stoic marriage counselor, but his methods are somewhat...unconventional. In order to save her marriage to Waylon, Caleb proposes that Ashley spend three days—and nights—with him, so the therapist can study what makes her happy. Emotionally. Physically. At the end of their time together, Caleb will pass on his findings to Waylon, so he can be a better husband. Simple, right?

Wrong.

Caleb has absolutely no intention of returning Ashley to her husband—and he has three days to figure out how to save her family's farm from ruin and keep the woman he loves forever. But is there a method to his madness or is he just...mad?]]> 97 Jessa Kane cloudy 5 novellas 3.85
author: Jessa Kane
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.85
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: novellas
review:

]]> 223667130 BEDLAM is the third installment in the popular metalcore romantic suspense series, YOUNG DECAY. This is a dark, sapphic rockstar drummer/st!kr romance. Please check out CWs on the author's socials, website, or the CW page inside the book.

Synopsis:

Life as the Young Decay drummer has its traveling the world, beautiful fans in every city, living out my rockstar dreams. Still, no glamorous life ever came without its pitfalls—namely, addiction, jealousy, and stalkers.
Lucky for me, I ended up on the losing side of all three.
For the last five years, I’ve fought tooth and nail for my sobriety, the forgiveness of my friends and family, and avoided anything that might put all that in jeopardy. I thought I’d moved on from the attack, from my stalker, from the drink that nearly took me out.
I’m torn between exploring the growing feelings I have for the band’s new bodyguard and sabotaging everything for a glimpse of my stalker’s face.
When danger from the past shows itself in the form of a phone call, the walls I built begin to crumble.
Secrets are revealed. The past is winning.
But with her at my side, I know I can conquer anything.
And our rage is greater than my fear.]]> 759 Jack Whitney cloudy 5 “she’s my crazy, my addiction, my deliverance, and damnation. she’s my bedlam.��

this book didn’t alter my brain chemistry, it rewrote the fabric of my soul. i don’t know who i was before them because this healed something in me i didn’t even know was hurting. their story was a manifestation of some silly teenage dream of mine i never dared conjure because i was unknowingly still in the closet. but this was for my avril lavigne loving self that wanted to be her (re: date her). they’re the epitome, the embodiment of sapphic yearning. their love made me weep; it was hauntingly poetic in its rawness and vulnerability. there was almost a gothic aspect to it, with the imagery of death surrounding it, that went beyond the mental illness of it all and bordered into vampiric elements �� the queers will get it. well, duh, like of course your stalker will see you like no one else could, but she saw her. they recognized each other. and the “i see you�� microtrope is my favorite, but make it sapphic and my lesbian depressed ass was read for filth. the only way i can describe it is that if this book was a song it’d be “people watching�� by conan gray �� and again, the queers will understand the experience. it will stay with me forever, bury me with them. this is indisputably and irrevocably my favorite dark sapphic romance.

* i was sent an arc by the author in exchange for a honest review]]> 4.44
author: Jack Whitney
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.44
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/16
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: genre-dark-romance, sapphic-dark, tropes-badass-fmc, tropes-bodyguard-romance, tropes-rockstar-romance, series-young-decay, favorites
review:
“she’s my crazy, my addiction, my deliverance, and damnation. she’s my bedlam.��

this book didn’t alter my brain chemistry, it rewrote the fabric of my soul. i don’t know who i was before them because this healed something in me i didn’t even know was hurting. their story was a manifestation of some silly teenage dream of mine i never dared conjure because i was unknowingly still in the closet. but this was for my avril lavigne loving self that wanted to be her (re: date her). they’re the epitome, the embodiment of sapphic yearning. their love made me weep; it was hauntingly poetic in its rawness and vulnerability. there was almost a gothic aspect to it, with the imagery of death surrounding it, that went beyond the mental illness of it all and bordered into vampiric elements �� the queers will get it. well, duh, like of course your stalker will see you like no one else could, but she saw her. they recognized each other. and the “i see you�� microtrope is my favorite, but make it sapphic and my lesbian depressed ass was read for filth. the only way i can describe it is that if this book was a song it’d be “people watching�� by conan gray �� and again, the queers will understand the experience. it will stay with me forever, bury me with them. this is indisputably and irrevocably my favorite dark sapphic romance.

* i was sent an arc by the author in exchange for a honest review
]]> 223556665 💙 President's Daughter x Brooding Enforcer
☠️ Hands Off Clause
✖️ Forbidden Romance
🌞 Grumpy/Sunshine
💦 Breeding Kink


From USA Today best selling author Scarlett Cole, writing as S. Cole, comes an electrifying president's daughter, forbidden love romance.

Atom
I'm the Enforcer of the Iron Outlaws Motorcycle Club, Colorado chapter, and she's the daughter of the club president.
Five years ago, she offered me her heart, but I turned it down, even though it ruined me.
Butcher's threat was clear, no biker would touch his daughter and live.
Now, the Bratva is demanding protection money from her bar.
To make matters worse, she has a new boyfriend.
Everything I ever wanted is slipping out of my fingers.
Unless I go against my president's orders so I can protect her and claim what's rightfully mine.]]> Scarlett Cole 1917410050 cloudy 4 “i love her, brother,�� atom says. “always have. but for the last five years, i’ve tried to live up to my promise to butcher. tried not to lay my hands on my president’s daughter like he asked, but she’s always been my queen.��

if i thought book one was refreshing, this second installment blew me away. not all romances are romantic, but this was. for a dark romance, and it was dark and angsty and forbidden, this story, but most of all this mmc, was so soft. he looked like a cinnamon roll but could unalive you, and was only a cinnamon roll to her (after getting over himself). their banter was so entertaining. i especially appreciated how this didn't try to redo the same trope as in the previous series, rather it was its own thing, a different take on the president's daughter (or in the other case, twin).

* i was sent an arc by the author in exchange for a honest review]]> 4.28
author: Scarlett Cole
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.28
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/17
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: genre-dark-romance, series-iron-outlaws-colorado, tropes-badass-fmc, tropes-cowboy-romance, tropes-mc-romance, universe-s-cole
review:
“i love her, brother,�� atom says. “always have. but for the last five years, i’ve tried to live up to my promise to butcher. tried not to lay my hands on my president’s daughter like he asked, but she’s always been my queen.��

if i thought book one was refreshing, this second installment blew me away. not all romances are romantic, but this was. for a dark romance, and it was dark and angsty and forbidden, this story, but most of all this mmc, was so soft. he looked like a cinnamon roll but could unalive you, and was only a cinnamon roll to her (after getting over himself). their banter was so entertaining. i especially appreciated how this didn't try to redo the same trope as in the previous series, rather it was its own thing, a different take on the president's daughter (or in the other case, twin).

* i was sent an arc by the author in exchange for a honest review
]]> 223470248 A scorching hot new mafia series from bestselling author Jagger Cole.

He knows what I saw. Now he owns me.
Carmine Barone is a monster no one sees but me.
A beautiful villain with a cold, black heart and a body honed for violence.
But when I stumble into a world I was never meant to see, the ruthless mafia heir becomes something else, too:
My husband.
Now, I’m trapped in a forced marriage to a man who hunts in darkness.
A man who plays games with lies and deception.
A secret predator who wants to feast on my darkest most immoral desires.
And the only thing worse than being chased by a psychopath?
Wanting him to.


Dance of Deception is a standalone dark mafia romance with a smart heroine, and an ultra possessive psycho hero with "look at her and I'll unalive you" energy. Readers are STRONGLY advised to read the TW inside. No cliffhanger; HEA included. ]]> 528 Jagger Cole cloudy 4
* i was sent an arc by valentine pr in exchange for a honest review]]> 4.12 2025
author: Jagger Cole
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/13
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: genre-dark-romance, tropes-mafia-romance, universe-jagger-cole, series-the-darkest-dance
review:
the introduction to this new series felt like the dark hearts met the venomous gods, and that didn’t take anything away from this book in the slightest. perhaps the familiarity stemmed from the atmosphere of the black court being reminiscent of club venom and how that was at the core of both previous series. and as much as i liked that mysterious alluring setting and the guessing game of who’s who, my favorite part was the ballet. having the girls�� group established from the get-go was honestly refreshing and made me immediately invested. dove (and kir) stole the show, pun and foreshadowing intended.

* i was sent an arc by valentine pr in exchange for a honest review
]]> 220916110
Semyon Kopolov.
Gorgeous and formidable.
My childhood crush and brother’s best friend.

They call him the Ice King—cold, ruthless, unforgiving.
He’s the reason my mother’s dead.
Now he’s my husband.

Once he was my protector.
The boy who carried me when I fell and swore to shield me from monsters.
Until he became one.

Forced into marriage, I’m trapped with the man I swear I’ll never forgive.
But the harder I try to escape, the harder I fall.
My body betrays me, and my heart whispers lies.
I tell myself he’s not the boy I once loved,
Yet I’m forced to face my greatest fear:
I’m falling for my enemy.



🖤🖤🖤

What to expect in Unveiled:

A full-length standalone
Alternating, dual POV
Guaranteed HEA
Slow burn to combustion
Possessive, obsessive alpha hero
Enemies to lovers
Arranged Marriage
Brother’s Best Friend]]> 406 Jane Henry 1961866285 cloudy 4
* i was sent an arc by valentine pr in exchange for a honest review]]> 4.22
author: Jane Henry
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.22
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/08
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves: genre-dark-romance, series-bratva-kings, tropes-mafia-romance, universe-jane-henry
review:
this felt very reminiscent of the wicked doms series, in the best way possible. semyon has been, inarguably, the most interesting character (besides yana) from this family and i was very curious about what his book would bring since he’s so mysterious i didn’t even know what to expect. the almost second chance-ish angst of it all did it for me, even though i wish the flashbacks had been more spread out through the story and in chronological order. but what stole the show was the allegedly emotional unavailable mmc realizing that his acts of service and thoughts meant he had been in love all along, just didn’t realize it because he processes emotions differently. i appreciated how he didn’t negate his feelings like they usually do and just took his time to understand it after his brothers, who, mind you, had already had their heas after being stubborn men, pointed it out for him �� a priceless scene, truly.

* i was sent an arc by valentine pr in exchange for a honest review
]]> 222193677 Wyatt Barlowe

There was power in having alliances.

And as the new head of my family, it was my business to make the Barlowe mafia one of the strongest on the east coast.

The first step? Arranging a truce with one of our enemies.

I hadn’t expected Ace to agree without a little convincing, but he came ready with a counter offer of his Marry a high ranking member of his family to solidify our new arrangement or no deal.

Agreeing came with ease, until he introduced me to my future wife, Analia Callahan.

Nothing could have prepared me for her.


Analia Callahan

The day my father took his last breath, I assumed his position in the family.

He’d prepared me for the challenges that came with keeping track of the family’s money, and I took it seriously.

Just as I was settling into my newfound role,

the head of the Callahan mafia, my cousin Ace, called upon me for something else Marry one of his enemies to help strengthen our ties.

Because I’d do anything for my family, agreeing came with ease, until he introduced me to my future husband, Wyatt Barlowe.

Nothing could have prepared me for him.

It is important to note that Wyatt Barlowe was introduced in Sinful Enforcer—book six in the Mafia Misfits series. His story—while a standalone—plays a part in the continuation of that series.]]> 324 Asia Monique cloudy 4 4.51
author: Asia Monique
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.51
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves: genre-dark-romance, series-mafia-misfits, tropes-mafia-romance, universe-asia-monique
review:
i don’t know how asia monique does it, but she has found the perfect balance between the grittiness of the mafia and the pure heartedness of romance. it feels inadequate to say that this was “soft��, but the way both characters loved and showed up for each other in ways no one else had or could, simply because they were so intrinsically made for the other was so comforting. there’s something about this books that few, if any, other mafia romances are able to capture. and the fact that the fmcs are always so independently sure of themselves and strong, and badass, and empowering, even after they fall in love, or more so because of it? unmatched.
]]> 200829769 A blisteringly steamy, Dark Mafia, Enemies to Lovers, Marriage of Convenience standalone romance by bestselling author, Jagger Cole.


I tried to outsmart the King of Sin. Now, I’m his.

Brutal, cold, and illegally gorgeous, Dante Sartorre isn’t just mafia royalty. He’s also the tyrant owner of the infamously deviant and members-only Club Venom.

He’s also my new husband.

In my defense, I wasn’t supposed to be the bride. But I sealed my fate when I saved my friend: by signing the Venom Devil’s marriage contract myself.

Now, he owns me. All of me��

But Dante thinks I’ll play the part of the obedient little bride he needs in order to keep his club. And he swears he’ll rip out every dark secret and bring me to my knees if I don’t.

Little does he know, this marriage has an expiration date.

And so do I.

You see, it’s not just the simmering heat between us that’s toxic. It’s not just the way I can’t decide if I want to geld him or lose myself in him.

It’s my blood and the secret sickness inside of me that’s poisonous, too.

So if you choose to know our story, you must know three things:

This is not a fairytale.

Dante is the Anti-Prince Charming.

And my name is Tempest Black, and I die at the end.

Toxic Love is a standalone dark mafia, marriage of convenience, enemies-to-lovers romance with a smart, untamable heroine, and an ultra possessive hero with "look at her and I'll unalive you" energy. This is the explosive start to the Venomous Gods mafia series. Readers are advised to read the TW inside. No cliffhanger; HEA included.]]> 424 Jagger Cole cloudy 4 secondly, one of my main issues with this author is how repetitive these books tend to be, mainly the third act of the story, but i think the campyness of the climax in this book made me change my mind. some things never change though, and i was one "god like cock" away from losing my shit. you can definitely tell it's a male author writing these characters with how "objectively" hot they are, both the mmcs and fmcs are perfectly described and envied, which makes me wish there was even the slightest bit of diversity, it seems there are no plus size people in this universe, nor bipoc, nothing. just tall, thin, white hollywood models.

*i was sent an arc by valentine pr in exchange for a honest review]]> 3.97 2024
author: Jagger Cole
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/11
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: genre-dark-romance, tropes-billionare-romance, series-venomous-gods, universe-jagger-cole
review:
first of all, contrary to the "original" series this is a spin-off of, dark hearts, this book at least wasn't mafia romance, but rather mafia adjacent. however, despite not being centered in a mafia setting, i really liked the premise of this story �� the fmc taking another girl's place in an arranged marriage is a favorite micro trope of mine, and the reasoning behind it in this case made it all the better. at first, i was apprehensive about the mortality of the fmc and how the author was going to tackle it, but the plot twist by the end was an interesting way to approach it, especially given how it was a callback to something that had happened early in the book.
secondly, one of my main issues with this author is how repetitive these books tend to be, mainly the third act of the story, but i think the campyness of the climax in this book made me change my mind. some things never change though, and i was one "god like cock" away from losing my shit. you can definitely tell it's a male author writing these characters with how "objectively" hot they are, both the mmcs and fmcs are perfectly described and envied, which makes me wish there was even the slightest bit of diversity, it seems there are no plus size people in this universe, nor bipoc, nothing. just tall, thin, white hollywood models.

*i was sent an arc by valentine pr in exchange for a honest review
]]> 222061821 In a case of mistaken rideshare identity, I end up in a car with the owner of the very casino I’m trying to get to for my cousin’s wedding.
I’m completely unaware that I’ve jumped into a car with Nicholas Deschamps, a powerful man who is desensitized to violence. He’s irresistibly charismatic and extremely handsome, making him a wolf in sheep's clothing.
He doesn’t reveal his true motives until I find him in my room waiting for me.
I assumed after that weekend, our simple exchange in Sin City would be the end.
But someone has been stalking me since I left. Has my darkest desire followed me back home? He warned me he likes to play games. That I shouldn’t trust him because he would devour me.
All I can say is�� let’s play.





