All I鈥檝e known my entire life is how to mask the pain. The pain of my abuse. The self-hatred that followed.
I was drowning in it until I learned how good it could feel to be in control.
Controlling calories, emotions, even the marks on my body. If I can just keep an iron grip on everything and everyone around me- and never let anyone get too close- everything will be just fine. Everything.
For years, my father had complete control over me, but now its my turn.
At least, that鈥檚 what I thought鈥� because then came Tommy Easton.
Larger than life and sexier than sin, this man has set his sights on me.
I think I might love him. If only he felt the same.
Tommy
My heart was hijacked the very first time I heard her voice, and I鈥檝e been fixated ever since.
Cat Baker. The fiercest little thing I鈥檝e ever seen - at least until you manage to get her walls down. I鈥檝e fought so hard to earn a place in her life. Sometimes in her bed.
If I could just get her to see that we are meant to be together. She鈥檚 so focused on the secrets she keeps - and hating that I know them - that she just can鈥檛 see the big picture.
The big picture being me and her.
What You Can
- He Falls First
- Friends-with-benefits to Lovers
- Fast Burn
- Kink Exploration
- Breath Play
- Pet Play
- Dark/Angst Filled Romance
- H.E.A.
- Dual P.O.V.
- Eating Disorder
- Detailed Self Harm & Attempted Suicide
- Struggles with Mental Health
- Alcohol Dependence
- Attempted SA
- Parental Harassment
- Mentions of childhood SA (Not graphic)
If you have any concerns about triggers please email me at taylorhauthor@outlook dot com.]]>
CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS
This is one hell of an emotional ride! There's a lot of talk regarding trauma, childhood traumas and a vast variety of mental health concerns. It's really emotional, and really spicy with still enough snark and sarcasm that I laughed out loud more than once. This is not for the faint of heart, and it will definitely rip at your heart strings. I loved the chemistry between Kat and Tommy and how they both want so much to be there for each other, while trying to fix themselves in the process. ]]>
author: L. Taylor
name: Kari
average rating: 4.63
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/08
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: dark-romance, drama, fiction, romance, spicy
review:
4 Stars
4 Spice
CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS
This is one hell of an emotional ride! There's a lot of talk regarding trauma, childhood traumas and a vast variety of mental health concerns. It's really emotional, and really spicy with still enough snark and sarcasm that I laughed out loud more than once. This is not for the faint of heart, and it will definitely rip at your heart strings. I loved the chemistry between Kat and Tommy and how they both want so much to be there for each other, while trying to fix themselves in the process.
]]>
My name is Lorenzo Moretti. Born to be head of the Cosa Nostra, except that I chose love over my birthright.
On our wedding day, my father cursed our union, swearing on his own blood that my wife and I would never live out our days in happiness.
I guess he was right, because fate stole her from me and I鈥檓 left to live an empty life without her, with a shattered heart and only half a soul.
On the day my wife died, I swore I鈥檇 never love anyone like that again, and it鈥檚 a promise I kept for two years.
A promise I kept until her鈥�
She sauntered into my life wearing a dress the color of sunshine and with nothing else but an old Mustang and a smile. Beaten and bruised and seeking refuge behind my family鈥檚 walls. But I鈥檓 no white knight looking for redemption, and she鈥檚 sure no damsel in distress.
She鈥檚 annoying as hell. With no filter and an eternally sunny disposition. She says whatever鈥檚 on her mind, no matter how poorly judged it might be.
She鈥檚 everything I don鈥檛 want.
But she might just be everything I need.
And I don鈥檛 know how much longer I can resist her sweet smile and her sinful curves鈥�
Because there鈥檚 only so long you can stand in the sun before giving in to its heat.
This book contains:
Grumpy/ sunshine
Dark mafia
Heartbreak and angst
Love after loss
Grovelling
Dom/ sub scenes
A HEA]]>
author: Sadie Kincaid
name: Kari
average rating: 4.13
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/06
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: crime, dark-romance, fiction, mafia, romance, spicy
review:
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And I am just a spoiled Mafia princess. At least that鈥檚 who most people think I am. They don鈥檛 look at me long enough to see the real me. But he sees....
He is dark and dangerous and lethal, but he鈥檚 the only man who makes me feel like I鈥檓 alive. It鈥檚 a pity he鈥檚 too loyal to my brothers to ever act on the sparks that constantly fly between us....
Or is he?
Because when he finally loses control, it鈥檚 even more than I ever dreamed it could be. And even though he tells me that the two of us aren鈥檛 an option, I see the look in his eyes every time we鈥檙e together. He鈥檚 only ever a breath away from losing that control again.
But Max is a man with a dark past and secrets that he can鈥檛 escape. When that past catches up with us, it threatens what might be our only shot at happiness. Because I would give up everything I鈥檝e ever known for a life with him. And when my brothers find out about us, I just might have to.
This book is a stand-alone brother's-best-friend romance. It features:
A jealous, possessive MC
Age gap
Praise/punishment
Pierced MC
Inexperienced FMC
"Touch her and die" vibes
No cheating
An HEA]]>
author: Sadie Kincaid
name: Kari
average rating: 4.11
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/05
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: crime, dark-romance, fiction, mafia, romance, spicy
review:
]]>
Home of the Cardinals and home to the star Quarterback,
Cole St. James.
He鈥檚 charming, and young.
Far too young for me.
He was as charismatic as he was swoon-worthy. His words were like roots planting themselves in the soil of my heart, blooming when he showered me with his actions of care.
I fell into his arms, literally, like the world shifted and said this is your knight in shining armor. The one who was meant for you and your son. He showed us the sun, stars and how they align so effortlessly as if he was showing us our new path in life. But my past comes back to haunt me. It was my fault for what happened to him. I dimmed his light.
He鈥檚 the one who puts prince charming to shame. And me,
I鈥檒l be the one who ruined him.
I need to stay away from him, I should.
It鈥檚 what鈥檚 best.]]>
2/5 Spice - some heavily described sexual scenes.
Tropes: Age gap, college love, he fell first, hero and damsel, miscommunication, single mom.
Genre: Romance.
TW: Domestic violence, physical abuse, semi-stalking.
Harleigh is at her breaking point in her marriage when one night she decides to put her young son, Creed, in the car with her and escape her hell to a new life across the country. She builds a life for them as a librarian at Cypress University. She's perfectly happy living a quiet, quaint life with her son and the one friend she's trusted so far since she moved to town. She didn't even notice when she caught the eye of Senior Quarterback, Cole St. James. The day she literally falls into his lap, everything changes and Harleigh starts to believe she can finally have her happily ever after. That is, until her past comes back to haunt her and her life goes from dream to nightmare in a single moment.
This romance is a very fast read with very likable characters. I enjoyed Cole as a person and who he was/became for Harleigh. Understandably, it took a little more time for Harleigh to fall, or even to trust what Cole was saying, which I feel spoke to the realism of the story. It's entirely possible my favorite characters, however, are actually the supporting characters: Harleigh's best friend, Penny, is an absolute delight and I enjoyed every time she showed up in a scene. She's the sunshine and bubbly to Harleigh's caution and concern and really helps even out the friendship. Cole's teammates are an amazing group. I loved their chat threads so much! It's a very cute, romantic story set with some pretty triggering topics, but in my opinion is written well and respectfully.
Understanding this is the first book in what will hopefully be a series, there's a lot of series set up in the book, which can sometimes feel like too much information. The dialog is very good, but sometimes a bit obvious. I'll be honest, I didn't really understand the miscommunication that Harleigh and Cole have at one point, but it felt like it resolved almost too quickly. There were certain spots in the book that seemed too 'obvious' in how it was dealt with or worked out.
All that being said, it's super cute. And I'm definitely interested in some of the other player's stories, hopefully we'll be able to see in upcoming books. Ragain - Thanks again for allowing me a look into this world and letting me be a part of this story :)]]>
author: Ragain Taylor
name: Kari
average rating: 4.30
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/05
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: college, fiction, spicy, romance, sports
review:
**This is an ARC read sent by Ragain Taylor**
3/5 Stars.
2/5 Spice - some heavily described sexual scenes.
Tropes: Age gap, college love, he fell first, hero and damsel, miscommunication, single mom.
Genre: Romance.
TW: Domestic violence, physical abuse, semi-stalking.
Harleigh is at her breaking point in her marriage when one night she decides to put her young son, Creed, in the car with her and escape her hell to a new life across the country. She builds a life for them as a librarian at Cypress University. She's perfectly happy living a quiet, quaint life with her son and the one friend she's trusted so far since she moved to town. She didn't even notice when she caught the eye of Senior Quarterback, Cole St. James. The day she literally falls into his lap, everything changes and Harleigh starts to believe she can finally have her happily ever after. That is, until her past comes back to haunt her and her life goes from dream to nightmare in a single moment.