Devour is a steamy, contemporary (loose) retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. It is a stand alone novel with no cliffhanger and a HEA. Some scenes could triggering. The hero is morally grey. There’s violence, stalking, gambling, and an intense game of hiding and seek. It is intended for 18+ mature readers.]]> 204 Gail Haris cloudy 0 4.09
author: Gail Haris
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.09
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves: genre-dark-romance, standalones, tropes-retelling, dnf
review:

]]> 201611181 When she steps off the plane and into my charge, I know she will be the temptation I can't resist.

Years ago, I retreated from the world to run a school for wayward girls. My work has only served to solidify my belief that females are unholy, lying, cheating creatures and my celibacy has never been tested.

Until Kitty arrives. The second our eyes meet, my vows begin to crumble. Dark desires from the past rise inside me, begging for release upon her lush curves and dimpled cheeks. I will mark her as mine and teach her the meaning of devotion.

She will call me Father at first, but before long, she will know me only as Daddy. I will risk everything to make her mine. But, when she finds out who I really am, the vows we made to each other are tested and if it takes moving heaven and earth to get her back...

I will.

���ܳٳ�ǰ�’s Note: When Kitty’s parents send her away to stay with her stepbrother where he’s the headmaster of a very special church school she has no idea her wild child ways are about to be tamed by the ultimate holy-moly bad boy. It’s forbidden fruit and juicy cherry picking from these dual first timers on an altar of sin you won’t soon forget!

Wanting What’s Wrong Series: Step right up if you want to get down with some "No, no, we can't, it's so wrong." action! Enjoy all books in the series as standalones.]]> 220 Dani Wyatt cloudy 4 novellas 3.64
author: Dani Wyatt
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.64
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/22
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: novellas
review:
this would've been 5 stars if it weren't for those women hating comments and the errors every other page.
]]> 223785251
When a prison transfer put me in a position to escape, I seized the opportunity, which sparked an unyielding manhunt.

I wouldn’t be caged again, so I stalked and hunted until I found refuge in a small, secluded house on the outskirts of an isolated town.

I took that home as mine—and its owner. Evelina.

My plan was hide out, stay unseen, and slip into the unknown, where I’d never be found again.

The days stretched into weeks, and something dangerous shifted inside me. My need to just survive turned into an obsession with Evelina. That twisted desire deepened and consumed me in ways I never expected.

What was meant to be a brief captivity until I moved on spiraled into a dark and disturbing connection. It blurred the line between captor and captive.

Yet beneath Evelina’s fear lay a secret of her own—one that might prove she was far from the helpless damsel she portrayed.

It was a game of obsession and desire, and I was starting to think maybe she was just as deranged as I was.]]> 93 Jenika Snow cloudy 5 novellas 3.87
author: Jenika Snow
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.87
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/19
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves: novellas
review:

]]> 160763908 🔥 enemies to lovers
🖤 firecracker & fuse
🧡 forced proximity
🌶 s*x to save her brother's life (dubious consent)

Rae
When Uther "King" Hills, president of the Iron Outlaws MC, shows up at my home, I know it's for one thing.
Revenge.
My life for my brother's, a traitor to the club.
My sacrifice to ensure his loyalty.
But I know a thing or two about tragic kings.
They never win.
What I didn't know was how they can steal your heart in the process of trying.

Uther
Rae Miller is my enemy's little sister.
And I intend to ruin her before I toss her back at her brother's feet.
Even as my actions tear my club apart.
Except this Shakespeare-quoting fire-cracker has me seeing ghosts.
I don't scare her. She outwits me at every turn and has a body I can't get enough of.
The fact I want to kill every person who ever hurt her is irrelevant.
Only, when she's at risk because of me, I pray the bonds I've broken can mend themselves. Because without my club, we don't have a hope of surviving.]]> 314 Scarlett Cole 173928433X cloudy 5 “it might have started out that you were my captive, but now i’m yours.��

who knew kidnapping worked not only in mafia romance but in a mc setting too? what a mindfuck of a book, pun intended. the way psychology played into the story, both in the female lead's inner monologue and how she approached the relationship with her kidnapper, was nothing short of genius. this fed my criminology inclined academic brain, stimulating me both physically and mentally. i wanted to hate the mmc so bad, and i did, but i also could relate to him. everything is foreshadowing when you have trust issues, which is how i guessed the plot twist in the previous book. but as intrinsically different these two were, where it matter they complemented the other. neither was broken or in need of saving, but they added together in a perfect union. king truly became his namesake when he embraced his queen.]]> 4.37
author: Scarlett Cole
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.37
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/05
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: genre-dark-romance, series-iron-outlaws-mc, tropes-mc-romance, tropes-badass-fmc, universe-s-cole
review:
“it might have started out that you were my captive, but now i’m yours.��

who knew kidnapping worked not only in mafia romance but in a mc setting too? what a mindfuck of a book, pun intended. the way psychology played into the story, both in the female lead's inner monologue and how she approached the relationship with her kidnapper, was nothing short of genius. this fed my criminology inclined academic brain, stimulating me both physically and mentally. i wanted to hate the mmc so bad, and i did, but i also could relate to him. everything is foreshadowing when you have trust issues, which is how i guessed the plot twist in the previous book. but as intrinsically different these two were, where it matter they complemented the other. neither was broken or in need of saving, but they added together in a perfect union. king truly became his namesake when he embraced his queen.
]]> 221223884 She wasn’t just the darkness in the shadows, she was the darkness within me.


I knew my life was promised to another.

The devil that haunts these walls, who treads the well-worn paths of my prison... He’s the man I’m destined to marry, but he’s not the person I want.
The ghost of the opera house, the monster in the shadows - they’re the one I cling to; the songs they write are the ones that will set my soul free.
And now I’ve found her, I refuse to let go.

Sing For Me is book 1 in the Masked Darkness duet. A stranger to lovers�� sapphic romance re-imagining the classic Gothic novel, The Phantom Of The Opera.
Book 2, Sing With Me, will conclude their story with a guaranteed HEA.
Author's All CW’s/TW’s will be found at the front of the book. Mature readers only.
This book does end on a cliffhanger. ]]> 155 V. Wynters cloudy 0 4.15
author: V. Wynters
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.15
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: to-read, sapphic-dark, sapphic-novellas, tropes-retelling, tropes-historical-romance, duet-masked-darkness
review:

]]> 221171403 I was cold, calculated, and merciless.
Over the years, I hunted for my perfect prey and took those lives without hesitation. I fed on the thrill of controlling them and, ultimately, watching them exhale their last breath.
I was sick, and there was no cure for what I had.
But then I saw Isla, and I knew one I wanted her.
She fascinated me in a way not even taking lives had.
So I followed her, watched her, and when the time was right�� I took her.
She wasn’t like the others. Her defiance and fearlessness ignited something even more twisted inside me. She made my dark beast rise and take notice until she was the one who consumed me.
That should terrify me. Instead, it captivated me.
She was my perfect trophy.
I thought taking her life would be the ultimate high. How wrong I was.
I became obsessed. And as our sinister connection deepened, I wrestled with my primal urges—torn between the desire to destroy her and the unsettling need to claim her as mine.
Would my dark and twisted desires keep her safe, or would it end up consuming the both of us?]]> 132 Jenika Snow cloudy 5 novellas 3.59
author: Jenika Snow
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.59
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/16
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves: novellas
review:
this one is for my stalker and serial killer lover girls, they're both it.
]]> 222081176
My obsession with her began two months ago. Since then, it’s dug deeper and deeper into my soul like an immovable anchor. I’ve been watching her, biding my time, loving her from afar, waiting for the perfect moment to act.

Does this make me a stalker? Absolutely.

Do I care? Absolutely not.

Penelope is the one to blame. She has a hidden desire. She thinks I don’t know about it, but I’ve got a plan to give her what she needs. And when I do, it will make her mine forever.]]> Jenna Rose cloudy 4 novellas 3.71
author: Jenna Rose
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.71
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/13
date added: 2025/02/15
shelves: novellas
review:

]]> 213325318 SEND. The moment the text goes out, Vivian Delacruz and I are inevitable.

She thinks a text from a stranger is destiny. Texts that turn into breathless late-night phone calls that leave the two of us sweaty and panting.

Destiny has nothing to do with it. I’m a man consumed by her. She has no idea she passes right by me every day or that my hands literally ache to touch her. She doesn’t know there isn’t a moment throughout the day I don’t watch her.

Vivian Delacruz may think a wrong number brought us together, but what happens when she discovers it wasn’t fate but obsession?

It’s So Wrong It’s Good is a new insta-love series with safe, dirty-talking, OTT alpha stalkers who love hard and will go to any lengths to prove it to the women who own their hearts! ]]> 118 Mayra Statham cloudy 4 novellas 3.82
author: Mayra Statham
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.82
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/14
date added: 2025/02/14
shelves: novellas
review:

]]> 223504450
As an ex-Marine, I swore to protect her. So then why am I spying on her when I’m off duty? Why am I stealing mementos from her home and sneaking into her bedroom while she sleeps?

Are these the acts of a sane man? Or the acts of a stalker?

Is my addiction to Belle driving me over the edge?

Belle is engaged to the man who hired me, but I know he’s not the man for her. And if I’m to truly protect her, then I have one task ahead of stop Belle’s wedding and claim her as my own.

���ܳٳ�ǰ�’s Like Stalking His Prey, this is an over-the-top, insta-love, wonderfully smutty romance featuring an irresistible ex-Marine stalking the innocent heroine he’s sworn to protect. If you want lots of steam, sweltering heat, and pure-escapism with fated romance and a fantastic HEA, this is the book for you!
]]> 94 Jenna Rose cloudy 4 novellas 3.88
author: Jenna Rose
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.88
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/13
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves: novellas
review:

]]> 221991442 A mafia prince with a killer’s smile and a predator’s gaze.
Takeshi Mori doesn’t ask for anything. He takes it.
Including me.
Our marriage is a weapon forged in blood, meant to stop a war.
But there’s nothing peaceful about my new husband.
He’s ruthless chaos incarnate—a Machiavellian psychopath with a thirst for violence.
He craves control, but I was born to defy.
His darkness terrifies me even as it calls to mine.
His touch consumes me even as it burns me alive.
We aren’t a happy ever after. We’re a collision-course disaster.
And “till death do us part�� isn’t a vow.
It’s a declaration of war.

Emperor of Havoc is a standalone dark mafia romance with a smart, untamable heroine, and an ultra possessive psycho hero with "look at her and I'll unalive you" energy. Readers are STRONGLY advised to read the TW inside. No cliffhanger; HEA included.]]> 412 Jagger Cole cloudy 4 4.19 2025
author: Jagger Cole
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/09
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves: genre-dark-romance, series-memento-mori, tropes-badass-fmc, tropes-mafia-romance, universe-jagger-cole
review:
this redefine both enemies to lovers and hidden identity, not by trying to reinvent it, but by giving it its own spin. it was a simple, yet effective revenge plot. i love a grumpy x grumpy, and when you combine it with a mute fmc who’s actually running the yakuza instead of her father who’s the de facto leader and the husband who orchestrated their marriage to try and overthrow and kill said father? i ate it up. the only thing i will say is, for some reason after reading book 2 i thought kat was the hacker pretending to be freya’s friend that turned out to be a reality tv star, since takeshi had an interest in her, so i was confused at first.
]]> 220386072 I made a huge mistake, and caught the attention of a lethally beautiful villain.
Damian Nikolayev is brutality incarnate. A psychopath wrapped in tattooed muscle and tailored charm.
Heir to a Bratva empire built on blood and control.
And now, I’m his. His fiancée. His plaything. His obsession.
He owns my darkest secret.
And he’ll keep it, for a price:
All of me.
Now, Damian has me bound to him, in more ways than one.
The harder I fight, the tighter his ropes ensnare me.
But his games are getting darker.
The line between lust and darkness is blurring.
And I’m starting to realize, there’s only one thing more dangerous than fake marrying a monster:
Really falling for one.

Emperor of Lust is a standalone dark mafia romance with a smart, untamable heroine, and an ultra possessive psycho hero with "look at her and I'll unalive you" energy. Readers are STRONGLY advised to read the TW inside. No cliffhanger; HEA included.]]> 435 Jagger Cole cloudy 4 4.10 2024
author: Jagger Cole
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/08
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves: genre-dark-romance, series-memento-mori, tropes-badass-fmc, tropes-mafia-romance, universe-jagger-cole
review:
i was scared this was going to disappoint me, much like freya’s book ended up doing, but this was a pleasant surprise. i wasn’t expecting to like damien as much as i did. or for his story to take the turns it did. did i think he was going to resemble hades? yes, but i’m glad i was wrong. him and hana were an odd pairing that completely made sense. the fact that he was the one to get his heart broken, that he almost died again, like at the start of this series, but this time around for her rather than for the bratva �� poetic. and again, i appreciated the different portrayal of a badass female lead, now seemingly unassuming.
]]> 222129719 I promised my best friend the bachelor party of a lifetime. Went the whole nine yards, throwing a bag over his head and ‘abducting�� him from a bar.

One thing I didn’t plan for? His long-lost and dangerous twin brother��

Over the course of one night, I drag the man I think is my bestie around the city’s hottest spots. We face off in laser tag, bust out of an escape room in record time, and raid the best food trucks, all before tearing up the dance floor in a club.

How long does it take me to realize I’ve got the wrong man? I’m so glad you asked.

Freaking hours. And for whatever crazy reason, this mad man plays along.

But even if we have the most fun night of my life, I can’t let my guard down. This isn’t some innocent mistake.

Because this wrong twin is dangerous. He’s a cold-blooded killer.

And he looks at me like he'll never let go��

Accidentally Kidnapping the Hitman is a short and steamy instalove novella, starring a morally gray hero and the soulmate who literally bags her man.]]> 87 Cassie Mint cloudy 5 novellas don't let the cover deter you 4.08
author: Cassie Mint
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.08
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/12
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves: novellas
review:
don't let the cover deter you
]]> 222380469
It’s been seven years since I’ve seen my older brother’s ex-best friend—the only one who was ever nice to me growing up. It soon becomes clear, however, that his looks aren’t the only thing that’s changed when he tells me I need a Daddy’s firm hand after being so irresponsible with my safety.

Unfortunately for me, he doesn’t stop with just his hand��

Road Rage Daddy is a dark, spicy 17k-word romance novelette. All characters are 18+. Please read the ���ܳٳ�ǰ�’s Note at the beginning of the book.]]> 61 May Alder cloudy 3 novellas, dnf 3.23
author: May Alder
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.23
book published:
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves: novellas, dnf
review:

]]> 213904021 , but only if I do something for him first��

Short on Rent is a spicy, over-the-top, 14k-word romance novelette. All characters are 18+. Please read the ���ܳٳ�ǰ�’s Note at the beginning of the book. Happily ever after guaranteed.]]> 55 May Alder cloudy 3 novellas 3.41
author: May Alder
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.41
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/11
date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: novellas
review:
i draw the line at the epilogue, heed the author’s note, she's not joking about that shower
]]> 212684848 and I find out just how nice my step-brother can be��

Back Seat Baby is a spicy, 12k-word romance novelette. All characters are 18+. Please read the ���ܳٳ�ǰ�’s Note included at the beginning of the book. Happily ever after guaranteed.]]> 47 May Alder cloudy 5 novellas 3.69
author: May Alder
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.69
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/10
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves: novellas
review:

]]> 207582607
But I don’t want to leave or call someone else Daddy. What I want is to ease the sting of Mom’s betrayal, to apologize for my selfish behavior over the last three years, and to make sure he will still want to be my dad even after he’s no longer legally my stepfather.

Thinking back to some of my parents�� recent arguments, I think I know what I can do to help Daddy feel better. It will be my way of saying, “I’m sorry, Daddy.��

I’m Sorry, Daddy is a spicy, age-gap, 11k-word romance novelette. All characters are 18+. Please read the TWs & CWs included at the beginning of the book. Happily ever after guaranteed.]]> 44 May Alder cloudy 3 novellas 3.46
author: May Alder
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.46
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/10
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves: novellas
review:
one too many "daughter" for me
]]> 218334412 He’s going to milk and bottle every drop of her love��.

Charlotte did whatever she could to survive after being thrown out at eighteen. Starting a private streaming channel within a niche community, Charlotte quickly grew a loyal fanbase. When she inherits her grandmother’s cottage in Wyoming, she packs up and moves to the small town of Maybrook. It doesn’t take long before she catches the eye of the local dairy farmer with a voice so familiar it reminds her of her favorite subscriber.

By day, Johnny dedicates his life to his family’s farm. By night, it’s devoted to his favorite content creator. When the woman he’s been dreaming of for three years moves to town, he wants to do more than watch her through a screen. Putting together a plan to keep her forever, nothing goes accordingly when their undeniable chemistry overflows.


The Milk Man is an erotic small town romance with hucow elements.]]> 108 B. Sobjakken cloudy 5 novellas no comments. 3.72
author: B. Sobjakken
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.72
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/10
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves: novellas
review:
no comments.
]]> 221205501
One look at Nolia and Luca would follow her to the ends of the earth. Breaking into a rival mob boss�� compound, pretending to betray his best friend, and falling in love with the woman of his dreams? When can he begin!

Warning: this mafia romance is all about keeping her safe while keeping her under him. Let’s get to it!]]> Alexa Riley cloudy 4 novellas 3.18 2024
author: Alexa Riley
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.18
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/10
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves: novellas
review:

]]> 213289920 I’m desperate, so I hire the meanest, most brutal-looking bodyguard I can find.

But my grumpy savior makes me tingle all over��

My ex-boyfriend has been threatening me, trying to bully me back. He even broke into my home last night and rifled through my stuff, so I’m freaked out when I scrape together my savings and hire a bodyguard to protect me.

Axel is perfect for the job. He’s big, scarred and rough, with tattoos inked on his skin and a wicked knife at his belt. The first time I see him, I flinch, and that’s exactly what I need.

But as he spends his days and nights guarding me, Axel’s not at all how I thought he’d be.

Underneath that scowl, he’s sweet. Possessive and hot.

And soon I can’t stop craving his scarred hands on me��

Need a big muscular protector? Spartan Shield Corp has got you covered. Alien, shifter, human—take your pick, we got it all. Call now to reserve your bodyguard today!

Spartan Shield Corp is not responsible if your hot alpha defender becomes overly possessive and/or becomes obsessed with you.

The Back Away From My Girl series mixes Contemporary, Paranormal, and Sci Fi Romance in six standalone stories by best-selling STEAMY authors, Olivia T. Turner, Hope Ford, Michele Mills, Ariana Hawkes, Cassie Mint, and Honey Phillips. ]]> 72 Cassie Mint 1915735572 cloudy 4 novellas 4.16
author: Cassie Mint
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.16
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/09
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves: novellas
review:

]]> 220810330
Vitaly Parlov is a man with a reputation, and he’s done what it takes to keep his power. When the daughter of his enemy offers herself up as a bride, he’s going to make sure she knows what she’s asking for. His instincts say to ruin her so he can get back at her father, but what if his need to keep her safe overcomes his need for vengeance?

Mafia boss with a heart of gold? Nah. Mafia boss with an over-the-top obsession for the woman he loves? YES PLEASE!]]> Alexa Riley cloudy 3 3.14
author: Alexa Riley
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.14
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/04
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves:
review:

]]> 223192420
He'll see about that.]]> 97 Jessa Kane cloudy 4 novellas 3.81
author: Jessa Kane
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.81
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/03
date added: 2025/02/03
shelves: novellas
review:
it started out so good, but by the end, it derailed.
]]> 222587933 91 Jessa Kane cloudy 4 novellas yes. 3.87
author: Jessa Kane
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.87
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/03
date added: 2025/02/03
shelves: novellas
review:
yes.
]]> 223188844 From USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author Michelle Heard comes a new STANDALONE, full-length MAFIA ROMANCE novel.

I entered an arranged marriage so my sister, Ciara, could marry for love. Three years later, I’m a widow, and my father arranges for Ciara to marry Dominik Varga. The assassin slash arms dealer is as dangerous as he’s quiet, which is very unnerving.

Needless to say, I’m not happy at all. A deal was a deal, and I kept my end of it, so there’s no way on God’s green earth I’ll just sit back and smile like a good little girl. I’ll fight for Ciara’s freedom so she won’t have to face the hell I was forced to endure.

But Dominik doesn’t make things easy for me. He’s determined to get his hands on half of Dad’s empire.
When he moves into my family home, my entire routine unravels. I have to fight for more than just my sister’s freedom because I’m in danger of losing my heart.

I refuse to admit I’m drawn to his darkness. If I do, God only knows whether we’ll survive the fire raging between us.

A Mafia Romance full-length novel.
Each book in the Mafia Empire series is interconnected but about a different couple who will all find their HEA.]]> 268 Michelle Heard cloudy 5 “good, because i already love you. you didn’t give me much of a choice in the matter and just strolled into my heart, claiming every beat.��

at this point, michelle heard doesn't have to prove anything, she's an established and undisputed mafia queen. and yet she did just that. she not only wrote another solid mafia book, but also introduced a new 3-generations mafia universe in the making. no one is doing it like she is. i might be biased because alexei koslov will always be my favorite and her og mafia interconnected series mean a lot to me. but this new world has a portuguese male character who, i'm pretty sure, will have its own book and as portuguese myself i can't contain my excitement.

* i received an arc by the author in exchange for a honest review]]> 3.96
author: Michelle Heard
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.96
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/01
date added: 2025/02/01
shelves: genre-dark-romance, series-mafia-empire, tropes-mafia-romance, universe-michelle-heard
review:
“good, because i already love you. you didn’t give me much of a choice in the matter and just strolled into my heart, claiming every beat.��

at this point, michelle heard doesn't have to prove anything, she's an established and undisputed mafia queen. and yet she did just that. she not only wrote another solid mafia book, but also introduced a new 3-generations mafia universe in the making. no one is doing it like she is. i might be biased because alexei koslov will always be my favorite and her og mafia interconnected series mean a lot to me. but this new world has a portuguese male character who, i'm pretty sure, will have its own book and as portuguese myself i can't contain my excitement.

* i received an arc by the author in exchange for a honest review
]]> 213145872 Falling in love with her was wrong. But that’s nothing compared to what I’m about to do��

I’m a walking contradiction.
Renowned psychiatrist. Devoted single father. A seemingly good man. But underneath it all?
I’m a monster.
I’ve always kept my inner darkness in check. Until now.

Until her.

Leighton is my daughter’s best friend. She’s young. Innocent. But I can’t stay away.
Neither can she.
The real problem, though? I’m not the only monster in my family. And to save Leighton from my daughter’s deadly wrath, I did something drastic.

I kidnapped her.

Now, Leighton’s my captive. She resents me for stealing her freedom.
But I can fix that.
See, I’m going to hypnotize her. Force her to accept that she’s loved me all along. I’ll break her so I can put her back together again.
And when all is said and done, she’ll be mine. No matter how hard she fights it.

Or how hard she fights me��

Breaking the Girl is a best friend’s dad dark romance. Please check for full content disclaimer at the beginning of the book or on my website. ]]> Eva Marks cloudy 4 3.74 2024
author: Eva Marks
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/30
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: genre-dark-romance, standalones, tropes-retelling, tropes-stalker-romance
review:
i miss my therapist. psychiatrist x patient trope will never not hit. therapy smut is always a must, but hypnotherapy smut? please and thank you. that's it, great self-care time.
]]> 213914046
They call me insensitive.
They call me uncaring.
I’m a raging alphahole ninety-nine percent of the time.

But no one really knows Rhett Cole at all.

Memories are my currency.
Regret is my drink of choice.

I’m not the guy who didn’t care.
I’m the guy who only cared about her.

Lainey Taylor.

My reason.
My why.
My one.
The woman I’ve been in love with since my freshman year of high school.

A love so strong that I had her name inked on my body when I was eighteen.
She was my fairy tale.
My happily ever after.

Until I ruined �� everything.
Until she looked me in the face and told me she never wanted to see me again.

That’s the day my life lost all meaning.

Fifteen years later, she’s back, and my dead heart begins to beat again.

Every story has a villain.
I’ve held that title for too long.

When the truth is revealed ��

Will I win back the one?]]> 377 Marni Mann cloudy 4 4.20 2024
author: Marni Mann
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/25
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: genre-contemporary-romance, series-spade-hotel, tropes-billionare-romance
review:
i knew this one was going to hurt, but i wasn't prepared for it to hurt this bad? i cried so hard, granted the plot twist hit very close to home. still, this is probably my favorite marni mann book due to the way it was written. this is an unpopular opinion, but i am a fan of flashbacks. i love second chance romance, especially when it's told going back and forth between the present timeline and the past. it made all the sense that the majority of this book wasn't about the now, but what came before because this wasn't about grovel; it was about grief.
]]> 208301491
Captivated.
Addicted.
Mesmerized.

All the things I felt the minute I saw Addison Lark.
The last thing I’d expected was to fall in love at a strip club.
But Addison was the woman of my dreams.
It didn’t matter that I spent an obscene amount of money just to talk to her.
The fiery redhead made me feel things I’d never felt before.

But she didn’t want anything to do with me.
And she left without a backward glance.
Making me crave her even more.

Imagine my shock when we unexpectedly met again, presenting the most unexpected problem—Addison Lark was forbidden.

But did that stop me?
Did that stop us?

I’d made a promise to start living my life, and I wasn’t going to let that woman walk away for a second time.]]> 379 Marni Mann cloudy 4 4.11 2024
author: Marni Mann
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/25
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: genre-contemporary-romance, series-spade-hotel, tropes-billionare-romance, universe-marni-mann
review:
this was so pure and hopeful. i love that it showed a different side of the single dad trope. i love that the mmc's ex wasn't the villain, moreover she was still friends with him and a great mother. i love that the fmc started out as a striper and the reason behind it was somewhat a parallel to the mmc's character. overall, i feel like marni mann has been exploring more within the genre and breaking free from the standard billionare romance, which after so many series in this universe feels very refreshing.
]]> 202883530 Noelle only has one thing on her Christmas list: a daddy.

After years of failed relationships that left her unsatisfied, Noelle finds herself flipping through profiles on a kinky dating app. Just for fun, she swears. But when she comes across the profile of a hot, older man, with graying hair wearing a crisp red suit; she’s suddenly typing up a message and hitting send.

Santa Claus, is that you?

She never meant to show up to a kink club wrapped as a present, but once Chris gets her upstairs and over his knee, there’s nothing left for her to do but beg Santa to unwrap her.

Unwrap Me is a short and dirty novella with Christmas and BDSM themes.]]> 88 Natalia Lourose cloudy 4 novellas 4.18
author: Natalia Lourose
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.18
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/11
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: novellas
review:

]]> 221097127
Gemini Foley.
The most cunning of our children.
A servant and devoted worshiper of trickery—and himself.
He revels in the illusion, always hungry for lies told in secrecy.
He will snatch the truth right out of any poor soul’s lungs.
It’s a gift we have given him, and he uses it magnificently.
But a new epoch is now upon us, and it is time for one more gift.
A surprise, for the lover of tricks.
She will appear as his sacrifice during the Feast of Fools.
And it will be his fate not to kill her.
Cunning just as we claim, will he sense something in her?
Sense a blinding truth he cannot yet put into words.
He will allow her to slip away ��
Until time and fate are just right.
Before catching her once again.
This time, to keep her as his prize.

*Feast of Fools is a captor/captive dark romance with a hint of paranormal. It’s the second book in the Perverse City series and has a guaranteed HEA. While all books are standalones, the series must be read in order. It has mature situations and themes which may be considered triggers for some. Reader discretion is advised.*]]> Naomi Loud cloudy 5 “i would have chased fate since i took my first breath if i knew it was you i was chasing.��

if book one was about death and objecting your fate, book two was all life and embracing your destiny. who would’ve thought that the servant of trickery would be the one who believes the gods�� plans, rather than trying to forge his own path? i expected loki, but got spike instead and i can’t say i’m mad about it. the mmc was cunning, and all the smarter because of it, finding the one thing he couldn’t fool his way into, or out of �� love. trickery and thievery go hand in hand indeed because this girl stole his heart and put him on a leash, both figurately and metaphorically. her corruption arc was so rewarding, i expect to see her up to no good in the next books. couples who mischief together, stay together and all that.

* i was sent an arc by good girls pr in exchange for a honest review]]> 4.36
author: Naomi Loud
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.36
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/21
date added: 2025/01/24
shelves: genre-dark-romance, series-perverse-city, tropes-billionare-romance, tropes-gothic-romance, tropes-stalker-romance
review:
“i would have chased fate since i took my first breath if i knew it was you i was chasing.��

if book one was about death and objecting your fate, book two was all life and embracing your destiny. who would’ve thought that the servant of trickery would be the one who believes the gods�� plans, rather than trying to forge his own path? i expected loki, but got spike instead and i can’t say i’m mad about it. the mmc was cunning, and all the smarter because of it, finding the one thing he couldn’t fool his way into, or out of �� love. trickery and thievery go hand in hand indeed because this girl stole his heart and put him on a leash, both figurately and metaphorically. her corruption arc was so rewarding, i expect to see her up to no good in the next books. couples who mischief together, stay together and all that.

* i was sent an arc by good girls pr in exchange for a honest review
]]> 220165669 💔 Widowed Hero
🏍 MC Romance
💘 Afraid to commit
🔥 Forced proximity
🥵 Let's bang it out of our system
🌶 Wax play

Raven
I don't know where my husband has disappeared to, but I know I'll do anything to keep our son safe from the men he conned before he fled.
If that means moving to a small town in Colorado to live a different life, I'll do it.
But what I wasn't expecting was the grief-stricken biker who feels the urge to protect us both.
Even though he clearly resents every minute of it.

Wraith
Two years ago, enemies of my motorcycle club took my wife and baby daughter from me, killing me without stopping my heart.
From that day, I've lived for one thing.
Vengeance.
Until a single mom shows up in town with her young son, reminding me of the life I lost.
And when danger finds them, I'm forced to make the choice that will change my life forever.]]> 346 Scarlett Cole 1917410034 cloudy 4 4.32 2025
author: Scarlett Cole
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/24
date added: 2025/01/24
shelves: genre-dark-romance, tropes-mc-romance, universe-s-cole, series-iron-outlaws-colorado, tropes-cowboy-romance, tropes-small-town-romance
review:
how can a book about grief be a breath of fresh air? i’ll be honest, i wasn’t expecting to fall in love with this story as hard nor as quickly as i did. not that i don’t like this author’s work, on the contrary, but this was uncharted territory for me. a biker slash cowboy who’s a widower is unheard of, especially in the realm of mc, dark romance. these men are so reluctant to even claim an old lady, that the fact that the mmc had 2 great loves was tremendous. and so beautiful. the og series will always hold a special place in my heart, it’s the mother chapter, but these small town brothers already own a piece of me.
]]> 61681786 Callahan
I’m the Kane brother everyone gossips about behind closed doors.
Trust fund brat. Washed-up athlete. High-functioning alcoholic.
No one knows the real me but her.
Lana Castillo—my childhood best friend and the only woman I ever loved.
When I broke her heart six years ago, I promised to never return to Lake Wisteria.
I kept my word until my grandfather’s will changed everything.
To receive my inheritance, I was tasked with spending a summer at the family lake house before selling it.
The request was simple in theory until my entire plan blew up on the very first day.
Turns out Lana doesn’t just live at the house, but she claims to own it, too.