This romance is a very fast read with very likable characters. I enjoyed Cole as a person and who he was/became for Harleigh. Understandably, it took a little more time for Harleigh to fall, or even to trust what Cole was saying, which I feel spoke to the realism of the story. It's entirely possible my favorite characters, however, are actually the supporting characters: Harleigh's best friend, Penny, is an absolute delight and I enjoyed every time she showed up in a scene. She's the sunshine and bubbly to Harleigh's caution and concern and really helps even out the friendship. Cole's teammates are an amazing group. I loved their chat threads so much! It's a very cute, romantic story set with some pretty triggering topics, but in my opinion is written well and respectfully.
Understanding this is the first book in what will hopefully be a series, there's a lot of series set up in the book, which can sometimes feel like too much information. The dialog is very good, but sometimes a bit obvious. I'll be honest, I didn't really understand the miscommunication that Harleigh and Cole have at one point, but it felt like it resolved almost too quickly. There were certain spots in the book that seemed too 'obvious' in how it was dealt with or worked out.
All that being said, it's super cute. And I'm definitely interested in some of the other player's stories, hopefully we'll be able to see in upcoming books. Ragain - Thanks again for allowing me a look into this world and letting me be a part of this story :)
]]>
Daisy
Phoneless, carless, and trapped by my relatives, I make a daring escape in just my fancy underwear. Right as a grouchy but gorgeous bodyguard arrives to rescue me.
Enemies pursue us on our West Coast road trip, so Ben whisks me away to a snowed-in cabin in Scotland. I start falling until I'm ready to let him guard my body in every way possible.
But breaking his rules could cost me everything鈥攊ncluding him.
Ben
As a bodyguard, I have one rule: don't get attached. Yet Daisy's got me hooked. When I'm asked to protect her, I can't resist. She's warmth and kindness wrapped up in a curvy package, and I'm willing to cross any line to keep her safe.
Almost.
No matter how torn I am between duty and desire, there鈥檚 only one chance I can鈥檛 take.
For her, I鈥檒l risk anything鈥攅xcept for my heart.
--
Touch Her and Die is the first in a brand new bodyguard series that brings steam, mystery, and adventure, plus a little revenge plot for our heroines. This is standalone romantic suspense with only-one-bed (twice) and a forbidden element.]]>
author: Jolie Vines
name: Kari
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: bodyguard, drama, fiction, romance, spicy
review:
]]>
Reserved, controlled, and proper to a fault, Kai Young has neither the time nor inclination for chaos鈥攁nd Isabella, with her purple hair and inappropriate jokes, is chaos personified.
With a crucial CEO vote looming and a media empire at stake, the billionaire heir can鈥檛 afford the distraction she brings.
Isabella is everything he shouldn鈥檛 want, but with every look and every touch, he鈥檚 tempted to break all his rules鈥nd claim her as his own.
***
Bold, impulsive, and full of life, Isabella Valencia has never met a party she doesn鈥檛 like or a man she couldn鈥檛 charm...except for Kai Young.
It shouldn鈥檛 matter. He鈥檚 not her type鈥攖he man translates classics into Latin for fun, and his membership at the exclusive club where she bartends means he鈥檚 strictly off limits.
But she can鈥檛 deny that, beneath his cool exterior, is a man who could make her melt with just a touch.
No matter how hard they try, they can鈥檛 resist giving into their forbidden desires.
Even if it costs them everything.
King of Pride is a steamy opposite attract, forbidden billionaire romance. It's book two in the Kings of Sin series but can be read as a standalone.
Contains explicit content and profanity. Recommended for mature readers only. ]]>
author: Ana Huang
name: Kari
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/26
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: drama, fiction, millionaire, romance, spicy
review:
]]>
Victory requires more than strength. Trained since childhood, a close-knit group of warriors must unite their skills to face the looming threat. Alaric, an inventor, and Liora, a strategist, lead their allies in an ongoing battle for their people鈥檚 survival.
But as they push deeper into battle, they uncover shocking truths about the Urgs- secrets that challenge everything they know. Blending action, strategy, and unbreakable bonds, The Battle for Frostgard launches a heart-pounding fantasy series filled with suspense, romance, and moments of humor and warmth amid the chaos. This is just the beginning.]]>
The villagers of Frostgard only desire to live quiet, simple lives. But the uptick in neighboring villages being burned and destroyed by the Urgs have destined the people of Frostgard to bare arms and use their heads to take on the on coming storm.
I would say this is a good book for a starter-fantasy reader like me. While there are a lot of characters, it's fairly easy to determine what they each bring to the table. The entire story is basically the start of a soon-to-be ongoing war between Frostgard and the Urgs, and each character plays their role within that war. Very action packed with a lot of strategizing which I found added an interesting layer to everything.
There are points where so many characters gets a little confusing - remembering how everyone is connected. And there are a few areas that felt a little predictable and repetitive. However, overall, this is a fun fantasy read.]]>
author: Rebecca Myles
name: Kari
average rating: 3.50
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/22
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: drama, fantasy, fiction, suspense
review:
3 Stars
0 Spice
The villagers of Frostgard only desire to live quiet, simple lives. But the uptick in neighboring villages being burned and destroyed by the Urgs have destined the people of Frostgard to bare arms and use their heads to take on the on coming storm.
I would say this is a good book for a starter-fantasy reader like me. While there are a lot of characters, it's fairly easy to determine what they each bring to the table. The entire story is basically the start of a soon-to-be ongoing war between Frostgard and the Urgs, and each character plays their role within that war. Very action packed with a lot of strategizing which I found added an interesting layer to everything.
There are points where so many characters gets a little confusing - remembering how everyone is connected. And there are a few areas that felt a little predictable and repetitive. However, overall, this is a fun fantasy read.
]]>
A young divorc茅e finds herself in the ideal world of her favorite 2000s teen soap in this 鈥済leefully nostalgic and completely fresh鈥�* romance from the author of This Spells Love.
Newly divorced on the eve of her thirtieth birthday, Brynn is sick of heartbreak. She thought she had found her happy ending, but now she鈥檚 living with a roommate, Josh, to afford her mortgage, and she鈥檚 trying to adjust to her new single life. At least she鈥檚 got Carson鈥檚 Cove to binge, her beloved 2000s teenage soap. The show ended unexpectantly on a cliffhanger after five seasons, and the two main characters, Sloan and Spencer, never got to declare their love for each other. The show is still perfect in Brynn鈥檚 eyes; despite all the drama that goes down, things always have a way of working out in Carson鈥檚 Cove . . . unlike her own life.
So when a birthday cake surprisingly shows up on her and Josh鈥檚 doorstep, Brynn makes a wish for the one thing she鈥檚 always wanted (but has failed to achieve herself): a happily-ever-after.
The next morning, she doesn鈥檛 wake up in her apartment. She鈥檚 in Carson鈥檚 Cove . . . and Josh is there too. Everyone seems to know them, except they鈥檙e not Brynn and Josh; they鈥檙e Sloan, the sweetheart of Carson鈥檚 Cove, and Fletch, the town鈥檚 bad boy. And to get home, they have to make Brynn鈥檚 wish come true by ensuring Sloan and Spencer, the hometown heartthrob, end up together at last. But as they spend more time together, Brynn and Josh realize that Carson鈥檚 Cove might not be as perfect as seen on television . . . especially when they start developing feelings for each other in a plot twist no one has expected. Will they stick to the script, or will real love change the story forever?]]>
Brynn has had a rough go of it after trying to deal with her very sudden divorce. She doesn't even connect much to the young bartender, Josh, who she agrees to let rent a room in her house in order to cover the mortgage. After Josh takes her home one night after a rough 'night out' with friends, a stranger appears at their door with a birthday cake and magic wish for the young woman. When she wishes for her happy ending, she and Josh both wake up completely submerged into the fictional world of her favorite teen drama, and they have to figure out the happy ending to the show before they can try to get home.
90's babies everywhere will love this! It's a very cute, small town, slighty-fantasy romance full of humor, witty banter, whimsy and just a touch of spice. It's very "Dawson's Creek" meets "Pleasantville" and has all the markers of a favorite 90's inspired romcom. I was immediately pulling for Brynn and Josh, even if it was unlikely they'd ever make it home if they ended up together. This was a nice palate cleanser and highly recommend for a sweet romcom.]]>
author: Kate Robb
name: Kari
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/16
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: drama, fiction, romance, small-town-romance, spicy
review:
4 Stars
2 Spice
Brynn has had a rough go of it after trying to deal with her very sudden divorce. She doesn't even connect much to the young bartender, Josh, who she agrees to let rent a room in her house in order to cover the mortgage. After Josh takes her home one night after a rough 'night out' with friends, a stranger appears at their door with a birthday cake and magic wish for the young woman. When she wishes for her happy ending, she and Josh both wake up completely submerged into the fictional world of her favorite teen drama, and they have to figure out the happy ending to the show before they can try to get home.