Alana
Falling in love with Callahan Kane was a mistake.
He told me so before destroying my heart and our friendship six summers ago.
When he promised never to come back, I foolishly believed him.
But then Cal showed up again, intending to sell his grandfather’s lake house.
The biggest flaw in his plan?
My name is on the deed.]]> 583 Lauren Asher 172827222X cloudy 0 4.18 2023
author: Lauren Asher
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: dnf, universe-lauren-asher, series-dreamland-billionaires, genre-contemporary-romance, tropes-billionare-romance, dnf-series
review:

]]> 58143869 He's an arrogant MMA fighter that can't afford any distractions.
This isn't the kind of fight they're used to...
When Remy is suddenly evicted from her apartment, her best friend offers to let her crash at his house while he's traveling for work. The only problem is, she can't stand his arrogant, self-centered roommate, Tristan.

Now, she has to figure out how to live in the same house with him for ten days while dealing with all the temptation that comes with�� including punching Tristan’s smug face in. But when one night strips them of their masks and exposes the truth, they’re forced to reexamine how they really feel about each other.

While Remy struggles with her attraction to this notorious womanizer, Tristan has to decide if his feelings for Remy are worth it, or if they'll just distract him from his longtime goal of becoming a world champion.

Can Tristan and Remy drop their guards long enough to fall in love? Or will old prejudices deliver the final blow?
Scroll up to dive into the world of Philly MMA today!]]> 422 Nikki Castle cloudy 4 4.01 2021
author: Nikki Castle
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2023/02/14
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: series-fight-game, genre-contemporary-romance, tropes-sports-romance, dnf-series
review:
i enjoyed this one more than the third book in the series, but yet again it dragged for no reason; there was no need for over 400 pages to resolve a pretty straightforward plot and predictable conflict to begin with, and with the chapters being as long as they are i found myself skimming through pages more than once or twice. the characters and dynamics are likeable but as much as i'm interested in future couples i don't know if that and the spice us enough to convince me to read the other books.
]]> 61229392
The Rogues Division is a top-secret, highly-classified, “I’d tell you but I’d have to kill you�� kind of organization. The kind of organization the government pretends not to love having at its disposal. 

And we just got our newest recruit…Lachlan King, the sexy billionaire playboy who seduced me into one night of wild, soul-shattering, sex.

When I slipped out of his bed three months ago, I never expected to see him again. My future is set. I’m going to be a Rogues field agent. And field agents don’t date. Not to mention it’s forbidden to date each other. I’m relieved when he also pretends not to know me, so we can avoid any office awkwardness--until I realize he isn’t pretending. 

Even worse luck, I’m assigned to play his lover in the field.

Okay, okay, deep breath. This mission will be easy. All I need to do is pretend to be madly in love with him and make sure neither of us die. Oh and remember this isn’t real. I’ve got to remember that. I cannot let this playboy seduce me again no matter what my belly does when he looks at me like I’m his.

Lachlan “the King,�� however, has thrown himself into our undercover assignment a little too whole heartedly. He’s hell bent and determined on being as convincing as possible.

But there’s no way I’m letting him fake-husband me back into bed. I won’t fall for him this time. I won’t. Will I?]]> 402 Nana Malone cloudy 3 4.03 2022
author: Nana Malone
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/01/12
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: series-gentlemen-rogues, tropes-billionare-romance, genre-contemporary-romance, dnf-series
review:
i thought my issues with this story would be resolved after the novella that introduced it but no such luck. the problem with this was the execution because what the book tried to be was promising, it just never delivered. it dragged, the pacing was even worse this time around and i won't even mention the dialogue. i really wish i liked this because the next few books sound intriguing but then again so did this and i once fooled once already.
]]> 51583112
His male boss.

Why, hello, midlife crisis. I’m starting over, but this time I’m doing it right. Or at least I’m doing what I want.

Taking the day off from work to hang out poolside? Yup. Do I leave the swimsuit in my house? Sure.

Does my very hot, twenty-something pool boy happen to catch me naked? Oh, yeah, he does. And he likes what he sees�� a lot.

My best friend keeps telling me to have a fling and get back out there. But I’m not so sure she meant for me to do it with her son.]]> 326 Nikki Sloane cloudy 5 3.71 2020
author: Nikki Sloane
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2022/04/15
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: series-nashville-neighborhood, genre-contemporary-romance, dnf-series
review:
this gave everything i didn't know i needed and more. i can't believe i almost didn't read this one after being disappointed with the other two, given that i've never seen anyone recommend this but they did the doctor and the architect and i wasn't convinced. don't get me wrong, i love an age-gap as much as the next girl, but reverse? fuck if i don't understand now what's the fuss is all about because since i'm gay and (clearly) have mommy issues, milfs, without the kids, are my weakness.
]]> 56015874
Release date to be announced]]> Danielle Lori cloudy 0 4.25
author: Danielle Lori
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.25
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: dnf, series-made, tropes-mafia-romance, genre-dark-romance, dnf-series
review:

]]> 42414680
After moving to the quaint-sounding town of Alluring, Ruby is sure she's going to die from boredom, unaware of the danger lurking in the shadows. When that danger reveals itself in the form of tall, blonde, and lethal -- to Ruby, it's game on. After tangling with the leader of the notorious motorcycle gang -- The Dark Angels -- Ruby quickly learns she is no longer in charge, ruffling her dominant feathers.

Take a ride with Rae and Ruby, the women from the thrilling biker series Kitten and learn how their relationship began. Sex, passion, motorcycles, and an undeniable, explosive chemistry that will leave you begging for more.]]> 55 Char Dafoe cloudy 0 4.34
author: Char Dafoe
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.34
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: sapphic-dark, sapphic-novellas, dnf, dnf-series
review:

]]> 60306208
Beautiful.
Smart.
Sweet.
Innocent.

At Lancaster Prep, the girls love her. They all want to be her friend. Only I see Wren for who she really is.

A repressed little virgin who keeps her feelings locked up so tight she’s probably close to bursting. She thinks she’s above us all.

Even me.

I shouldn’t be drawn to her. She’s not my type.

Until we’re forced to work together in class and realize we might have more things in common than we originally thought. Soon enough I find myself completely obsessed. I will do anything for this girl to make her fall in love with me.

Anything.]]> 552 Monica Murphy cloudy 5 3.73 2022
author: Monica Murphy
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/04/09
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: series-lancaster-prep, genre-contemporary-romance, tropes-high-school-college-romance, tropes-billionare-romance, dnf-series
review:
this boy is the biggest simp with a capital S, probably one of the most romantic books i've read. i especially loved the fact there was no third act breakup. and the title, how it played into the story, the symbolism behind it... just heartwarming.
]]> 59420470 ��
It’s bad enough being the only female owner of the Salacious Players�� Club, but I’m also the only one without a kink, or so I thought. ��
��
Imagine my surprise when the kink quiz suggests that I’m not so vanilla after all. ��
��
In fact, I’m a lot more like Emerson Grant than I thought.��
Just one problem—I have no idea how to be a Domme.��
��
That is, until the app matches me with someone willing to help me learn. ��
��
He’s too young for me.��
Too stubborn. Too good looking. ��
And, oh yeah, my friend’s son.��
��
Beau Grant is a brat. I’d hate that about him if I didn’t love punishing him so much. ��
Underneath all of that attitude is a man who is misunderstood, selfless, and in need of direction.��
��
But if he wants mercy, he has to earn it. ��
��
There are a million reasons why I should stay away, but I’m tired of doing what everyone thinks I should do.��
��
I finally know what I want, and I’m ready to take what’s mine.⁠]]> 384 Sara Cate cloudy 3 4.08 2022
author: Sara Cate
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2022/08/25
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: series-salacious-players-club, genre-contemporary-romance, dnf-series
review:
this book had everything to be perfect and i am frustrated it didn't reach half its true potential. at first it seemed off to a good start, exploring maggie's struggles and feminism in not only a male oriented and dominant industry, but in her close friend group, but even that was quickly directed to emerson, as everything else in the book honestly; he was given so much protagonism it actually invalidated the fmc, just like her inner monolog recognized and battled with. yes, he's beau's dad and his story would inevitably involve the repercussions of the events in the first book of this series, but enough is enough. maggie kept comparing her sexuality/kinks to his (and this was just "praise" in reverse, reverse age gap, domme/sub... their safe word was even the same emerson shares with charlie, which is the title of the book, "mercy"). beau entered the "experiment" as the ultimate form of rebellion against his father. the amount of excuses made to apologize this boy's behavior, the perpetuation of him not taking accountability (because backhanded apologies while he still thinks his dad actually stole his ex girlfriend who we wasn't with and had cheated on isn't being accountable, just trying to rid yourself of a guilty conscience) was just unreasonable. oftentimes maggie felt like his therapist more than a partner, and she herself rationalized wanting to fix him... when in the beginning of the book she kept, rightfully so, complaining and wanting to distance herself from feeling/being seen as a nanny and babysitting men.
]]> 63843944
Amo
Do you believe in love at first sight? In a love so strong and bright, it ignites you even in your darkest hours? Do you believe that somewhere in this world there’s someone who’s destined to be your other half? Your soulmate?
I didn’t.
Until I met her.
Greta Falcone.
Protected mafia princess from the madmen of Las Vegas, she’s forbidden to me.

Greta
My love for my family and my animals was all I needed. I never thought I’d fall in love. Until I met him.
Amo Vitiello. Future Capo of the Famiglia. Cruel and cold. The smiles that he has only for me quiet the chaos in my head.
What if you find your soulmate at the wrong time?
I knew the cruelest men, and yet nothing could ever be crueler than fate itself.]]> 466 Cora Reilly cloudy 0 4.08 2022
author: Cora Reilly
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: universe-cora-reilly, dnf, tropes-mafia-romance, series-sins-of-the-fathers, genre-dark-romance, dnf-series
review:

]]> 181315982 Naya
It’s been a month since I left what happened in my past behind. I was looking for a new beginning, a new place to call home. And I found it in Springfield, Tennessee. But the guilt of leaving my sick papa behind, along with the stress of keeping my new veterinary clinic afloat, don’t allow me to fully move on.

A new opportunity lands at my doorstep when I’m also offered a job as the new vet at the largest ranch in town. I accept, even though my client, Callan Hudson, is a grumpy and closed off rancher who knows exactly how to get under my skin. I’m supposed to hate him, but he somehow makes me feel safe, cherished, seen.

When my old life catches up to me, I find myself in danger again, which pushes me more and more into the arms of my new ‘nemesis��. Eventually, I have to return to Raleigh, where I’m forced to face the demons of my past, causing me to question everything I thought I knew.

Callan
Being the Founder and President of the Sinners & Saints Motorcycle Club is no small task. I didn’t gain the name, King, for no reason. I’m ruthless when necessary, but protective of my people. That aside, all my time and energy go into my ranch, All Saints. The cowboy life is in my blood, after all.

When my stallion falls ill, I’m tasked with finding a new doctor. But I never expected the vet to be a small, fiery pain in my ass. Naya Ohara is a thorn in my side, the source of my frustration, and everything I never knew I needed.

One day, the President of the Raleigh Riders, our rivals, reappears fifteen years after an almost deadly encounter. But what brings him to town so suddenly?

Naya’s involvement soon becomes clear, and she’s no longer safe. My instinct to protect her makes me throw caution to the wind. So, when she leaves, I decide to go after her, putting myself and my crew at risk.]]> Danielle Sarah cloudy 5 this felt reminiscent of "skeletons of society" by marie maravilla, and i adore that book. aside from the overall nostalgia of it, i say this because of how women were written and portrayed. the fmc was badass, she was relentless, she gave as much as she got, but none of that took away from her softness, from her beauty, from the way she was perceived. for a supposed damsel in distress, naya was one strong character that didn’t need "saving". she reminded me of ryan from skeletons as much as the bromance between king and dav called up to gunner and dex, i felt a familiarity with these characters that brought me comfort.

* i was sent an arc by the authors in exchange for a honest review]]> 4.24
author: Danielle Sarah
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.24
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/05
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: genre-dark-romance, tropes-mafia-romance, tropes-mc-romance, tropes-cowboy-romance, tropes-badass-fmc, series-sinners-and-saints, universe-nouha-jullienne
review:
i wasn't sure how the authors were going to combine the small town essence of cowboys with the criminal heart of bikers, but it worked, it made sense. one detail about that dichotomy that stuck with me was the parallel between the mmc riding his bike vs. riding his horse. the almost reverence in the physical response brothers of a motorcycle club always experience when riding their hogs is such a big part of their identity, so i was intrigued about how the fact that they were also cowboys would play into that. and it was seamless, beautiful even, the way callan described how he felt when horseback riding; he wasn’t just one thing or the other. both elements played a part in the story, although i wish the hierarchy and brotherhood of the mc had been more developed. i hope that's explored in depth in future books, given how more dimension was built around the rancher life, which made sense for the plot of this particular couple so i don't fault it.
this felt reminiscent of "skeletons of society" by marie maravilla, and i adore that book. aside from the overall nostalgia of it, i say this because of how women were written and portrayed. the fmc was badass, she was relentless, she gave as much as she got, but none of that took away from her softness, from her beauty, from the way she was perceived. for a supposed damsel in distress, naya was one strong character that didn’t need "saving". she reminded me of ryan from skeletons as much as the bromance between king and dav called up to gunner and dex, i felt a familiarity with these characters that brought me comfort.

* i was sent an arc by the authors in exchange for a honest review
]]> 213393710 A steamy hot, obsessive anti-hero, standalone romantic suspense by USA Today Bestselling Author Jane Henry

They call him the executioner.
Some say monster.
Dishonorably discharged from the military, he runs a highly secret, clandestine
operation, and has everything I need to find the justice I crave.
Power players at his disposal.
An insatiable hunger for justice.
A reckless disregard for the law.
I offer him my skills, but that's not what he wants...
He wants me.
And Cain Master always gets what he wants.

Please note: Obsession: A Dark Romantic Suspense Novel was previously published as Vengeance and Atonement, The Master's Protégé duet, now revised and combined to one full length novel. ]]> 472 Jane Henry 1961866129 cloudy 4 “no need for you? jusus. you’re my world. without you, i lose my center. i lose everything.��

this felt different yet somehow still had the same feel and essence to it that the other books i’ve read from this author have accustomed me to. as always, as i’ve come to expect from this author, the fmc was just as, if not more, badass than the mmc and i quickly got obsessed with her (no pun intended). a very strong start that hooked me to the pages right away and the gripping tension made this a page turner i simply couldn’t put down. i will say, though, you could tell this had previously been published as a duet and was now combined into one novel because the resolution of the first big plot was very evident in the sense where it separated the two halves within the story. so there were some unnecessary explanations that could’ve been cut from this since there wasn’t a break between the different conflicts. aside from that, it was still a quick read and didn’t feel long, dragged or repetitive at all. the found family element to this was yet another stapler of this author and she does it all so well.

* i was sent an arc by valentine pr in exchange for a honest review]]> 4.27
author: Jane Henry
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.27
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/14
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: genre-dark-romance, standalones, tropes-badass-fmc, tropes-stalker-romance, tropes-mafia-romance, universe-jane-henry
review:
“no need for you? jusus. you’re my world. without you, i lose my center. i lose everything.��

this felt different yet somehow still had the same feel and essence to it that the other books i’ve read from this author have accustomed me to. as always, as i’ve come to expect from this author, the fmc was just as, if not more, badass than the mmc and i quickly got obsessed with her (no pun intended). a very strong start that hooked me to the pages right away and the gripping tension made this a page turner i simply couldn’t put down. i will say, though, you could tell this had previously been published as a duet and was now combined into one novel because the resolution of the first big plot was very evident in the sense where it separated the two halves within the story. so there were some unnecessary explanations that could’ve been cut from this since there wasn’t a break between the different conflicts. aside from that, it was still a quick read and didn’t feel long, dragged or repetitive at all. the found family element to this was yet another stapler of this author and she does it all so well.