90's babies everywhere will love this! It's a very cute, small town, slighty-fantasy romance full of humor, witty banter, whimsy and just a touch of spice. It's very "Dawson's Creek" meets "Pleasantville" and has all the markers of a favorite 90's inspired romcom. I was immediately pulling for Brynn and Josh, even if it was unlikely they'd ever make it home if they ended up together. This was a nice palate cleanser and highly recommend for a sweet romcom.
]]>
Conceited, unattainable, and downright delicious, renowned Michelin-starred chef Ambrose Casablancas has one passion in life鈥攆ood.
Women are a distraction, and he doesn鈥檛 do those. Especially Cal Litvin, his baby sister鈥檚 best friend. Her entire existence is a complication; she鈥檚 awkward, eccentric, infuriating鈥�
And, much to his chagrin, hotter than his kitchen.
Ambrose has a lot on his a new restaurant to open, a multimillion-dollar property deal to execute, and a violent stalker to tame.
Then Cal shows up at his doorstep, looking for both a job and salvation after their messy goodbye. His resolve, like his patience, is ebbing each day she works at his restaurant.
Because Cal is no longer a doe-eyed girl.
Now? She鈥檚 the woman he鈥檒l do anything to conquer.
***
Quirky, compassionate ball of sunshine Calla Litvin can鈥檛 catch a break, and not just because she swore off running.
Back in her hometown to nurse her mother鈥檚 broken heart after losing her father, she finds herself jobless, hopeless, and penniless. She hopes to rekindle her friendship with her former BFF, but Dylan is attached at the hip to her cruel brother鈥攖he one Cal鈥檚 been secretly crushing on since middle school.
Falling for the bad boy the second time around would be a mistake of gargantuan proportions.
Too bad she鈥檚 always been clumsy.
Truly, Madly, Deeply, is a grumpy x sunshine, enemies to lovers romance. It is the first in the Forbidden Love series, but can be read as a standalone.]]>
Calla Litvin has been at odds with her childhood crush, Ambrose Casablancas, since she was a senior in high school. After asking Ambrose to take her virginity so she could do it with someone safe, they are caught by none other than Calla's best friend - who's also Ambrose's younger sister. Calla spends the next several years separated from both of them until a family tragedy brings them back home. Now, Calla has to determine if making amends with Ambrose is the best thing for either of them.
This is a very fun, very sweet small town romance. With tropes like rivals-to-lovers, best-friend's-brother, and trauma healing, it's so easy to breeze through. Calla as a character is sometimes hard to read - she's very trauma ridden and has determined she's not allowed to have good things because she'll ruin them. But she's got such a redemption arch in regards to it and it makes it easy to get sucked into it. And Ambrose! Ugh, how much I love that man! Gravely, growly, but he will always do whatever it takes to protect and care for Calla. Book is also filled with witty banter, funny oneliners and so much sarcasm!]]>
author: L.J. Shen
name: Kari
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/20
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: drama, fiction, romance, small-town-romance, spicy
review:
4.5 Stars
3 Spice
Calla Litvin has been at odds with her childhood crush, Ambrose Casablancas, since she was a senior in high school. After asking Ambrose to take her virginity so she could do it with someone safe, they are caught by none other than Calla's best friend - who's also Ambrose's younger sister. Calla spends the next several years separated from both of them until a family tragedy brings them back home. Now, Calla has to determine if making amends with Ambrose is the best thing for either of them.
This is a very fun, very sweet small town romance. With tropes like rivals-to-lovers, best-friend's-brother, and trauma healing, it's so easy to breeze through. Calla as a character is sometimes hard to read - she's very trauma ridden and has determined she's not allowed to have good things because she'll ruin them. But she's got such a redemption arch in regards to it and it makes it easy to get sucked into it. And Ambrose! Ugh, how much I love that man! Gravely, growly, but he will always do whatever it takes to protect and care for Calla. Book is also filled with witty banter, funny oneliners and so much sarcasm!
]]>
Juliette Ferrars.
Ella Sommers.
Which is the truth and which is the lie?
Now that Ella knows who Juliette is and what she was created for, things have only become more complicated. As she struggles to understand the past that haunts her and looks to a future more uncertain than ever, the lines between right and wrong鈥攂etween Ella and Juliette鈥攂lur. And with old enemies looming, her destiny may not be her own to control.
The day of reckoning for the Reestablishment is coming. But she may not get to choose what side she fights on.]]>
author: Tahereh Mafi
name: Kari
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/20
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: drama, dystopian, fantasy, fiction, romance
review:
]]>
I鈥檓 trapped by the devil.
What started as an innocent mistake turned into actual hell.
In my defense, I didn鈥檛 mean to get involved with a mafia prince.
But he barged through my defenses anyway.
He stalked me from the shadows and stole me from the life I know.
Jeremy Volkov might appear charming, but a true predator lurks inside.
He鈥檚 out to possess, own, and keep me.
But I have no plans to stick around in his blood-soaked world.
Or so I think.
This book is a dark unconventional romance and contains themes that aren't to everyone's liking. Please check the author's note for content warnings before reading.]]>
author: Rina Kent
name: Kari
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves: college, crime, dark-romance, fiction, mafia, romance, spicy
review:
]]>
They told her to go to Hell.
She went, but on her own terms.
Lily isn鈥檛 exactly thrilled with her arrival in the Afterlife, but what awaits her there is more fantastical than she ever could have Deities wait in line at the coffee shop. Fae flit between realms. Souls find ways to make death a beginning.
As she explores the many corners of the Afterlife, Lily finds herself surprisingly drawn to a place most people would avoid at all Hell. Armed with years of customer service experience and pent-up sarcasm, Lily carves a job out for herself amongst Hell鈥檚 demons, sending souls to their rightful circles with more than a hint of sass.
Lily鈥檚 expectations are subverted every day in Hell鈥攅specially by Bel, a demon general with a distractingly sexy voice. The two meet by chance and form an immediate, deeply healing friendship, but the undeniable heat between them threatens to combust.
Meanwhile, something stirs beyond the boundaries of their world, threatening to destroy everything they鈥檝e known and everything that could be鈥nless they fight like Hell to stop it.
This debut novel from BookTok sensation Jaysea Lynn invites you to lose yourself in a world where love ignites in the unlikeliest of places, magic defies the rules, and the Afterlife proves more thrilling than anyone could imagine.]]>
When Lily ends up in the afterlife after several previous lives already, she can't help but feel like she's missing something. Prior to reincarnating once again, she found a way to be helpful/useful for the demons at the gate of the universe and estabilished the Hellp Desk in order to help souls get to where they need to go. When Lucifer sticks his nose into her business, unbeknownst to Lily, suddenly a demon prince and commanding General of the demon army, Beleth, crosses her path. Now in a budding relationship she'd always wanted, Lily has to decide what the rest of her life might mean.
Written as a prequel to the popular Hell's Belles videos on Tik Tok, Jaysea does an amazing job at building this amazing backstory for one of my favorite couples of all time. This book is full of fun banter, awkward flirting, nerding out, trauma healing and positive, constructive communication and I loved it.
It's quite the read - over 600 pages, so there are parts that get a little slow. Also, I will say having watched Hell's Belles regliously totally helped to already know some of the lore and characters. ]]>
author: Jaysea Lynn
name: Kari
average rating: 4.84
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/08
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves: dark-romance, drama, spicy, paranormal, fantasy, fiction, romance
review:
3 stars
2.5 spice (check trigger warnings)
When Lily ends up in the afterlife after several previous lives already, she can't help but feel like she's missing something. Prior to reincarnating once again, she found a way to be helpful/useful for the demons at the gate of the universe and estabilished the Hellp Desk in order to help souls get to where they need to go. When Lucifer sticks his nose into her business, unbeknownst to Lily, suddenly a demon prince and commanding General of the demon army, Beleth, crosses her path. Now in a budding relationship she'd always wanted, Lily has to decide what the rest of her life might mean.
Written as a prequel to the popular Hell's Belles videos on Tik Tok, Jaysea does an amazing job at building this amazing backstory for one of my favorite couples of all time. This book is full of fun banter, awkward flirting, nerding out, trauma healing and positive, constructive communication and I loved it.
It's quite the read - over 600 pages, so there are parts that get a little slow. Also, I will say having watched Hell's Belles regliously totally helped to already know some of the lore and characters.
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They've loved each other in a thousand lifetimes. They've killed each other in every one.
Evelyn remembers all her past lives. She also remembers that in every single one, she鈥檚 been murdered before her eighteenth birthday by Arden, a supernatural being whose soul鈥昦nd survival鈥昳s tethered to hers.
The problem is that she鈥檚 quite fond of the life she鈥檚 in now, and her little sister needs her for bone marrow transplants in order to stay alive. If Evelyn wants to save her sister, she鈥檒l have to:
1. Find the centuries-old devil who hunts her through each life鈥昩efore they find her first.
2. Figure out why she鈥檚 being hunted and finally break their curse.
3. Try not to fall in love.]]>
It's just before Branwen's 18th birthday when she starts to remember things long forgotten about her past - and all the pasts before it. Branwen is the newest reincarnation of Evelyn, a centuries old soul whom, no matter what and no matter where she ended up, would not make it past 18 before being killed by Arden, her literal soul mate. This time, however, time is of the literal essence, as Branwen is a match for bone marrow her sister, Grace, needs to survive her cancer treatment, and Branwen has to convince the man who's already killed her a few dozen times over, to finally stop the cycle.
Overall, this was an incredibly interesting read. The time line jumps between 'current' time as Branwen, and all Evelyn and Arden's past lives and what each one brough to who they both currently were. There's a bit of a suspense element as Arden continues to find Evelyn through every life (lives where they've been best friends, where they've loved each other, where they've hated each other, etc) but even though she often asks him 'why' he won't tell her because he's afraid of how she'll react.
I will admit I totally ate this book up and was ready to 5 star it about half way through. I will admit, the end left quite a bit to be desired, mostly because I'm not sure I understand it. The entire book was build up to the very end, which felt rushed an not quite thought all the way through. Still a really good, really fun read, ut that ending it going to haunt me for a bit.]]>
author: Laura Steven
name: Kari
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/13
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: drama, fantasy, fiction, historical, paranormal, suspense
review:
3.5 stars
1 spice (one scene depicted though not overly described)
It's just before Branwen's 18th birthday when she starts to remember things long forgotten about her past - and all the pasts before it. Branwen is the newest reincarnation of Evelyn, a centuries old soul whom, no matter what and no matter where she ended up, would not make it past 18 before being killed by Arden, her literal soul mate. This time, however, time is of the literal essence, as Branwen is a match for bone marrow her sister, Grace, needs to survive her cancer treatment, and Branwen has to convince the man who's already killed her a few dozen times over, to finally stop the cycle.
Overall, this was an incredibly interesting read. The time line jumps between 'current' time as Branwen, and all Evelyn and Arden's past lives and what each one brough to who they both currently were. There's a bit of a suspense element as Arden continues to find Evelyn through every life (lives where they've been best friends, where they've loved each other, where they've hated each other, etc) but even though she often asks him 'why' he won't tell her because he's afraid of how she'll react.
I will admit I totally ate this book up and was ready to 5 star it about half way through. I will admit, the end left quite a bit to be desired, mostly because I'm not sure I understand it. The entire book was build up to the very end, which felt rushed an not quite thought all the way through. Still a really good, really fun read, ut that ending it going to haunt me for a bit.
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From the author of Reese鈥檚 Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller Wrong Place Wrong Time comes an addictive thriller about a new mother鈥檚 world upended when her husband commits a terrifying crime. How well does she truly know the man she loves? And what danger does she face if her entire life has been built on a lie?
It is June 21st, the longest day of the year, and new mother Camilla鈥檚 life is about to change forever. After months of maternity leave, she will drop her infant daughter off at daycare for the first time and return to her job as a literary agent. Finally. But, when she wakes, her husband Luke isn鈥檛 there, and in his place is a cryptic note.
Then it starts. Breaking news: there's a hostage situation developing in London. The police arrive, and tell her Luke is involved. But he isn't a hostage. Her husband鈥攄oting father, eternal optimist鈥攊s the gunman.
What she does next is crucial. Because only she knows what the note he left behind that morning says...
Famous Last Words is the story of a crime, a marriage, and more secrets than Camilla ever could have imagined. This novel cements Gillian McAllister鈥檚 reputation as 鈥渢he best at putting her characters in impossible situations and making her readers not only contemplate but feel what it would be like to find themselves in those situations.鈥� (Emily Henry)]]>
author: Gillian McAllister
name: Kari
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/11
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: fiction, mystery, suspense
review:
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Beckett,
If you鈥檙e reading this, well, you know the last-letter drill. You made it. I didn鈥檛. Get off the guilt train, because I know if there was any chance you could have saved me, you would have.
I need one thing from you: get out of the army and get to Telluride.
My little sister Ella鈥檚 raising the twins alone. She鈥檚 too independent and won鈥檛 accept help easily, but she has lost our grandmother, our parents, and now me. It鈥檚 too much for anyone to endure. It鈥檚 not fair.
And here鈥檚 the kicker: there鈥檚 something else you don鈥檛 know that鈥檚 tearing her family apart. She鈥檚 going to need help.
So if I鈥檓 gone, that means I can鈥檛 be there for Ella. I can鈥檛 help them through this. But you can. So I鈥檓 begging you, as my best friend, go take care of my sister, my family.
Please don鈥檛 make her go through it alone.
Ryan]]>
Single mom of twins, Ella MacKenzie, has been living her life in rural Colorado running her family's vacation property. When her brother, Ryan, who is stationed overseas, asks her to write to one of his platoon brothers with no friends or family outside of the Army, callsign: Chaos, she decides it's worth her time to try to make a new friend. It takes Chaos a while to come around, but when he finally read her first letter he was hooked and they continued writing. That is until, Ryan is KIA and gives his last letter to Chaos, asking him to take care of Ella because of all the loss she has experienced, she would need assistance. When Chaos shows up as his real self, Beckett Gentry, he tries to get to know her all over again, while helping her navigate a litany of soul crushing life events.
OH. MY. GOD.
This book WRECKED me. I had been warned this was an emotional read, and to be honest - that's true. This book hit me right in the feels within the first 60 pages. Then, I had thought I made it out alive. There's still some ups and downs regarding my feelings - trust needing to be rebuilt, lack of communication, worry about another character etc. But we made it out...and then the last 5% of the book hits and I have never cried they way I was sobbing at the end of this book! It hurt every feeling I've ever had, and I'm not sure I'll ever be over it. Well written, beautiful themes and characters and absolutely worth the read. Just...be ready, lol. ]]>
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Kari
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/01
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: drama, fiction, romance, small-town-romance, spicy
review:
4.5 Stars
2 Spice
Single mom of twins, Ella MacKenzie, has been living her life in rural Colorado running her family's vacation property. When her brother, Ryan, who is stationed overseas, asks her to write to one of his platoon brothers with no friends or family outside of the Army, callsign: Chaos, she decides it's worth her time to try to make a new friend. It takes Chaos a while to come around, but when he finally read her first letter he was hooked and they continued writing. That is until, Ryan is KIA and gives his last letter to Chaos, asking him to take care of Ella because of all the loss she has experienced, she would need assistance. When Chaos shows up as his real self, Beckett Gentry, he tries to get to know her all over again, while helping her navigate a litany of soul crushing life events.
OH. MY. GOD.
This book WRECKED me. I had been warned this was an emotional read, and to be honest - that's true. This book hit me right in the feels within the first 60 pages. Then, I had thought I made it out alive. There's still some ups and downs regarding my feelings - trust needing to be rebuilt, lack of communication, worry about another character etc. But we made it out...and then the last 5% of the book hits and I have never cried they way I was sobbing at the end of this book! It hurt every feeling I've ever had, and I'm not sure I'll ever be over it. Well written, beautiful themes and characters and absolutely worth the read. Just...be ready, lol.
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Unlike his brother Sid, Tom receives "lickings" from his Aunt Polly; ever the mischief-maker, would rather play hooky than attend school and often sneaks out his bedroom window at night to adventure with his friend, Huckleberry Finn 颅 the town's social outcast. Tom, despite his dread of schooling, is extremely clever and would normally get away with his pranks if Sid were not such a "tattle-tale."
As punishment for skipping school to go swimming, Aunt Polly assigns Tom the chore of whitewashing the fence surrounding the house. In a brilliant scheme, Tom is able to con the neighborhood boys into completing the chore for him, managing to convince them of the joys of whitewashing. At school, Tom is equally as flamboyant, and attracts attention by chasing other boys, yelling, and running around. With his usual antics, Tom attempts to catch the eye of Becky Thatcher, a new girl in town, and persuades her to get "engaged" by kissing him. But their romance collapses when she learns Tom has been "engaged" previously to Amy Lawrence. Shortly after Becky shuns him, he accompanies Huckleberry Finn to the graveyard at night, where they witness the murder of Dr. Robinson.
Excerpt:
"TOM!"
No answer.
"TOM!"
No answer.
"What's gone with that boy, 聽I wonder? You TOM!"
No answer.
The old lady pulled her spectacles down and looked over them about the room; then she put them up and looked out under them. She seldom or never looked聽through聽them for so small a thing as a boy; they were her state pair, the pride of her heart, and were built for "style," not service鈥攕he could have seen through a pair of stove-lids just as well. She looked perplexed for a moment, and then said, not fiercely, but still loud enough for the furniture to hear:
"Well, I lay if I get hold of you I'll鈥�"
She did not finish, for by this time she was bending down and punching under the bed with the broom, and so she needed breath to punctuate the punches with. She resurrected nothing but the cat.