* i was sent an arc by valentine pr in exchange for a honest review
]]> 58746714
But when corpses start showing up in the water, the isolated town becomes the face of a cryptic investigation.
At the heart of which stands Lincoln Porter, a grumpy ex-SEAL whose lobstering business seems to attract more dead bodies than fish.

When homicide expert Detective Sloane is called in to assist with the case, she begins digging up skeletons; ones that Lincoln would rather stay buried.

Forced to work together, Sloane’s suspicious attitude and optimistic demeanor grate on the lobsterman’s nerves, resulting in a rivalry that’s as addicting as it is volatile.

But as everything unravels and they have no one else to trust, Lincoln and Sloane must depend on each other to figure out what secrets should be brought to light��

...and which secrets should stay hidden.

**

*Be Still My Heart is a full-length, complete standalone featuring mature themes and content that may not be suitable for all audiences. Reader discretion is advised.*]]> 452 Emily McIntire 1737508397 cloudy 5 3.99
author: Emily McIntire
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.99
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2022/05/17
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: favorites, genre-dark-romance, tropes-gothic-romance, standalones, tropes-amnesia-romance, spooky-season, universe-emily-mcintire, universe-sav-r-miller
review:
be still my heart indeed because this book came for it. i don't remember being this entranced with a story since reading "gothikana" and i think the suspense really soothed me in a way that made me connect to the characters on a psychological level. everything i love about sav and emily's writing was almost enhanced by the other, creating this symbiotic poetry with an eerie mysterious aura that devastated me in the best possible way.
]]> 59766350 My second began with his brother.

From Wall Street Journal bestseller Parker S. Huntington comes a broken love story laced with angst and forbidden romance.

I wasn’t supposed to be on that roof on Valentine’s Day.

Neither was Kellan Marchetti, the school’s designated freak.

We met on the verge of ending our lives.

Somehow, the tattered strings of our tragedies tangled and tightened into an unlikely bond.

We decided not to take the plunge and agreed to check on each other every Valentine’s Day until school ended.

Same time.

One roof.

Two restless souls.

We kept our promise for three years.

On the fourth, Kellan made a decision, and I was left to deal with the consequences.

Just when I thought our story ended, another one began.

They say all love stories look the same and taste different.

Mine was venomous, disgraceful, and written in scarlet scars.

My name is Charlotte Richards, but you can call me Venom.]]> 712 Parker S. Huntington cloudy 5 suicide is a war of two fears �� fear of death and fear of the thing that pushes you toward it. the stronger side always wins. and if you lose, the penalty is death.

some books come to us at certain points in life and have the power to shape us; there's such a stark contrast between the two stories that molded me that encompass the spectrum from surviving to living.
i was barely even a teenager when i read "all the bright places", around the same time i was first diagnosed with depression. i went through denial. self-pity. anger. romanticized that piece of fiction that was a representation of my reality.

"his death began way before he stopped breathing. suicide is a long road with a dead-end. it isn’t instant. there are pit stops along the way."

as barely even an adult, reading "darling venom", while still struggling with mental illness, feels monumental. i've come to accept it, but it’s still a long road to self-love. fiction helps to desensitize the gap in reality when it comes to the taboo surrounding suicide, in the way that it simply addresses, instead of pretending it doesn't exist. people grieve suicide differently. they also grieve the living when you’re mentally ill.
the thing is, suicide ideation is grieving your own life before you're even dead. like it's said in the book, it doesn't just happen. you can't always even pinpoint when it started, only that it's there. and this story didn't shy from the ugliness of it, the rawness. it portrayed various battles with depression, showing that not all journeys are the same. different coping mechanics. two sides of suicide ideation.
one line of dialogue that stuck with me was when charlie admitted she thought kellan was strong for enduring so much pain until fear ultimately won the battle against his life. i can't express the gratitude i felt hearing that. more often than not, we're depicted as weak for struggling and selfish for succumbing. so to have that acknowledgement of the strength it takes to survive, not even live, was liberating. healing.]]> 4.38 2021
author: Parker S. Huntington
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2022/01/02
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: standalones, favorites, genre-dark-romance, universe-parker-s-huntington
review:
suicide is a war of two fears �� fear of death and fear of the thing that pushes you toward it. the stronger side always wins. and if you lose, the penalty is death.

some books come to us at certain points in life and have the power to shape us; there's such a stark contrast between the two stories that molded me that encompass the spectrum from surviving to living.
i was barely even a teenager when i read "all the bright places", around the same time i was first diagnosed with depression. i went through denial. self-pity. anger. romanticized that piece of fiction that was a representation of my reality.

"his death began way before he stopped breathing. suicide is a long road with a dead-end. it isn’t instant. there are pit stops along the way."

as barely even an adult, reading "darling venom", while still struggling with mental illness, feels monumental. i've come to accept it, but it’s still a long road to self-love. fiction helps to desensitize the gap in reality when it comes to the taboo surrounding suicide, in the way that it simply addresses, instead of pretending it doesn't exist. people grieve suicide differently. they also grieve the living when you’re mentally ill.
the thing is, suicide ideation is grieving your own life before you're even dead. like it's said in the book, it doesn't just happen. you can't always even pinpoint when it started, only that it's there. and this story didn't shy from the ugliness of it, the rawness. it portrayed various battles with depression, showing that not all journeys are the same. different coping mechanics. two sides of suicide ideation.
one line of dialogue that stuck with me was when charlie admitted she thought kellan was strong for enduring so much pain until fear ultimately won the battle against his life. i can't express the gratitude i felt hearing that. more often than not, we're depicted as weak for struggling and selfish for succumbing. so to have that acknowledgement of the strength it takes to survive, not even live, was liberating. healing.
]]> 39555142 JORDAN

He took me in when I had nowhere else to go. He doesn’t use me, hurt me, or forget about me. He listens to me, protects me, and sees me. I can feel his eyes on me over the breakfast table, and my heart pumps so hard when I hear him pull in the driveway after work.

I have to stop this. It can’t happen.

My sister once told me there are no good men, and if you find one, he’s probably unavailable. Only Pike Lawson isn’t the unavailable one.
I am.

PIKE

I took her in, because I thought I was helping. As the days go by, though, it’s becoming anything but easy. I have to stop my mind from drifting to her and stop holding my breath every time I bump into her in the house. I can’t touch her, and I shouldn’t want to.

But we’re not free to give into this. She’s nineteen, and I’m thirty-eight.

And her boyfriend’s father.

Unfortunately, they both just moved into my house.]]> 349 Penelope Douglas cloudy 4 3.85 2018
author: Penelope Douglas
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2021/11/18
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: standalones, genre-contemporary-romance, universe-penelope-douglas
review:

]]> 50724063 But that would require acknowledging one another, which we haven’t done in over a decade.

He’s the town’s golden child. The beloved quarterback-turned-physician.
I’m the girl who got knocked up at sixteen and now works at a diner.

He is Fairhope royalty.
I get my monarch dose from tabloid gossip.

He’s well-off.
I’m…well, off.

When our siblings get engaged, Cruz’s parents invite both families to a pre-wedding cruise.
Except Cruz and I find ourselves stuck on a different ship from everyone else.
Cue ten horrible, insufferable days at sea with a man I cannot stand.
(My fault, of course.)
But when the alcohol pours in, the secrets spill out, and I’m left with one question:
Can I take another chance on love?]]> 378 L.J. Shen cloudy 2 4.02 2021
author: L.J. Shen
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2021/11/16
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: standalones, genre-contemporary-romance, universe-lj-shen
review:

]]> 50724052 From USA Today bestselling author L. J. Shen comes a second-chance romance about love, loss, finding yourself, and getting lost in the right person.

Maddie Goldbloom stitched up a plan to ensure everything in her life was perfect—from a career in fashion to a chic NYC apartment to a pediatrician boyfriend.

When her ex, Chase Black, storms back into her life with an outrageous request, her immediate reaction is to refuse him. But he only wants to fulfill his father’s last wish. So even though he’s the man who broke her heart, playing his fiancée shouldn’t be hard, especially if it means she gets to watch the arrogant devil squirm a bit.

What ensues is a chain of events that detonates Maddie’s life—and when Chase’s walls come down, they both are forced to face reality.

They say keep your enemies close. But what if your enemy is also the man you love?
]]> 369 L.J. Shen 1542025540 cloudy 4 4.12 2021
author: L.J. Shen
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/10/08
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: standalones, genre-contemporary-romance, tropes-billionare-romance, universe-lj-shen
review:

]]> 48854978 A broken boy on the path to destruction.
A scarred girl without direction.
A love story carved in secrets, inked with pain and sealed with a lie.

Grace Shaw and West St. Claire are arctic opposites.
She is the strange girl from the food truck.
He is the mysterious underground fighter who stormed into her sleepy Texan college town on his motorcycle one day, and has been wreaking havoc since.
She is invisible to the world.
He is the town’s beloved bad boy.
She is a reject.
He is trouble.
When West thrusts himself into Grace’s quiet life, she scrambles to figure out if he is her happily-ever-after or tragic ending.
But the harder she pushes him away, the more he pulls her out of her shell.
Grace doesn’t know much about anything beyond her town’s limits, but she does know this:
She is falling in love with the hottest guy in Sheridan U.
And when you play with fire—you ought to get burned.]]> 436 L.J. Shen 8680019216 cloudy 3 per se, i mean, the book is well-liked for a reason, but there’s just some things i can’t see past. like the way west’s suicidal ideation was overlooked and downplayed, i know this is a lighthearted new adult romance book, but as someone who’s suffers from mental illness it just didn’t sit well with me. it either should’ve been addressed properly or not mentioned at all, because there’s a fine line between portraying and romanticizing depression. and him stating he “realized�� he didn’t want to d*e anymore because of a girl... everyone’s experiences are different and valid, far from me to speak for everyone, but to keep perpetuating the notion that love “cures�� mental illness is dangerous and reading those lines broke me. maybe i’m being unfair �� and i’m not, in any way shape or form, trying to accuse the author of anything, i love shen’s books ��, and other people might relate to and see themselves and their experiences in this book, it’s just that for me personally felt dismissive]]> 4.06 2020
author: L.J. Shen
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2021/10/07
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: standalones, genre-contemporary-romance, tropes-high-school-college-romance, tropes-sports-romance, universe-lj-shen
review:
i really wanted to like this book and it’s not that i didn’t enjoy it per se, i mean, the book is well-liked for a reason, but there’s just some things i can’t see past. like the way west’s suicidal ideation was overlooked and downplayed, i know this is a lighthearted new adult romance book, but as someone who’s suffers from mental illness it just didn’t sit well with me. it either should’ve been addressed properly or not mentioned at all, because there’s a fine line between portraying and romanticizing depression. and him stating he “realized�� he didn’t want to d*e anymore because of a girl... everyone’s experiences are different and valid, far from me to speak for everyone, but to keep perpetuating the notion that love “cures�� mental illness is dangerous and reading those lines broke me. maybe i’m being unfair �� and i’m not, in any way shape or form, trying to accuse the author of anything, i love shen’s books ��, and other people might relate to and see themselves and their experiences in this book, it’s just that for me personally felt dismissive
]]> 38396994 standalone, enemies-to-lovers romance.

Célian Laurent.
Manhattan royalty.
Notorious playboy.
Heir to a media empire.
...And my new boss.

I could have impressed him, if not for last month's unforgettable one-night stand.
I left it with more than orgasms and a pleasant memory--namely, his wallet.
Now he's staring me down like I'm the dirt under his Italian loafers, and I'm supposed to take it.
But the thing about being Judith "Jude" Humphry is I have nothing to lose.
Brooklyn girl.
Infamously quirky.
Heir to a stack of medical bills and a tattered couch.
When he looks at me from across the room, I see the glint in his eyes, and that makes us rivals.
He knows it.
So do I.
Every day in the newsroom is a battle.
Every night in his bed, war.
But it's my heart at stake, and I fear I'll be raising the white flag.]]> 328 L.J. Shen 1732624704 cloudy 4 4.00 2018
author: L.J. Shen
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2021/10/06
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: standalones, genre-contemporary-romance, tropes-billionare-romance, universe-lj-shen
review:

]]> 36376514 I needed the money. He needed a babysitter to keep him from snorting himself to death.
I was cherry-picked especially for him. Responsible. Optimistic. Warm. Innocent.
The worst part is that I should have known better.
Alex Winslow. British rock star. Serial heartbreaker. Casanova with whiskey eyes.
“Don’t get near the devil in a leather jacket. He’ll chew you up and spit you out.��
Guess what? I didn’t listen.
I signed the contract.
World tour. Three months. Four Continents. One hundred shows.
My name is Indigo Bellamy, and I sold my soul to a tattooed god.
Problem was, my soul wasn’t enough for Alex Winslow. He ended up taking my body, too.
Then he took my heart.
Then he took my all.

From bestselling author L.J. Shen, comes a new, standalone, contemporary romance.]]> 339 L.J. Shen 0996135693 cloudy 5 3.99 2018
author: L.J. Shen
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2021/09/15
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: standalones, genre-contemporary-romance, tropes-rockstar-romance, universe-lj-shen
review:
shen has a way with words, but the lyrics? they completely and irrevocably broke me and patched me up together, inspiring me to get back to writing poetry about the love i haven't experienced and the pain i have
]]> 41450662
Mine was stolen by a devil in a masquerade mask under the black Chicago sky.

They say the vows you take on your wedding day are sacred.

Mine were broken before we left church.

They say your heart only beats for one man.

Mine split and bled for two rivals who fought for it until the bitter end.

I was promised to Angelo Bandini, the heir to one of the most powerful families in the Chicago Outfit.

Then taken by Senator Wolfe Keaton, who held my father’s sins over his head to force me into marriage.

They say that all great love stories have a happy ending.

I, Francesca Rossi, found myself erasing and rewriting mine until the very last chapter.

One kiss.
Two men.
Three lives.
Entwined together.

And somewhere between these two men, I had to find my forever.
]]> 320 L.J. Shen 1793307504 cloudy 4 3.75 2019
author: L.J. Shen
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2021/09/12
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: standalones, genre-contemporary-romance, tropes-billionare-romance, tropes-mafia-romance, universe-lj-shen
review:

]]> 54661258
𝑨𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔, 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒎 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔... 𝑮𝒆𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒚!

𝘾𝙇𝘼𝙔

Marymount girls are good girls. We’re chaste, we’re untouched, and even if we weren’t, no one would know, because we keep our mouths shut.

Not that I have anything to share anyway. I never let guys go too far. I’m behaved.

Beautiful, smart, talented, popular, my skirt’s always pressed, and I never have a hair out of place. I own the hallways, walking tall on Monday and dropping to my knees like the good Catholic girl I am on Sunday.

That’s me. Always in control.

Or so they think. The truth is that it’s easy for me to resist them, because what I truly want, they can never be. Something soft and smooth. Someone dangerous and wild.

Unfortunately, what I want I have to hide. In the locker room after hours. In the bathroom stall between classes. In the showers after practice. 𝑀𝑦 ℎ𝑒𝑎�� 𝑠𝑤𝑖𝑚𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝑀𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑛�� 𝑢𝑝 ℎ𝑒�� 𝑠𝑘𝑖𝑟𝑡.

For me, life is a web of secrets. No one can find out mine.

𝙊𝙇𝙄��𝙄𝘼

I cross the tracks every day for one reason—to graduate from this school and get into the Ivy League. I’m not ashamed of where I come from, my family, or how everyone at Marymount thinks my skirts are too short and my lipstick is too red.

Clay Collins and her friends have always turned up their noses at me. The witch with her beautiful skin, clean shoes, and rich parents who torments me daily and thinks I won’t fight back.