"I never did see the beat of that boy!"]]>
author: Mark Twain
name: Kari
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1876
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: classic, fiction, young-adult
review:
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author: J.K. Rowling
name: Kari
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: fantasy, young-adult, fiction, magic
review:
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With Omega Point destroyed, Juliette doesn't know if the rebels, her friends, or even Adam are alive. But that won't keep her from trying to take down The Reestablishment once and for all. Now she must rely on Warner, the handsome commander of Sector 45. The one person she never thought she could trust. The same person who saved her life. He promises to help Juliette master her powers and save their dying world . . . but that's not all he wants with her.
The Shatter Me series is perfect for fans who crave action-packed young adult novels with tantalizing romance like Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Legend by Marie Lu. Tahereh Mafi has created a captivating and original story that combines the best of dystopian and paranormal and was praised by Publishers Weekly as "a gripping read from an author who's not afraid to take risks."
Don鈥檛 miss Restore Me, the electrifying fourth installment of this New York Times bestselling series, available now!]]>
author: Tahereh Mafi
name: Kari
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: drama, dystopian, fantasy, fiction, young-adult
review:
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And strike it does. For in Harry鈥檚 second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor and a spirit who haunts the girls鈥� bathroom. But then the real trouble begins 鈥� someone is turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects鈥� Harry Potter himself!]]>
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Kari
average rating: 4.42
book published: 1998
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: fantasy, fiction, young-adult, magic
review:
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"Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger and a snake surrounding a large letter 'H'."
Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry's eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin!]]>
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Kari
average rating: 4.47
book published: 1997
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: young-adult, fantasy, fiction, magic
review:
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Generations of readers young and old, male and female, have fallen in love with the March sisters of Louisa May Alcott鈥檚 most popular and enduring novel, Little Women. Here are talented tomboy and author-to-be Jo, tragically frail Beth, beautiful Meg, and romantic, spoiled Amy, united in their devotion to each other and their struggles to survive in New England during the Civil War.
It is no secret that Alcott based Little Women on her own early life. While her father, the freethinking reformer and abolitionist Bronson Alcott, hobnobbed with such eminent male authors as Emerson, Thoreau, and Hawthorne, Louisa supported herself and her sisters with "woman鈥檚 work,鈥� including sewing, doing laundry, and acting as a domestic servant. But she soon discovered she could make more money writing. Little Women brought her lasting fame and fortune, and far from being the "girl鈥檚 book鈥� her publisher requested, it explores such timeless themes as love and death, war and peace, the conflict between personal ambition and family responsibilities, and the clash of cultures between Europe and America.
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author: Louisa May Alcott
name: Kari
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1868
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: historical, fiction, drama, classic
review:
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First, Edward was a vampire.
Second, there was a part of him - and I didn't know how dominant that part might be - that thirsted for my blood.
And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.
Deeply seductive and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight is a love story with bite.]]>
author: Stephenie Meyer
name: Kari
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: fantasy, fiction, young-adult, romance
review:
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I knew we were both in mortal danger. Still, in that instant, I felt well. Whole. I could feel my heart racing in my chest, the blood pulsing hot and fast through my veins again. My lungs filled deep with the sweet scent that came off his skin. It was like there had never been any hole in my chest. I was perfect - not healed, but as if there had never been a wound in the first place.
I FELT LIKE I WAS TRAPPED IN ONE OF THOSE TERRIFYING NIGHTMARES, the one where you have to run, run till your lungs burst, but you can't make your body move fast enough.... But this was no dream, and, unlike the nightmare, I wasn't running for my life; I was racing to save something infinitely more precious. My own life meant little to me today.
FOR BELLA SWAN THERE IS ONE THING more important than life itself: Edward Cullen. But being in love with a vampire is even more dangerous than Bella could ever have imagined. Edward has already rescued Bella from the clutches of one evil vampire, but now, as their daring relationship threatens all that is near and dear to them, they realize their troubles may be just beginning....
LEGIONS OF READERS ENTRANCED BY THE New York Times bestseller Twilight are hungry for the continuing story of star-crossed lovers Bell and Edward. In New Moon, Stephanie Meyer delivers another irresistible combination of romance and suspense with a supernatural spin. passionate, riveting, and full of surprising twists and turns, this vampire love saga is well on its way to literary immortality.]]>
author: Stephenie Meyer
name: Kari
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: young-adult, fantasy, fiction, romance
review:
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author: J.K. Rowling
name: Kari
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2000
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: fantasy, fiction, young-adult, magic
review:
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In this final, seventh installment of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling unveils in spectacular fashion the answers to the many questions that have been so eagerly awaited.]]>
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Kari
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: young-adult, fantasy, fiction, magic
review:
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I was abruptly overwhelmed by the truth of my own words.
This moment was so perfect, so right, there was no way to doubt it.
His arms wrapped around me,
holding me against him....
It felt like every nerve ending in my body was a live wire.
"Forever," he agreed.
WHEN YOU LOVED THE ONE WHO WAS KILLING YOU, IT LEFT YOU NO OPTIONS. How could you run, how could you fight, when doing so would hurt that beloved one? If your life was all you had to give, how could you not give it? If it was someone you truly loved?
TO BE IRREVOCABLY IN LOVE WITH A VAMPIRE is both fantasy and nightmare woven into a dangerously heightened reality for Bella Swan. Pulled in one direction by her intense passion for Edward Cullen, and in another by her profound connection to werewolf Jacob Black, a tumultuous year of temptation, loss, and strife have led her to the ultimate turning point. Her imminent choice to either join the dark but seductive world of immortals or to pursue a fully human life has become the thread from which the fates of two tribes hangs.
NOW THAT BELLA HAS MADE HER DECISION, a startling chain of unprecedented events is about to unfold with potentially devastating, and unfathomable, consequences. Just when the frayed strands of Bella's life - first discovered in Twilight, then scattered and torn in New Moon and Eclipse - seem ready to heal and knit together, could they be destroyed... forever?
THE ASTONISHING, BREATHLESSLY anticipated conclusion to the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn illuminates the secrets and mysteries of this spellbinding romantic epic that has entranced millions.]]>
author: Stephenie Meyer
name: Kari
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: fantasy, fiction, young-adult, romance
review:
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Harry has had enough. He is beginning to think he must do something, anything, to change his situation, when the summer holidays come to an end in a very dramatic fashion. What Harry is about to discover in his new year at Hogwarts will turn his world upside down...]]>
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Kari
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: fantasy, fiction, young-adult, magic
review:
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author: J.K. Rowling
name: Kari
average rating: 4.57
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: fantasy, fiction, young-adult, magic
review:
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author: Catherine Atkins
name: Kari
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: drama, fiction
review:
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author: Janet Tashjian
name: Kari
average rating: 3.61
book published: 1999
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: drama, fiction
review:
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What if one little wish changed everything?
When Gemma gets dumped by her long-term boyfriend, she reacts the way any reasonable twenty-eight-year-old would: by getting drunk with her sister, kooky aunt, and best friend, Dax. After one too many margaritas, they decide to perform a love- cleansing spell, which promises to erase Gemma鈥檚 ex from her memory. They follow all the instructions, including a platonic kiss from Dax to seal the deal.
When Gemma wakes up, she realizes that this silly spell has worked. Not only does it seem that she never dated her ex, but the rest of her life is completely unrecognizable. The worst part: Dax has no idea who she is.
To reverse the spell and get back to her old life, Gemma must convince her once-best-friend-now-near-stranger to kiss her. But as she carries out her plans, she finds herself falling for him鈥攈ard. Soon, Gemma begins to wonder whether she even wants to go back to the way things once were. What if Dax was The One all along?]]>
Warning - has spicy plots, this book is for mature readers.]]>
author: Kate Robb
name: Kari
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/10
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: fiction, magic, spicy, romance
review:
I loved this book! It was a fast read and is definitely that kind of read when you just want to read a story - you don't have to think or over think, just enjoy what happens. I love the relationshiop between Gemma and Dax because it's incredibly easy and relatable.
Warning - has spicy plots, this book is for mature readers.
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Evie Porter has everything a nice Southern girl could want: a doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence, a tight group of friends. The only catch: Evie Porter doesn鈥檛 exist.
The identity comes first: Evie Porter. Once she鈥檚 given a name and location by her mysterious boss, Mr. Smith, she learns everything there is to know about the town and the people in it. Then the mark: Ryan Sumner. The last piece of the puzzle is the job.
Evie isn鈥檛 privy to Mr. Smith鈥檚 real identity, but she knows this job isn鈥檛 like the others. Ryan has gotten under her skin, and she鈥檚 starting to envision a different sort of life for herself. But Evie can鈥檛 make any mistakes鈥攅specially after what happened last time.
Evie Porter must stay one step ahead of her past while making sure there鈥檚 still a future in front of her. The stakes couldn鈥檛 be higher鈥攂ut then, Evie has always liked a challenge. . . .]]>
author: Ashley Elston
name: Kari
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/28
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: mystery, fiction, suspense, thriller
review:
This is a really great book if you're ready to be thinking the whole time. The adventures of a con-woman looking to get out of the game and the winding path that got her there.
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The main character was a bit blah to me - I love that she came from nothing and became something. However, we didn鈥檛 see much of the 鈥渃hange鈥� which I imagine happened in prison. But most of Nell鈥檚 time in prison was skipped over so out of nowhere she becomes this bad ass with a need for revenge. ]]>
author: Beezy Marsh
name: Kari
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2024/02/15
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: historical, fiction, romance, spicy
review:
The story is really fun and interesting. I also like all the small plots that keep the story moving along. It gets a bit dry in points, sometimes describing the same event/situation by both points of view. Which would be fine, if the descriptions were different, but they鈥檙e not really. Had to force myself to finish it a bit. The 40鈥檚 cockney accent was difficult at times and I didn鈥檛 always know what the characters were saying.
The main character was a bit blah to me - I love that she came from nothing and became something. However, we didn鈥檛 see much of the 鈥渃hange鈥� which I imagine happened in prison. But most of Nell鈥檚 time in prison was skipped over so out of nowhere she becomes this bad ass with a need for revenge.
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He is righteousness. She is sin.
Father Cade Fr茅d茅ric is a holy man. Brought up in the streets of Paris, he has dedicated his life to the church. But there鈥檚 a monster that lingers just beneath the surface. A sickness. One that bleeds darkness and feeds on the damned. When he鈥檚 tasked to become the priest in Festival茅, Vermont, a town both beautiful in architecture and riddled with despair, his sickness sings, demanding he rid the place of evil.
Amaya Paquette is Festival茅鈥檚 beautiful mystery. She spends her days caring for her younger brother and her nights transforming into Esmeralda, dancing for greedy eyes and shameless lips. Although she longs for love, she shies away from companionship, afraid of being abandoned again.
When Father Cade lays eyes on Amaya, he finds himself ensnared, convinced she鈥檚 using witchcraft to lure him to her. He can鈥檛 eat. Can鈥檛 breathe. Can鈥檛 think unless it鈥檚 of her.
And temptation is a devastating mistress.
She鈥檚 his weakness, so he decides he鈥檒l be her demise鈥ven if it means killing the only woman he might ever love.
***
*CROSSED is a dark, contemporary romance (not fantasy or a literal retelling) and the fifth complete standalone in the Never After series: fractured fairy tales inspired by our favorite villains. It features mature themes and content that may not be suitable for all readers. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. Detailed TW can be found on the author's website. This series can be enjoyed in any order.*]]>
For mature readers only. Very spicy, very dark.]]>
author: Emily McIntire
name: Kari
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/04
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: dark-romance, spicy, thriller, religion, romance, fiction
review:
The religious aspect was a little different for me, but it was written well, albeit very dark. The main character, Amara, was really easy to get sucked into her life and her emotions. The ending felt a bit abrupt, but everything tied together nicely at the end.
For mature readers only. Very spicy, very dark.
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The viral TikTok friends-to-lovers dark romantic comedy full of murder, chaos, and spice鈥攗nlike anything you鈥檝e read before鈥攏ow available in all bookstores.
When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, the two find something elusive鈥攖he friendship of like-minded, pitch-black souls. From small town West Virginia to upscale California, from downtown Boston to rural Texas, the two hunters collide in an annual game of blood and suffering, one that pits them against the most dangerous monsters in the country.
But as their friendship develops into something more, the restless ghosts left in their wake are only a few steps behind, ready to claim more than just their newfound love. Can Rowan and Sloane dig themselves out of a game of graves? Or have they finally met their match?
]]>It's dark, it's spicy - but you already knew that or you would have put this down already. Butcher and Blackbird is a great book with interesting main characters. Even understanding the SK part of their lives, they are easy to relate to and their witty banter keeps the story going. The writing is great and really helps bring out who Rowan and Sloane are at the basis of their characters.
I can't wait for the next one, I need to know who people need to be in order to get pre-orders early and then I need to be one of those people.]]>
author: Brynne Weaver
name: Kari
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/18
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: dark-romance, spicy, crime, romance, fiction
review:
5 stars.
Triggers: murder, torture, highly described sexual scenes, serial killers.
It's dark, it's spicy - but you already knew that or you would have put this down already. Butcher and Blackbird is a great book with interesting main characters. Even understanding the SK part of their lives, they are easy to relate to and their witty banter keeps the story going. The writing is great and really helps bring out who Rowan and Sloane are at the basis of their characters.
I can't wait for the next one, I need to know who people need to be in order to get pre-orders early and then I need to be one of those people.
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I had nothing to lose...until him.
**
~Lana~
I didn't expect him.
I didn't want to fall in love.
But I can't let him go.
Logan Bennett makes the world a safer place.
He's brilliant.
He's a hero.
He locks away the sick and depraved.
But while he's saving lives, I'm taking them. Collecting the debts that are owed to me.
Ten years ago, they took from me. They left me for dead.
They should have made sure I stayed dead.
Now I'm taking from them.
One name at a time.
I've trained for too long.
I've been patient.
I can't stop now.
Revenge is best served cold...
They never see me coming, until I paint their walls red.
Logan doesn't know how they hurt me. He doesn't know about the screams they ignored. He doesn't know how twisted that town really is.
He just knows people are dying.
He doesn't know he's in love with their killer.
No one suspects a dead girl.
And Logan doesn't suspect the girl in his bed.
They're looking for a monster.
Not a girl who loves red.
Not a girl in love.
I'm a faceless nightmare.
At least until I tell them the story they've pretended never happened.
But in the end, will Logan choose them? Or will we watch them burn together?
**Graphic
**Adult language
**Some triggers could be too much for the easily disturbed reader
**Sexual content
**Fucked up moral compass; read at your own risk.]]>
That being said, the writing is captivating and quippy. I like Lana and Logan鈥檚 banter, even if the relationship moved kinda of fast. It鈥檚 a little odd Lana would fall so quickly. And while this is meant to be a spicy romance, I find myself way more interested in the overall plot of an FBI agent falling for the serial killer he doesn鈥檛 know. ]]>
author: S.T. Abby
name: Kari
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/05
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: dark-romance, fiction, suspense, crime, spicy
review:
So far so good. I don鈥檛 know that I like how short these books are. If I had to wait for the next installments I think that would be hard.
That being said, the writing is captivating and quippy. I like Lana and Logan鈥檚 banter, even if the relationship moved kinda of fast. It鈥檚 a little odd Lana would fall so quickly. And while this is meant to be a spicy romance, I find myself way more interested in the overall plot of an FBI agent falling for the serial killer he doesn鈥檛 know.
]]>
But that's never happened to me...
I've never felt conflicted on any case. Right is right and wrong is wrong. It's simple. Black and white. There's no such thing as a gray area.
But fuck this case. I don't even know what side I'm on anymore. I don't understand how this town can continue to function without breaking under the weight of all the lies they've spun and lived.
Every time I find a shard of truth, my gut twists, my heart beats faster, and I hate this place a little more. Every time I think I've heard the worst, another truth is dug up from the ashes of more burning lies.
Worst of all, I don't even know who to trust anymore. My head is all messed up.
I pride myself on being impossible to fool.
I'm an expert at knowing when someone is lying to me.
I never believed in being blinded by love...until Lana.
**BE WARNED: Some flashbacks can get intense to readers with a sensitive trigger. Skip the blocks in italics if that's the case.]]>
author: S.T. Abby
name: Kari
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/11
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: spicy, romance, fiction, crime, dark-romance
review:
]]>
Doctor Kal Anderson assumes his heart worked at some point in his life. But at thirty-two years old, the organ in his chest seems to play a mechanical role at best. His cold, emotionless existence gives him an edge as a fixer and in-house physician for the Mafia, while his judgment is impartial and complication-free.
Until Elena Ricci, his boss鈥檚 twenty-year-old daughter.
After admiring the heartless doctor from afar most of her life, Elena catches him in a moment of weakness, and the pair shares a night of passion as they attempt to work each other from their systems. Only, the night seems to have the opposite effect. Elena is no longer a simple temptation to Kal, but a necessity.
An obsession.
One he won鈥檛 let anyone stand in his way of鈥攅ven if that means crashing her wedding to another man, forcing her hand in marriage, and stealing her away to the corrupt island he resides on.
Alone with the man of her nightmares for the first time ever, Elena starts to chip away at the layers of ice surrounding his hardened heart. But the warmth and depravity from her new husband may not be worth the secrets unveiled, or the lives that will forever be altered.