At least not until I get her alone and find out she’s hiding so much more than just what’s underneath those pretty clothes.

The princess thinks I’ll scratch her itch. She thinks she’s still pure as long as it’s not a guy touching her.

I told her to stay on her side of town. I told her not to cross the tracks.

But one night, she did. And when I’m done with her, she’ll never be pure again.

*TRYST SIX VENOM is a standalone, new adult, bully romance suitable for readers 18+. It will release directly into Kindle Unlimited!]]> 589 Penelope Douglas cloudy 4 3.85 2021
author: Penelope Douglas
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/01
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: sapphic-dark, standalones, universe-penelope-douglas
review:

]]> 41021967
Misha

I can’t help but smile at the words in her letter. She misses me.

In fifth grade, my teacher set us up with pen pals from a different school. Thinking I was a girl, with a name like Misha, the other teacher paired me up with her student, Ryen. My teacher, believing Ryen was a boy like me, agreed.

It didn’t take long for us to figure out the mistake. And in no time at all, we were arguing about everything. The best take-out pizza. Android vs. iPhone. Whether or not Eminem is the greatest rapper ever��

And that was the start. For the next seven years, it was us.

Her letters are always on black paper with silver writing. Sometimes there’s one a week or three in a day, but I need them. She’s the only one who keeps me on track, talks me down, and accepts everything I am.

We only had three rules. No social media, no phone numbers, no pictures. We had a good thing going. Why ruin it?

Until I run across a photo of a girl online. Name’s Ryen, loves Gallo’s pizza, and worships her iPhone. What are the chances?

F*ck it. I need to meet her.

I just don’t expect to hate what I find.

Ryen

He hasn’t written in three months. Something’s wrong. Did he die? Get arrested? Knowing Misha, neither would be a stretch.

Without him around, I’m going crazy. I need to know someone is listening. It’s my own fault. I should've gotten his number or picture or something.

He could be gone forever.

Or right under my nose, and I wouldn’t even know it.]]> 343 Penelope Douglas 1952646049 cloudy 4 3.76 2016
author: Penelope Douglas
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/01
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: standalones, genre-contemporary-romance, tropes-high-school-college-romance, universe-penelope-douglas
review:

]]> 217404453 A steamy, arranged marriage, enemies to-lovers, wallflower romance by USA Today bestselling author Jane Henry

Scarred. Overlooked. Tainted.
Born into the ruthless underworld, I’ve been cast aside. I’m locked in a cage of lies and betrayal, now framed for a crime I didn’t commit.

But then he came for me.
Ollie Romanov, the savage enforcer, believes I’m a traitor.

He’s ruthless, merciless, and prepared to make me pay for my sins.
To him, I’m nothing more than a pawn to punish. A traitor to be broken.

Yet beneath the cold, brutal exterior, I see something more—a darkness that calls to my own.

I shouldn’t crave the twisted connection we share. I swear the man has no conscience��
Except when it comes to me.

Have I married a heartless monster? A psychopath?
Or has this Savage finally found his match in me?


Savage is a standalone dark romance with a strong, fierce heroine and an unapologetically obsessive, possessive , alpha anti-hero. No OW drama, no cliffhanger, always an HEA. ]]> 348 Jane Henry cloudy 4
* i was sent an arc by valentine pr in exchange for a honest review]]> 4.15
author: Jane Henry
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.15
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/24
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: genre-dark-romance, series-wicked-vows, tropes-mafia-romance, universe-jane-henry
review:
if i thought i knew what to expect going into this book, i was quickly proven wrong. the story didn’t exactly pick up where it was left off in the previous book and at first i found that choice weird because we were teased with the potential of this couple, but didn’t know anything about them before we were thrown at the middle of their story. but then as i read it, it made sense because the author weaved flashbacks in between every other chapter that explained their dynamic without having to spend too long in the past. i will say, though, these two were unreliable narrators and you only realize that by the end of the book which made for a very clever and entertaining little plot twist that left me gagged. they kept me on my toes, constantly wondering if they did love or hate each other which made for a very entertaining read.

* i was sent an arc by valentine pr in exchange for a honest review
]]> 214627120
In the dark shadows of the Bratva Underworld, where my family reigns, there are no rules �� only power.

My life is black and white. Every choice designed to protect my family and crush our enemies.

Trust is a luxury I can't afford.

Then she comes—Isabella Morales, disguised as a boy, burning with defiance and danger.

Forbidden fruit, the daughter of rival cartel, she holds secrets that could unravel everything I've fought for. Letting her live could be my demise.

But now she’s mine.

When she tries to run, I catch her. I vow I’ll punish her for what she’s done and teach her there’s no escape. But Isabella is no ordinary captive. Half crazed, fearless, and seductive, the line between captor and captive quickly blurs.

In a world where loyalty is bought with blood and fear, Isabella is the one weakness I can't afford. But as our enemies close in, we’re forced to navigate the deadly game of power and deceit.

I’ll bind her to me and make her mine in a battle where surrender is the ultimate sin.]]> 326 Jane Henry 1961866153 cloudy 5 i love having her at my command. to win the attention of a woman like this would be a man’s crowning joy. to win her devotion, his absolute triumph. beauty is fleeting, but her fire and brilliance, her indomitable spirit and fierce intelligence behind those captivating eyes �� now that’s what drives a man to his knees.

i always have a great reading experience with these books, and i do believe every time a new installment of the series comes out they keep getting better, but this one was by far the best. it’s no wonder, the story felt a bit reminiscent of some of my favorites. yet, what made it stand out was the fmc. which might sound a bit redundant, given how i rave about the female leads of this universe every single book, but isabella was everything; the author fully reached her potential and not only gave me another badass fmc, but she was ruthless and unhinged, exactly my type. her thought process was so enthralling, albeit unreliable at times, which i loved, and a testament to that was the fact that i wouldn’t have mind in the least if the entire book was written solely through her pov. however, i did fold for lev, out of all the brothers (except the last one that’s getting his story next) he’s my favorite, just like his girl. they’re the definition of power couple.

* i was sent an arc by valentine pr in exchange for a honest review]]> 4.21
author: Jane Henry
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.21
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/15
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: genre-dark-romance, series-wicked-vows, tropes-badass-fmc, tropes-cartel-romance, tropes-mafia-romance, universe-jane-henry
review:
i love having her at my command. to win the attention of a woman like this would be a man’s crowning joy. to win her devotion, his absolute triumph. beauty is fleeting, but her fire and brilliance, her indomitable spirit and fierce intelligence behind those captivating eyes �� now that’s what drives a man to his knees.

i always have a great reading experience with these books, and i do believe every time a new installment of the series comes out they keep getting better, but this one was by far the best. it’s no wonder, the story felt a bit reminiscent of some of my favorites. yet, what made it stand out was the fmc. which might sound a bit redundant, given how i rave about the female leads of this universe every single book, but isabella was everything; the author fully reached her potential and not only gave me another badass fmc, but she was ruthless and unhinged, exactly my type. her thought process was so enthralling, albeit unreliable at times, which i loved, and a testament to that was the fact that i wouldn’t have mind in the least if the entire book was written solely through her pov. however, i did fold for lev, out of all the brothers (except the last one that’s getting his story next) he’s my favorite, just like his girl. they’re the definition of power couple.

* i was sent an arc by valentine pr in exchange for a honest review
]]> 212388292
Beautiful and passionate, she’s fire and ice, and I want her. I need her.

Lydia is my prize. My spoils of war.

Only she doesn’t know that yet.

Forced into marriage with me to protect her from those that would destroy us, I vow to keep her secure at all costs�� even when she fights me tooth and nail.

Can I protect Lydia without consuming her, or will our love story end in ashes? The stakes have never been higher, and for Lydia�� I will burn the world.]]> 348 Jane Henry 1961866102 cloudy 4
* i was sent an arc by valentine pr in exchange for a honest review
]]> 4.00
author: Jane Henry
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/25
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: genre-dark-romance, series-wicked-vows, tropes-mafia-romance, tropes-stalker-romance, universe-jane-henry
review:
after the last book, i’m so glad this one went back to the essence of this series and the nuclear family’s home was the setting backdrop. these stories really set themselves apart from other mafia romances due to the different dynamics at play within the band of brothers and their wives. which doesn’t sound that “fresh��, but when paired with the roles the fmcs take in the brotherhood it makes these books standout. they’re not the darkest nor more complex, but they’re very entertaining. they deliver when it comes to characters and plots, and it’s always refreshing how the author takes well established tropes and gives them her own twist.

* i was sent an arc by valentine pr in exchange for a honest review

]]> 211019644
But Vera, clever and defiant, doesn’t want a bodyguard. Instead, she proposes a dangerous game: I’ll be her fake husband in public.

Vera is unlike anyone I’ve encountered—intelligent, gorgeous, untamed and untouched. Everything I want and nothing I can have.

The utter destruction and demise of my ultimate plan.

Consumed by desire, I choose a new tactic: seduction.

I vow to show her a world of both pleasure and pain, a world she’s only imagined in her darkest fantasies and the pages of her books. Yet, Vera proves to be more than a match for me, ensnaring me in her own game of temptation and turning me into a man obsessed.

Now, caught in a war between duty and passion�� I’m torn between the loyalty to my family and my seductive love for the enemy.

Seduction is a fully stand-alone novel in the Romanov Bratva universe. Guaranteed no other woman, no cheating, and always a hard-won happily ever after.]]> 333 Jane Henry 1961866064 cloudy 4
* i was sent an arc by valentine pr in exchange for a honest review]]> 3.84
author: Jane Henry
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.84
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/11
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: genre-dark-romance, series-wicked-vows, tropes-mafia-romance, universe-jane-henry
review:
this series continues to twist traditional mafia tropes in unconventional ways and this time was no difference. an alleged bodyguard romance where the mafia princess goes to russia to attend a prestigious project and ends up as a fake marriage but he's actually looking for revenge? it sounds so out of pocket but the author made it work. the couple's first interactions were hilarious, from how he pretended to only speak russian to create distance between them so she started to flirt with him in english, to how she introduced him as her husband, thinking he couldn't understand a word she said. these books really give a lightness to mafia romance without shying away from all the dark elements, there's just a great balance. i will say though, the only flaw for me was not having this book set in the same space as the previous ones because one of the main things about this series are the siblings and their dynamics, which where missing in this one and i felt that absence.

* i was sent an arc by valentine pr in exchange for a honest review
]]> 206165187 Where I go, he always follows.
Primal, Powerful, Possessive.
Aleksandr Romanov is my nemesis...
And my new husband.

He thinks I’m the spoiled mafia princess.
That I have the world at my fingertips.
I may be his new wife,
But he doesn’t know the real me.
No one does.

But when Aleksandr touches me,
He cuts me wide open,
As if trying to see the secrets I hide.

Every touch becomes foreplay,
Every look stokes our passion.
Our hatred turns to obsession.

But when he unearths the secrets I’ve kept well hidden from the world��
I have nowhere left to hide.
No one to save me from the truth,
No one to save me from my enemies��
No one to save me from the only man I’ve ever loved.

Sanctum is a standalone dark bratva, arranged marriage romance with a fiery, quick-witted heroine, and an irascible, smoldering-hot hero with “look at her and I’ll destroy you�� spirit. No cliffhanger. HEA included.]]> 350 Jane Henry 1961866048 cloudy 4
* i was sent an arc by valentine pr in exchange for a honest review]]> 3.95
author: Jane Henry
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.95
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/31
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: genre-dark-romance, series-wicked-vows, tropes-mafia-romance, universe-jane-henry
review:
if book one was a twist on the marriage of convenience trope, book two did arranged marriage like i had never read before. this was so unexpected, yet refreshing. similarly, just like in the previous book, in this one the fmc was also strong and badass; she was a beautiful addition to the family, and i truly appreciate how each female lead so far has one very specific set of skills that they excel at, beating one of the brothers (and therefore creating a different dynamic with said brother that isn’t their love interest �� which again, is so unheard of and one of those small details that make all the difference). i can’t wait for what this author has reserved for the series next, these book are great palate cleansers and a quick enjoyable read.

* i was sent an arc by valentine pr in exchange for a honest review
]]> 203696484 A monster wrapped in luxury and wealth.
Mikhail Romanov is my opposite in every way��
And my new husband.

In exchange for his protection��
He’ll demand everything from me.
My obedience. My submission.
My body.

But marriage is only the beginning.
I’ll have his baby, too.

I thought I was clever. A penniless hacker hiding from the world.
That no one would discover who I am and what I’ve done.
I was so wrong.

The Solution: Marry the man more powerful than my enemies.
While endless wealth and power don’t melt his icy glare��
The fiery tension between us threatens to combust every second we’re near.
Every command.
Every touch.

If I leave, I have nowhere to go.
I’m being hunted by his enemies.
But if I stay? I’m wedded to a monster who plans to keep me forever.

Please note: This is a dark Bratva romance with themes of forced marriage, dubious consent, and BDSM. Please read at your own discretion.]]> 362 Jane Henry 1961866013 cloudy 4 “if i’d only known you, i would’ve chased your shadow from the very first time i ever saw you. i would have reinvented myself, become the man you needed me to be just for the merest glimpse of your smile or a moment of your attention. i would have fought full armies for your favor and destroyed anyone or anything that pulled us apart. i would have razed the earth to clear a path to you and make you mine.��

this was a new to me author so i didn't know what to expect. i'm not one to venture much, i tend to stay in my comfort zone, especially when it comes to mafia romances. but i'm glad i took a gamble and applied for this arc. the story took an interesting twist of the marriage of covenience right off the bat by not making the fmc completely oblivious or weak. i only wish the start of the story wasn't so rushed and we'd been able to spend more time with her on the run to build suspension and tension. the self-aware inner monologue she had about her circumstances and stockholm syndrome served almost as comic relief as much as it made her more likeable because i was rooting for her to fall for her "captor". what i truly appreciated was the author not shying away from technical terms and talks, showing us and not just telling that the fmc is nerdy and a hacker. the fact that her skills came to play multiple times and weren't questioned for her being a woman was refreshing and empowering. i will say though, i could have gone without that rape threat at the beginning. but alas, the mmc turned into the biggest simp so i'll reluctantly ignore it.

* i was sent an arc by valentine pr in exchange for a honest review]]> 3.86
author: Jane Henry
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.86
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/26
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: genre-dark-romance, tropes-mafia-romance, series-wicked-vows, universe-jane-henry
review:
“if i’d only known you, i would’ve chased your shadow from the very first time i ever saw you. i would have reinvented myself, become the man you needed me to be just for the merest glimpse of your smile or a moment of your attention. i would have fought full armies for your favor and destroyed anyone or anything that pulled us apart. i would have razed the earth to clear a path to you and make you mine.��

this was a new to me author so i didn't know what to expect. i'm not one to venture much, i tend to stay in my comfort zone, especially when it comes to mafia romances. but i'm glad i took a gamble and applied for this arc. the story took an interesting twist of the marriage of covenience right off the bat by not making the fmc completely oblivious or weak. i only wish the start of the story wasn't so rushed and we'd been able to spend more time with her on the run to build suspension and tension. the self-aware inner monologue she had about her circumstances and stockholm syndrome served almost as comic relief as much as it made her more likeable because i was rooting for her to fall for her "captor". what i truly appreciated was the author not shying away from technical terms and talks, showing us and not just telling that the fmc is nerdy and a hacker. the fact that her skills came to play multiple times and weren't questioned for her being a woman was refreshing and empowering. i will say though, i could have gone without that rape threat at the beginning. but alas, the mmc turned into the biggest simp so i'll reluctantly ignore it.