Promises and Pomegranates is a standalone dark romance inspired by Hades and Persephone. Though it is not necessary, it is highly recommended to read their short prequel, Sweet Sin, before diving in. Visit the author's website for a detailed content warning list.]]>
The flow of the book was very difficult for me to follow. I don't know the best way to explain it, but the story seemed to jump around, as if plot points were determined and then abandoned half way through. Also, the ending felt very thrown together and didn't give me a whole lot of satisfaction with the ending. I'm still not totally sure how it ended because it set up the characters for the next book (Out of nowhere, I might add) and then gave us an epilogue which appears to be a few years later.
Honestly, fell really flat for me. Sex scenes were really good, and I did like the main plot of the story, just wasn't executed very well. ]]>
author: Sav R. Miller
name: Kari
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2024/03/17
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: spicy, dark-romance, fiction, greek-mythology, romance
review:
2.75 stars. I was very excited about this book, given the strong Hades and Persephone themes throughout it. I knew it wasn't going to be based on the myth, or a retelling, which was fine. But something about this book really left me feeling bleh.
The flow of the book was very difficult for me to follow. I don't know the best way to explain it, but the story seemed to jump around, as if plot points were determined and then abandoned half way through. Also, the ending felt very thrown together and didn't give me a whole lot of satisfaction with the ending. I'm still not totally sure how it ended because it set up the characters for the next book (Out of nowhere, I might add) and then gave us an epilogue which appears to be a few years later.
Honestly, fell really flat for me. Sex scenes were really good, and I did like the main plot of the story, just wasn't executed very well.
]]>
Chicago, 1950. Rosalind Porter has always defied expectations--in her work as a physicist on the Manhattan Project and in her passionate love affair with colleague Thomas Weaver. Five years after the end of both, her guilt over the bomb and her heartbreak over Weaver are intertwined. She desperately misses her work in the lab, yet has almost resigned herself to a more conventional life.
Then Weaver gets back in touch--and so does the FBI. Special Agent Charlie Szydlo wants Roz to spy on Weaver, whom the FBI suspects of passing nuclear secrets to Russia. Roz helped to develop these secrets and knows better than anyone the devastating power such knowledge holds. But can she spy on a man she still loves, despite her better instincts? At the same time, something about Charlie draws her in. He's a former prisoner of war haunted by his past, just as her past haunts her.
As Rosalind's feelings for each man deepen, so too does the danger she finds herself in. She will have to choose: the man who taught her how to love . . . or the man her love might save?]]>
I love Rosalind. She鈥檚 a complete badass while going through the all too real and raw emotions of a terrible breakup with a toxic person. And sure, I yelled at her a bit when she was interested in taking Weaver back. But honestly, that鈥檚 real. It鈥檚 real to fall back into sync with something familiar even when your heart and head are screaming at you that it鈥檚 a bad idea.
And Charlie! Ugh, I loved Charlie. A broken soul of a person looking for the right broken pieces to fit with his. Though, reader beware, some of his POW flashbacks were difficult to read.
So why didn鈥檛 I give it the five stars that for 360 pages I was so sure it was deserved? The ending. It ties things up nicely, which I appreciate. But - it鈥檚 as if the author wasn鈥檛 sure how to end it, so she just stopped writing. I stared at the book in confusion for far longer than I鈥檓 willing to admit. ]]>
author: Jennie Fields
name: Kari
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/21
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: historical, fiction, romance
review:
4.75 stars. I was so ready to give this one five stars. The writing is well written and while a lot of the dialogue reminds me on 1950s Chicago, it鈥檚 not so much that it鈥檚 hard to read. It fits beautifully with the time and setting of the story.
I love Rosalind. She鈥檚 a complete badass while going through the all too real and raw emotions of a terrible breakup with a toxic person. And sure, I yelled at her a bit when she was interested in taking Weaver back. But honestly, that鈥檚 real. It鈥檚 real to fall back into sync with something familiar even when your heart and head are screaming at you that it鈥檚 a bad idea.
And Charlie! Ugh, I loved Charlie. A broken soul of a person looking for the right broken pieces to fit with his. Though, reader beware, some of his POW flashbacks were difficult to read.
So why didn鈥檛 I give it the five stars that for 360 pages I was so sure it was deserved? The ending. It ties things up nicely, which I appreciate. But - it鈥檚 as if the author wasn鈥檛 sure how to end it, so she just stopped writing. I stared at the book in confusion for far longer than I鈥檓 willing to admit.
]]>
The city of San Francisco thinks we鈥檙e rival artists.
In truth, we鈥檙e predators battling for hunting ground.
We never chased the same prey. Until the night we both laid eyes on Mara Eldritch.
Shaw wants to use her as a pawn in his twisted game.
I鈥檓 fixated on her for a different reason鈥�
She makes me feel things I never thought I could feel. Want things I never wanted.
Only she can make me lose control.
I don鈥檛 know if I should protect her at all costs鈥� or destroy her before she ruins me.
Mara knows I鈥檓 no saint. But she has no idea she鈥檚 dancing with the devil鈥�
The Lark Notes:
I have always been fascinated by true crime, as well as by villains and anti-heroes. A serial killer is, of course, the ultimate anti-hero 鈥� the baddest of the bad boys. Redeeming a character who starts so evil was a challenge that inspired me to entirely new heights and entirely new depths. Come on this darkly sensual and utterly brain-bending ride with me! 鈥� Sophie
"There Are No Saints鈥� is the first book in the Sinners Duet. Reader be warned: this is a dark and steamy serial killer romance that will take you on a journey through the twisted mind of an artist on the brink of madness.]]>
Many trigger warnings to consider - kidnapping, heavy sexual themes, heavily described sexual acts, murder, minor description of child PA, questionable use of human remains, stalking, and obsession/control. Dual character perspective.
With all that out of the way - SO GOOD! I need the second installment immediately as this does end on a bit of a cliff hanger. Renowned artist Cole is a bit of a mystery in and of himself. He barely even noticed budding artist Mara at first. I think what I liked most about this book was it wasn't Mara's looks that caught Cole's attention, it was more her personality and artistic abilities which actually drew her to him and began his obsession with her. What's interesting, is you don't really know what Cole is going to do until the very end - his desire to end her is as strong as his desire to protect her up until the very end of the story.
I loved Mara as a main character. She's very relatable and I found her thoughts and reactions not only interesting, but valid to the circumstances. I really enjoyed her defiant attitude and the painting left in Cole's office? *Chef's kiss* The best revenge I've ever seen!
]]>
author: Sophie Lark
name: Kari
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/30
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: dark-romance, fiction, thriller, spicy, crime
review:
I don't know why 欧宝娱乐 claims this is a 300+ page book. It's about 250.
Many trigger warnings to consider - kidnapping, heavy sexual themes, heavily described sexual acts, murder, minor description of child PA, questionable use of human remains, stalking, and obsession/control. Dual character perspective.
With all that out of the way - SO GOOD! I need the second installment immediately as this does end on a bit of a cliff hanger. Renowned artist Cole is a bit of a mystery in and of himself. He barely even noticed budding artist Mara at first. I think what I liked most about this book was it wasn't Mara's looks that caught Cole's attention, it was more her personality and artistic abilities which actually drew her to him and began his obsession with her. What's interesting, is you don't really know what Cole is going to do until the very end - his desire to end her is as strong as his desire to protect her up until the very end of the story.
I loved Mara as a main character. She's very relatable and I found her thoughts and reactions not only interesting, but valid to the circumstances. I really enjoyed her defiant attitude and the painting left in Cole's office? *Chef's kiss* The best revenge I've ever seen!
]]>
The main problem? It's not entirely unwelcome. Even when people around her start to turn up missing. Or worse鈥攄ead.
There's something familiar about the scarred man, but Lillith can't seem to put her finger on it. Not that she鈥檚 trying too hard. Instead, her focus is on juggling the responsibility of her new position while battling the twisted desire at the thought of her masked stalker.
But she's about to find out that when you dance with the devil for long enough, you pick up some of his habits.]]>
So dark, so smutty, and please for the sake of your own mental health, read the trigger warnings before diving into this story. Now, let's be clear - this is a toxic story about toxic people in a toxic relationship. But it is FICTION, and that's important to keep in mind.
I devoured this 500 page book in less than two days. It's a really fast read - shockingly fast, honestly. It's told in a two-person view point between Lillith and Kain and the story of how they met, re-met, and ultimately became obsessed and entranced with each other. There's an overarching theme of the darkness they both have with in them, and bringing them together brings out more of the light.
The only minor inconvenience were two typos that must have been missed in editing. But I can let that slide ;)]]>
author: Mindy Paige
name: Kari
average rating: 3.54
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/29
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: dark-romance, fiction, crime, motorcycle-club, romance, spicy
review:
5 stars! This book might be my new obsession!