* i was sent an arc by valentine pr in exchange for a honest review
]]> 55588809 From #1 Amazon Charts and WSJ Bestselling Author Ilsa Madden-Mills comes an all-new swoony romance between the football hottie and the mystery girl he kissed years before��

Dillon McQueen: Babe. I promise. You want me.
Serena Jensen: Um, who are you?

There’s a legend at Waylon University: the first girl you kiss freshman year at the bonfire party is the one you’ll never forget. She’ll crawl under your skin. She’ll spark a passion so fierce you’ll burn the world down to possess her.

You might even put a ring on it.

But...timing is everything. That kiss can go horribly wrong. She might run in the opposite direction. And boy, did Serena run.

Dillon is Waylon’s hotshot quarterback with something to prove. All he wants is to graduate and make it to the NFL. What he doesn’t need is to finally meet the mystery girl he kissed at the bonfire freshman year. Isn’t it enough that she’s haunted his dreams for more than a thousand nights?

Fate laughs in his face when he runs into the plucky girl at the Piggly Wiggly. Surrounded by his entourage, he’s got all the Oreos in his cart; she gets revenge by buying every six-pack of his favorite beer.

Obviously, that legend is a curse. She’s not his type and hates him. Worst of all, how can she not remember him when she left a Serena-shaped hole in his heart for the past three years?

So why can’t he stop trying to win her?

Will this quarterback score the girl or make the biggest fumble of his life?

���ܳٳ�ǰ�’s Note: I Promise You is a complete stand-alone college sports romance. Expect hot football jocks, strong women with pluck, a tell-it-like-it-is Nana, deep feels, fun banter, and a sigh-worthy happy ending. No cheating or cliff-hangers.

*Also read I Dare You, I Bet You, and I Hate You, ALL STAND-ALONE COLLEGE FOOTBALL ROMANCES.
]]> 422 Ilsa Madden-Mills cloudy 4 4.20 2020
author: Ilsa Madden-Mills
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/01
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: series-waylon-university, genre-contemporary-romance, tropes-sports-romance, tropes-high-school-college-romance, universe-ilsa-madden-mills
review:

]]> 52107385 WSJ bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills returns with an all-new, enemies-to-lovers second chance romance between the football hottie and the feisty nerd girl he can’t forget.

I want you . . . even when I hate you.

Blaze Townsend: I hate you.
Charisma Rossi: I hate you more.

She’s been expecting this ever since their latest showdown. She had good reason.

Hottest guy she’s ever seen.
Former fling.
Dumped her in front of all her friends.
At her own party.

So no, she’s not about to forgive and forget just because he sits next to her in class. He thinks all he has to do is turn on those baby blues, and she’ll melt right back into his arms. Please. She’d be crazy to let this cocky player affect her again. (Tell that to her body.)

Charisma Rossi.
Brainy girl with a dash of bad.
The one who got under his skin.
The one he cut loose.

Blaze knows she’s the riskiest prospect at Waylon University, but none of the interchangeable girls he hooks up with have ever made him feel the way she did. There’s absolutely no way he can have the girl and the game.

So why can’t he stop trying to win her back?

Can this wide receiver score the girl or will he make the biggest fumble of his life?

*Steamy and flirty with all the emotional feels, I Hate You is a new adult standalone romance.]]> 302 Ilsa Madden-Mills cloudy 4 4.09 2019
author: Ilsa Madden-Mills
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/01
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: series-waylon-university, genre-contemporary-romance, tropes-sports-romance, tropes-high-school-college-romance, universe-ilsa-madden-mills
review:

]]> 39299741
Sexy Athlete: I bet you . . .
Penelope Graham: Burn in hell, quarterback.

The text is random but Penelope figures out exactly who “Sexy Athlete�� is. And why she shouldn't take his wager.

Ryker Voss.
Football star.
Walks on water and God's gift to women.
Just ask him.

His bet? He promises Penelope he’ll win her the heart of the guy she’s been crushing on. His plan—good old-fashioned jealousy. Once her crush sees her kissing Ryker, he'll realize what he's missing. Sounds legit, right? The only question is . . . why is Ryker being so nice to her?

Penelope Graham.
Virgin.
Lover of sparkly vampires and calculus.
His mortal enemy.

Penelope knows she shouldn’t trust a jock, but what’s a girl to do when she needs a date to Homecoming? And Ryker’s keeping a secret, another bet, one that will destroy Penelope’s heart forever.

Will the quarterback score the good girl or will his secrets mean everyone loses this game of love?

*Author's Note: This is a standalone sports romance with an HEA.

**You do not have to have read I Dare You, although you should if you love jocks and nerdy heroines. :)]]> 298 Ilsa Madden-Mills 1727893875 cloudy 4 3.87 2018
author: Ilsa Madden-Mills
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/01
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: series-waylon-university, genre-contemporary-romance, tropes-high-school-college-romance, tropes-sports-romance, universe-ilsa-madden-mills
review:

]]> 38521288 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills kicks off a brand-new, sexy, heartfelt contemporary romance series with I DARE YOU!

Badass Athlete: I dare you to��
Delaney Shaw: Who is this?

The late night text is random, but "Badass Athlete" sure seems to know who she is��

Delaney Shaw.
Good girl.
Lover of fluffy kitties and Star Wars.
Curious.

His dare? Spend one night in his bed—a night he promises will be unforgettable—and she can solve the mystery of who he is.

She knows she shouldn't, but what else is she going to do with her boring Valentine's Day?

One sexy hook-up later, her mind is blown and the secret's out.

Maverick Monroe.
Bad boy.
The most talented football player in the country.
Just ask him.

Too bad for him Delaney's sworn off dating athletes forever after her last heartbreak.

But Maverick wants more than one night and refuses to give up on winning Delaney’s heart. She isn’t one to be fazed by a set of broad shoulders.

Will the bad boy land the nerd girl or will the secrets they keep from each other separate them forever?]]> 254 Ilsa Madden-Mills cloudy 4 3.68 2018
author: Ilsa Madden-Mills
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/01
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: series-waylon-university, genre-contemporary-romance, tropes-sports-romance, tropes-high-school-college-romance, universe-ilsa-madden-mills
review:

]]> 58872262 After a decade of pushing him away, I don't recognize Las Vegas's new Don.
Maybe my childhood best friend knew me better than I ever realized...
And maybe, just maybe, he's the one man for whom I'll kneel.]]> 472 Serena Akeroyd cloudy 5 “forever. that’s what i’m asking for. nothing less than always.��

after the cliffhanger in which the first half of this duet ended, i wasn't expecting this to pick up off the action packed momentum and turn it into one of the most comedic exchanges in these crossovers series (and one of my personal favorites), but that set the tone for the rest of this story; the comfort in this book was in the familiarity the new dynamics being established put in motion the puzzle pieces needed to get to the end goal - "filthy feck". the interactions between aurora and lodestar and how it later paralleled hunter and conor meeting spoke to the bigger picture serena has been geniusly webbing ever since the first book in this universe, but most of all, it reassured everyone that's been on this journey with her that she not only knows what she's doing, she's also perfecting her craft. no one could write these characters, these stories, like her. no one could make them justice like she does. at the very core, the essence of these books goes beyond mafia romance, this is family, in every sense of the word.

* i was sent an arc by valentine pr in exchange for a honest review]]> 4.24 2022
author: Serena Akeroyd
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/09/20
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: universe-serena-akeroyd, tropes-mafia-romance, series-valentini-family, genre-dark-romance, favorites, tropes-badass-fmc
review:
“forever. that’s what i’m asking for. nothing less than always.��

after the cliffhanger in which the first half of this duet ended, i wasn't expecting this to pick up off the action packed momentum and turn it into one of the most comedic exchanges in these crossovers series (and one of my personal favorites), but that set the tone for the rest of this story; the comfort in this book was in the familiarity the new dynamics being established put in motion the puzzle pieces needed to get to the end goal - "filthy feck". the interactions between aurora and lodestar and how it later paralleled hunter and conor meeting spoke to the bigger picture serena has been geniusly webbing ever since the first book in this universe, but most of all, it reassured everyone that's been on this journey with her that she not only knows what she's doing, she's also perfecting her craft. no one could write these characters, these stories, like her. no one could make them justice like she does. at the very core, the essence of these books goes beyond mafia romance, this is family, in every sense of the word.

* i was sent an arc by valentine pr in exchange for a honest review
]]> 58856510 It's mine even if I never wanted it.
I may be the Don of the Camorra but every leader needs a Consigliere, and the only one I want belongs to the New York Sicilian Mafia.
Aurora Valentini hasn't spoken to me in a decade and I'm tired of waiting.
It's time to claim what's mine.
Whether she's ready or not.]]> 427 Serena Akeroyd cloudy 5 "i always knew we were twin souls. this merely confirms it. now, be a good girl and do as i ask."

i had never fallen for a couple this hard as fast as i did at the very start of this book (they managed to surpasse eoghan and inessa, taking their place as my favorites). given i'd already loved both hunter and aurora going into the first half of their story, it still took me off guard how right they were for each other, in a way i still can't fully grasp.
truth be told, this book was not what i was expecting at all, but that's the beauty of serena's work; she doesn't just stick to a formula that works for her, she perfects her craft every single time and somehow it amazes me as much as it doesn't surprise me in the slightest how seamlessly she plans to the finest detail, the minutiae of the universe she has created webbing into intricate connections that call back to all the books beforehand, telling the bigger picture as if it was all one story, with an ease that makes you a part of it, as if you're living it yourself. and the promise of that cliffhanger, what it means not only for the main couple but for the rest of the valentini's series and the five points' as well just cemented the dimension of this universe, the never-ending potential of becoming bigger and better, which it does with every book as if it wasn't already perfect to begin with.

*i was sent an arc by valentine pr in exchange for a honest review]]> 4.12 2022
author: Serena Akeroyd
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/08/10
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: universe-serena-akeroyd, tropes-mafia-romance, series-valentini-family, genre-dark-romance, favorites, tropes-badass-fmc
review:
"i always knew we were twin souls. this merely confirms it. now, be a good girl and do as i ask."

i had never fallen for a couple this hard as fast as i did at the very start of this book (they managed to surpasse eoghan and inessa, taking their place as my favorites). given i'd already loved both hunter and aurora going into the first half of their story, it still took me off guard how right they were for each other, in a way i still can't fully grasp.
truth be told, this book was not what i was expecting at all, but that's the beauty of serena's work; she doesn't just stick to a formula that works for her, she perfects her craft every single time and somehow it amazes me as much as it doesn't surprise me in the slightest how seamlessly she plans to the finest detail, the minutiae of the universe she has created webbing into intricate connections that call back to all the books beforehand, telling the bigger picture as if it was all one story, with an ease that makes you a part of it, as if you're living it yourself. and the promise of that cliffhanger, what it means not only for the main couple but for the rest of the valentini's series and the five points' as well just cemented the dimension of this universe, the never-ending potential of becoming bigger and better, which it does with every book as if it wasn't already perfect to begin with.

*i was sent an arc by valentine pr in exchange for a honest review
]]> 114605649
Nikki
Running away and becoming someone new would be far easier if the demons of my past didn’t insist on showing up at my doorstep. Turns out that leaving an evil Russian Bratva leader at the altar after helping stage his assassination only pissed him off and made me a target.

I tried blending, but hiding in the shadows under a fake alias is no longer enough.

It should have been easy to keep my distance from the MC member burdened with protecting me. He is just as averse to commitment as I am, yet he’s been the only person ever to see me, even through all the smoke and mirrors I keep between us.

Dex
She’s shrouded in secrets, and there’s nothing I want more than to peel back every layer and discover what’s at her core. The glimpses she gives me have me hooked in a way I’ve never experienced before. I’ve always been:

No commitments.

No girlfriends—hell, I’ve never had a female friend.

Yet here I am, wanting to protect her, to be the weapon she wields against her enemies. Because if there’s one thing I have learned during our time together, it’s that the ache in my chest only stops when I am with her.

She’s mine now.

City of Salvation is book three in the Toxic Paradise Series. While you could read the books as standalones, it is highly encouraged that you read them in order to fully grasp the over-arching plot and avoid spoilers. This book is for 18+ as it contains material not suitable for children. Please visit my website for full cw/tw or the book's interior will also list them.]]> 360 Marie Maravilla cloudy 5
* i was sent an arc by good girls pr in exchange for a honest review]]> 4.22 2024
author: Marie Maravilla
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/06
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: series-toxic-paradise, genre-dark-romance, tropes-mc-romance, tropes-badass-fmc, tropes-mafia-romance, universe-marie-maravilla
review:
as much as i knew somewhat what to expect from another book in this series, and written by marie maravilla no less, it's still such a pleasant surprise. the author does this thing beautifully where she balances sexual tension with equal parts emotional tension (trauma), to the extent that no one can't stay indifferent to the couple, but more over about the characters individually �� there's so much tangible character development and nuanced layers to their multidimensional selves. it's no secret marie maravilla won me over with her fmcs and how she conveys feminine rage, which is so blatant in both ryan and scar (the previous books' female leads respectively). they're the epitome of badass stabby fmc, so i was curious how nikki would be portrayed, since she is a completely different archetype, usually associated with the other woman or a villainous one because of her "promiscuity" and her mafia princess past (with everything that entails, contrasting to the more dominant personalities of the other two women). and there's so much more to her than meets the eye. her strength isn't even dormant or silent, she's emboldened by anger and fear alike, which is just as powerful, fighting for her independence, however that may look to her. it's such a raw and inspiring view of a female character. her profession, her views of relationships, even her looks, and what those usually mean in mafia romance, aren't an impediment to her strength. something that specifically stuck with me was when she compared the perseverance required to maintain a ballet position with struggling to keep her arms steady while holding a gun. that was beautiful. i love women, and this author does them justice every single time. the mmc in this story was my favorite of the bunch, i have a soft spot for blonde reformed playboys gold retrievers who are silent weapons of destruction and love to be on their knees. andrei better bark in the next one if he wants to top dexy boy.

* i was sent an arc by good girls pr in exchange for a honest review
]]> 61313709 The problem with caging a predator, someday, they may get out��

Scarletta
Bastard, daughter of a traitor.
To the Italian Don of New York, I’m nothing more than a tool to be wielded. My obedience was the price I had to pay for the sins of my father. But Dominick Romano should have worked on gaining my loyalty because the chains he shackled me with have been undone.

The Four Families have always run New York.
Italian Mafia, Irish Mob, Russian Bratva, and the Jirocho Yakuza Clan.
An alliance cloaked in proclamations of peace while they hold knives to one another’s backs. But a new player has emerged, The Syndicate. Three men born of the same blood as those whose kingdoms they’ve come to conquer.

They think they can use me the same way my uncle did, but they’re in for a rude awakening when they realize I’m not a damsel in distress. There’s been a blade in my hand this whole time, and I’ve been waiting to land the blow that starts the bloodbath.

I will not bow at their feet.
But soon, all of New York, and those who think they can rule it, will kneel at mine.]]> 411 Marie Maravilla cloudy 5 “when did you get married? and can it be annulled? because it’s hard to find a bloodthirsty woman like you. not everyone is man enough to recognize the power in having a murderous woman by their side.��

it's no secret i'm not a fan of reverse harem, the trope raises too many issues for me personally. but if there's an author i trust to do it right is marie maravilla; the way she wrote women and female friendships in the first book in this series spoke of her character and i appreciated the sex positive, female empowering authenticity in her writing. going into this, scar was so different from the typical fmc in a why choose romance, she's not a damsel in distress, doesn't need protecting, least of all from men, so the power imbalance wasn't there. she wasn't prey but rather another predator, topping from the top, no the botttom. the different dynamics between her and each man made sense, they complemented each other as individuals (and between the band of brothers) and as a team; sharing something in common not only between them but as a whole �� the boys and their found family and the girl who always longed for her own.

* i was sent an arc by the author in exchange for an honest review ]]> 4.21
author: Marie Maravilla
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.21
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/23
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: series-toxic-paradise, genre-dark-romance, tropes-mafia-romance, tropes-badass-fmc, universe-marie-maravilla
review:
“when did you get married? and can it be annulled? because it’s hard to find a bloodthirsty woman like you. not everyone is man enough to recognize the power in having a murderous woman by their side.��

it's no secret i'm not a fan of reverse harem, the trope raises too many issues for me personally. but if there's an author i trust to do it right is marie maravilla; the way she wrote women and female friendships in the first book in this series spoke of her character and i appreciated the sex positive, female empowering authenticity in her writing. going into this, scar was so different from the typical fmc in a why choose romance, she's not a damsel in distress, doesn't need protecting, least of all from men, so the power imbalance wasn't there. she wasn't prey but rather another predator, topping from the top, no the botttom. the different dynamics between her and each man made sense, they complemented each other as individuals (and between the band of brothers) and as a team; sharing something in common not only between them but as a whole �� the boys and their found family and the girl who always longed for her own.

* i was sent an arc by the author in exchange for an honest review
]]> 60804373
Ryan

To survive in the Los Muertos Cartel, you have to stay useful, especially when you're a woman. So I made sure I couldn't be replaced. Now my name is whispered about in the shadows�� La Brujita de Los Muertos. Too bad I forgot that lies and deceit are the lifeblood of this toxic paradise.
I should have seen the betrayal coming.
My hands were always destined to be drenched in the blood of guilty men.

Gunner

Sometimes it takes someone willing to walk in the dark to allow others to live in the light.
She is a beautiful savage. All the things I am not supposed to have and maybe never will.
Meeting her changed all of my plans, altered the very fabric of my future.

Skeletons of Society is book 1 in the Toxic Paradise Series. The couple gets wrapped up in this book but the story arc will continue through the series. It's a contemporary crime romance (think mafia romance) featuring a strong female lead whose an arms dealer for the cartel and a male lead who is the Sergeant at Arms of the motorcycle club she's forced to work with. You will love this book if you like your characters to be morally grey, lots of action, and a woman with an attitude.

This book revolves around a cartel and due to the nature of that, this story is on the darker side of romance. And it is for those 18+ as it contains explicit sex/language, violence, and death.

Trigger warnings: graphic torture/death, sex trafficking (this does not occur to the main characters but it is a subject addressed in this book more than once. No graphic details are given) mentions of sexual assault (does not occur to the main FMC or MMC. No details are given), manipulation, and abuse.]]> 322 Marie Maravilla cloudy 5 4.06 2022
author: Marie Maravilla
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/10/15
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: tropes-mc-romance, series-toxic-paradise, genre-dark-romance, tropes-cartel-romance, favorites, tropes-badass-fmc, universe-marie-maravilla
review:
i'm very picky when it comes to mafia, it's my favorite subgenre within dark romance and the one i read the most; i've read mafia romance books with a cartel subplot and/or characters from that faction, but this was my first proper cartel romance - a debut novel nonetheless. and it was one of the best books i've read. the world building and detailed hierarchy description, plus the introduction of major key players from different organizations was seamless, allowing a very immersive experience of the bigger picture (and potential) of this criminal universe. and the fact that women had the bigger power dynamics, both the fmc of this first book and the one from the next, just elevates the story for me. most authors don't understand the value or accuracy of women in power in the mafia so i appreciate every book that goes against it and gives me not only women who can kill, but also rule.
]]> 202467165
But how do you escape from a man that doesn’t exist?

A moment can change your life. One day I was just a normal college student with dreams of opening a bakery. The next, I was thrust into my father’s double life…the lawyer of a deadly MC. I was the secret he didn’t want to share, but now I was exposed for all his club brothers to see.

The worst part? I caught his attention.

V, the club’s enforcer, was just as terrifying as he was unfeeling. He wielded his baseball bat with physical reminders of his carnage and a mask hiding his secrets. One look from his lifeless eyes was enough to clear a room, instilling fear into the hearts of even the strongest of men.
But he never lost sight of one thing.

Me.

One favor. One moment of weakness and all my hard work was reduced to ash when I woke up to see V’s wedding ring on my finger.

I knew it was too late for me to escape from him. He would keep true to the vows he forced upon me.

To dishonor and to deceive.

In obsession and in fear.

Until death do us part.]]> 0 Juniper Nyx cloudy 0 4.00 2024
author: Juniper Nyx
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: currently-reading, genre-dark-romance, series-the-unforgiven-souls-mc, tropes-mc-romance, universe-juniper-nyx
review:

]]> 179943758 He noticed my fake smiles.
He watched me as I fell apart.
The spark between us should’ve been enough.
Sarge, the faceless man, protects me in a way I’ve never experienced before. But I’ve made mistakes. Unforgivable mistakes that hurt the people I loved the most. Time and time again, I try to atone for my sins by giving pieces of myself away—until there is nothing left.
Sarge can see me. The real me. He isn’t disgusted by my past, instead he makes it his mission to mend the fragments of my soul. This amazing man, who hides his scarred body from the world, is the only one who can understand my struggle. But he has demons in his past that force him to push me away, igniting consequences we never saw coming.
He was trying to save me, but it might be too late.
My fate was his damnation.
But he chose me anyway.
Now we’ll both burn in the flames.]]> 479 Juniper Nyx cloudy 5 “you were alone when you were burning before. i’m here with you now.��

i'm a masochist because this book had me in a chokehold from beginning to end, and i loved every single second of it. not only that, but even though my heart couldn't take anymore and this was already a beast of a book, i still didn't want it to end. after the hauntingly masterpiece that was the first book in this series (which i still can't believe was the author's debut novel), i thought i was ready for the pain this time around but i couldn't have been more wrong. these stories will rip me to shreds and then put my soul back together. the trauma. the scars. it's impossible not to relate to these characters and their struggles one way or another. this couple was the opposite perfection for each other. their jagged pieces didn't fit together, but they completed each other. he was the moon that eclipsed her sunshine. he didn't want her to change, accepting her disability and loving everything about her. he didn't want her to change, she did it for herself.
once again, i appreciated how the author didn't try to brush over disabilities and mental health, but most of all, how she doesn't turn love into an antidote for all the darkness, it's just a comforting light to keep their demons company, but they're always there. proof of it was seeing the mmc from the first book still struggling with what haunts him, and for that, i'm grateful. it makes them more tangible, more real.

“can your voice be the first one i hear when i’m pain free?��

* i was sent an arc by the author in exchange for a honest review]]> 3.87
author: Juniper Nyx
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.87
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/04
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: genre-dark-romance, series-the-unforgiven-souls-mc, tropes-mc-romance, universe-juniper-nyx
review:
“you were alone when you were burning before. i’m here with you now.��

i'm a masochist because this book had me in a chokehold from beginning to end, and i loved every single second of it. not only that, but even though my heart couldn't take anymore and this was already a beast of a book, i still didn't want it to end. after the hauntingly masterpiece that was the first book in this series (which i still can't believe was the author's debut novel), i thought i was ready for the pain this time around but i couldn't have been more wrong. these stories will rip me to shreds and then put my soul back together. the trauma. the scars. it's impossible not to relate to these characters and their struggles one way or another. this couple was the opposite perfection for each other. their jagged pieces didn't fit together, but they completed each other. he was the moon that eclipsed her sunshine. he didn't want her to change, accepting her disability and loving everything about her. he didn't want her to change, she did it for herself.
once again, i appreciated how the author didn't try to brush over disabilities and mental health, but most of all, how she doesn't turn love into an antidote for all the darkness, it's just a comforting light to keep their demons company, but they're always there. proof of it was seeing the mmc from the first book still struggling with what haunts him, and for that, i'm grateful. it makes them more tangible, more real.

“can your voice be the first one i hear when i’m pain free?��

* i was sent an arc by the author in exchange for a honest review
]]> 124937992 Mitchell

Darkness sank its claws into me a long time ago, and when it did, I gave up hope for salvation.

I have nothing except the club and the sins I’m prepared to die for. They’ve kept me above ground, but the weight has pushed me beyond the point of no return.

That is, until a chance meeting at a graveyard brought me a ray of light in the middle of a rainstorm. Nyla’s sweet, kind, and so much better than I deserve—and more perfect for me than I could have ever dreamed.

My life suddenly has meaning, but I’m powerless to stop the way hers begins to crumble. We were doomed from the start, and as the pieces of her broken heart slip right through my fingers, I know love just isn’t enough.

Nyla

I used to have it all.

Friends. Family. A future.

But the day I met Mitchell my world came crumbling down. Secrets begin to unfold, turning my dream life into a living nightmare. The life I knew before was all a lie; I just never suspected Mitchell would be the one to pull the fraying threads until everything unraveled.

Danger lurks around every corner as masks are ripped off the very people I thought I could trust.

Only Mitchell can save me from the darkness.

But is our love enough to keep him alive?.]]> 535 Juniper Nyx cloudy 5 “brothers and i made a pact. when we met the person we were gonna spend the rest of our lives with, we’d get their first initial tattooed over our hearts.��

this was... dark, raw, heavy, heartbreaking, soul crushing, and i absolutely adored it. from the very first page i just knew. their story began in the place where people's lives ended, a graveyard. the meaning behind that, how it symbolized both their rebirths, how their lives only started when they had something to live for �� each other. beautiful. the concept of the whole book, of the motorcycle club was devastatingly poetic in its tragedy. the unforgiven souls mc was a band of brothers who all believed had a sin too unforgivable to redeem their souls, so they looked for atonement by saving others. the metaphors for trauma and suicide ideation really resonated with me. the way this book dealt with mental illness, with intrusive thoughts, it broke me. i cried. i cried a lot. they were still struggling even by the end, after all was said and done. love wasn't the cure, it was the hope, the motivation. i appreciated that more than anything. how humanizing and humbling rock bottom was portrayed without shying away from the vile side of it. and the found family element to it, the different sides of it, and what that meant and looked like for the different characters. i can't, i'm always weak for that. i know people say the fallen men series has sons of anarchy vibes, but this mmc was the epitome of jax teller, to the point where, for a moment there, i feared he would meet the same demise. the plot twists were masterfully crafted in the way there was a build-up to them, even though i guessed it from the start, the author did a really good job of bringing everything full circle, without leaving behind any plot holes or discontinuity. i genuinely can't wait to have my heart shred to pieces again with the next book, this series has the potential to become one of my all time favorites. i already feel protective of couples that aren't even together yet.]]> 4.03
author: Juniper Nyx
name: cloudy
average rating: 4.03
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/10
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: series-the-unforgiven-souls-mc, genre-dark-romance, tropes-mc-romance, favorites, universe-juniper-nyx
review:
“brothers and i made a pact. when we met the person we were gonna spend the rest of our lives with, we’d get their first initial tattooed over our hearts.��

this was... dark, raw, heavy, heartbreaking, soul crushing, and i absolutely adored it. from the very first page i just knew. their story began in the place where people's lives ended, a graveyard. the meaning behind that, how it symbolized both their rebirths, how their lives only started when they had something to live for �� each other. beautiful. the concept of the whole book, of the motorcycle club was devastatingly poetic in its tragedy. the unforgiven souls mc was a band of brothers who all believed had a sin too unforgivable to redeem their souls, so they looked for atonement by saving others. the metaphors for trauma and suicide ideation really resonated with me. the way this book dealt with mental illness, with intrusive thoughts, it broke me. i cried. i cried a lot. they were still struggling even by the end, after all was said and done. love wasn't the cure, it was the hope, the motivation. i appreciated that more than anything. how humanizing and humbling rock bottom was portrayed without shying away from the vile side of it. and the found family element to it, the different sides of it, and what that meant and looked like for the different characters. i can't, i'm always weak for that. i know people say the fallen men series has sons of anarchy vibes, but this mmc was the epitome of jax teller, to the point where, for a moment there, i feared he would meet the same demise. the plot twists were masterfully crafted in the way there was a build-up to them, even though i guessed it from the start, the author did a really good job of bringing everything full circle, without leaving behind any plot holes or discontinuity. i genuinely can't wait to have my heart shred to pieces again with the next book, this series has the potential to become one of my all time favorites. i already feel protective of couples that aren't even together yet.
]]> 123914870 She was mine.
Made for me.
Born to ruin me.

Evangelina:
I lived my life surrounded by luxuries, love, and attention.
While at the mercy of lies, death, and deceit.
I was tired of being just a pretty face.
The woman who always had to prove her worth.
When tragedy tears yet another gash in my heart, he was there to help mend my grief.
But there was a mystery hidden behind those alluring diamond eyes.
A whisper of ghosts and trauma from his past.
Red flags I knew I shouldn’t ignore.
Yet I couldn’t help the feelings blossoming within me or the fire that scorched my skin under his touch.
Derek Cain held promises of love and protection.
But what if he was who I needed saving from?

Derek:
As a child, I knew nothing but hate and pain.
I was a soulless, unlovable bastard bred into a killer.
Bound by blood to the world’s most obscure and elite society of global puppeteers.
For years, I fantasized about taking revenge on the man who’d abandoned me.
And when his time finally came, that’s when I saw her .
His weakness.
Detective Evangelina Cruz was mine to taint, use, and ruin.
Until the lines of vengeance and obsession blurred.
And she consumed my every thought.
Though my secrets would destroy her, I’d bathe the world in blood before letting her go.
Would the love we forged in darkness prevail in the light of truth?]]> 472 Elle Maldonado cloudy 4 “nothing and no one else matters to me. i’d bathe the whole goddamn world in blood for you.��

what’s better than a man obsessed? a man obsessed who’s a criminal hiding his identity from the detective fmc he stumbled upon on his revenge warpath and ended up falling in love with. but what tops that is that the fmc is as badass as he is. i’m a sucker for hidden identity and the forbidden dynamic between law enforcement and serial unaliver, there’s something so intrinsically devious to it that fuels the tension to the highest level. especially when it’s all said and done, the grovel is like nothing else and this was no exception. and i do love when the mmc leaves the criminal organization for her, when he never knew anything else apart from it, until her.]]> 3.78
author: Elle Maldonado
name: cloudy
average rating: 3.78
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/28
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: genre-dark-romance, series-the-severed-signet, tropes-badass-fmc, universe-elle-maldonado, tropes-serial-killer-romance
review:
“nothing and no one else matters to me. i’d bathe the whole goddamn world in blood for you.��

what’s better than a man obsessed? a man obsessed who’s a criminal hiding his identity from the detective fmc he stumbled upon on his revenge warpath and ended up falling in love with. but what tops that is that the fmc is as badass as he is. i’m a sucker for hidden identity and the forbidden dynamic between law enforcement and serial unaliver, there’s something so intrinsically devious to it that fuels the tension to the highest level. especially when it’s all said and done, the grovel is like nothing else and this was no exception. and i do love when the mmc leaves the criminal organization for her, when he never knew anything else apart from it, until her.
]]> 221821618 Coming Summer 2025 Elle Maldonado cloudy 0 0.0
author: Elle Maldonado
name: cloudy
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: to-read, standalones, genre-dark-romance, tropes-badass-fmc, tropes-stalker-romance, universe-elle-maldonado
review:

]]> 212235054 Leni and Silas are back on an extreme scavenger hunt, collecting contracts around the globe.
Winner takes all.
Leni doesn’t play by the rules and has no intention of going easy on the man she loves—even if it means drawing a little blood.
But Silas is on a mission, ready for her brand of beautiful mayhem. The stakes are high, and he’s got his eye on the ultimate prize.

A fun, spicy, and murdery novella coming this summer!]]> 0 Elle Maldonado cloudy 0 0.0
author: Elle Maldonado
name: cloudy
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: to-read, novellas, genre-dark-romance, series-the-severed-signet, tropes-badass-fmc, tropes-serial-killer-romance, universe-elle-maldonado
review:

]]>