Triggers: sexual content (heavily described, murder, Child PA (mentioned, not overly detailed), gang involvement, disfiguration, kidnapping, captivity, Stockholm Syndrome, and possession/obsession.
So dark, so smutty, and please for the sake of your own mental health, read the trigger warnings before diving into this story. Now, let's be clear - this is a toxic story about toxic people in a toxic relationship. But it is FICTION, and that's important to keep in mind.
I devoured this 500 page book in less than two days. It's a really fast read - shockingly fast, honestly. It's told in a two-person view point between Lillith and Kain and the story of how they met, re-met, and ultimately became obsessed and entranced with each other. There's an overarching theme of the darkness they both have with in them, and bringing them together brings out more of the light.
The only minor inconvenience were two typos that must have been missed in editing. But I can let that slide ;)
]]>
2) Never reveal any personal information.
3) Never EVER become too friendly with the inmates.
But none of the staff at the prison knows Brooke has already broken the rules. Nobody knows about her intimate connection to Shane Nelson, one of the penitentiary's most notorious and dangerous inmates. And they certainly don't know that Shane was Brooke's high school sweetheart鈥晅he star quarterback who is now spending the rest of his life in prison for a series of grisly murders. Or that Brooke's testimony was what put him there.
But Shane knows. And he will never forget.]]>
This book is a damned roller coaster! Murder, teen pregnancy, love triangle, so much back and forth - it鈥檚 hard to put this book down. I was so sure I knew who the killer was about six times, and it still got me. This is a really fast read and easy to get sucked into. The characters are wonderfully written, and the tone of the book is quite amazing. Definitely a good choice for thriller lovers!]]>
author: Freida McFadden
name: Kari
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/24
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: crime, fiction, suspense, thriller
review:
4.75 stars. Trigger warnings: murder, manipulation, gaslighting. Brooke Sullivan takes a job as a nurse practitioner 11 years after she almost dies at the hands of her boyfriend, Shane Nelson, after a sleep over with friends turns deadly. Shane, just happens to be in the same prison, still pleading his innocence over a decade later. Meanwhile, her child hood best friend, Tim Reese, walks back into her life, and it turns out Tim and Shane never liked each other. But just how far will they both go for Brooke?
This book is a damned roller coaster! Murder, teen pregnancy, love triangle, so much back and forth - it鈥檚 hard to put this book down. I was so sure I knew who the killer was about six times, and it still got me. This is a really fast read and easy to get sucked into. The characters are wonderfully written, and the tone of the book is quite amazing. Definitely a good choice for thriller lovers!
]]>
鈥淓motional, relatable and binge-worthy." 鈥揟essa Bailey
鈥淚鈥檒l read anything she writes. An absolute star." 鈥揈mily Henry
鈥淚 was hooked on the very first page. Don't miss this one!" 鈥� Carley Fortune
Two writers with a complicated history end up working on the same TV show. Can they write themselves a new ending? A sexy and emotional enemies-to-lovers romance guaranteed to pull on your heartstrings and give you a book hangover from brilliant new voice Yulin Kuang
Helen Zhang hasn鈥檛 seen Grant Shepard once in the thirteen years since the tragic accident that bound their lives together forever.
Now a bestselling author, Helen pours everything into her career. She鈥檚 even scored a coveted spot in the writers鈥� room of the TV adaptation of her popular young adult novels, and if she can hide her imposter syndrome and overcome her writer鈥檚 block, surely the rest of her life will fall into place too. LA is the fresh start she needs. After all, no one knows her there. Except鈥�
Grant has done everything in his power to move on from the past, including building a life across the country. And while the panic attacks have never quite gone away, he鈥檚 well liked around town as a screenwriter. He knows he shouldn鈥檛 have taken the job on Helen鈥檚 show, but it will open doors to developing his own projects that he just can鈥檛 pass up.
Grant鈥檚 exactly as Helen remembers him鈥攃harming, funny, popular, and lovable in ways that she鈥檚 never been. And Helen鈥檚 exactly as Grant remembers too鈥攂rilliant, beautiful, closed off. But working together is messy, and electrifying, and Helen鈥檚 parents, who have never forgiven Grant, have no idea he鈥檚 in the picture at all.
When secrets come to light, they must reckon with the fact that theirs was never meant to be any kind of love story. And yet鈥� the key to making peace with their past鈥攁nd themselves鈥攎ight just lie in holding on to each other in the present.]]>
Honestly, it's a really cute romance story with a bit of angst and trauma thrown in. The voices of the main characters are very fun and I just love their banter. It's a bit of a 'will they/won't they' and I would say the build up is just the right speed.
The only critiques I would have are some of the description gets a bit redundant - I mean, how many times can someone "murmur" honestly? But over all, it's a good flow, a cute story and a good quick read of a romance. ]]>
author: Yulin Kuang
name: Kari
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/18
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: fiction, spicy, romance, drama
review:
4.5 stars. This was honestly just a good story. Helen and Grant barely know each other from High School when a tragic accident involving Helen's sister connects them in trauma forever. Fast forward 13 years, and the best selling YA series Helen writes inspired by her high school and the people in it gets picked up for a teen drama TV show. And who should be in the writer's room? None other than Grant himself.
Honestly, it's a really cute romance story with a bit of angst and trauma thrown in. The voices of the main characters are very fun and I just love their banter. It's a bit of a 'will they/won't they' and I would say the build up is just the right speed.
The only critiques I would have are some of the description gets a bit redundant - I mean, how many times can someone "murmur" honestly? But over all, it's a good flow, a cute story and a good quick read of a romance.
]]>
But from the moment I crossed the River Styx and fell under his dark spell... he was, quite simply, mine.
Society darling Persephone Dimitriou plans to flee the ultra-modern city of Olympus and start over far from the backstabbing politics of the Thirteen Houses. But all that鈥檚 ripped away when her mother ambushes her with an engagement to Zeus, the dangerous power behind their glittering city鈥檚 dark facade.
With no options left, Persephone flees to the forbidden undercity and makes a devil鈥檚 bargain with a man she once believed a myth... a man who awakens her to a world she never knew existed.
Hades has spent his life in the shadows, and he has no intention of stepping into the light. But when he finds that Persephone can offer a little slice of the revenge he鈥檚 spent years craving, it鈥檚 all the excuse he needs to help her鈥攆or a price. Yet every breathless night spent tangled together has given Hades a taste for Persephone, and he鈥檒l go to war with Olympus itself to keep her close鈥�
A modern retelling of Hades and Persephone that鈥檚 as sinful as it is sweet.]]>
So good! This was a brilliantly written retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth brought into present day. The main characters are easy to fall into. From a BDSM perspective, this is one of the best explanations of it I鈥檝e ever read. The plot runs with a very captivating timing and it was very difficult to put down for too long. I鈥檒l definitely be reading the other installments!]]>
author: Katee Robert
name: Kari
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/26
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: greek-mythology, dark-romance, romance, spicy, fiction
review:
4.5 stars. TW: sexually explicit scenes, bdsm, exhibition, violence. The city of Olympus is divided into upper and lower cities, rules by the Thirteen; the 13 gods and goddesses who use their separate abilities to rule the city as a whole. Well, it鈥檚 meant to be 13, though the Role of Hades has been allegedly vacant for over a decade. That is, until Persephone, daughter of one of the 13, runs into the reigning Hades as she runs away from a betrothal to Zeus, who鈥檚 actions and desires lead to nothing but pain and suffering.
So good! This was a brilliantly written retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth brought into present day. The main characters are easy to fall into. From a BDSM perspective, this is one of the best explanations of it I鈥檝e ever read. The plot runs with a very captivating timing and it was very difficult to put down for too long. I鈥檒l definitely be reading the other installments!
]]>
Camille Rivera is drowning. Her father鈥檚 sick, her brother鈥檚 in deep with a dirty cop, and her mechanic shop is failing.
Nero Gallo is the neighborhood psychopath. As vicious as he is gorgeous, Camille has watched him burn through every girl in a ten-mile radius, breaking hearts and never, ever getting attached.
Which is why she can鈥檛 believe it when Nero saves her from a seriously sticky situation. They鈥檝e lived next to each other all their lives 鈥� is it possible she never really knew him at all?
Camille is about to learn that the only thing more dangerous than trusting Nero is falling for him.
The Lark Notes:
I like to call Savage Lover my 鈥淛ames Dean meets Fast and the Furious鈥� novel. Nero is a mood 鈥� he鈥檚 passion and anger and violence wrapped up in an all-too-tempting package. Camille is completely down-to-earth and she鈥檒l do anything for the people she loves. They鈥檙e opposites, but exactly what each other needs. 鈥� Sophie
鈥淪avage Lover鈥� is the wild and reckless third act of the 鈥淏rutal Birthright鈥� series. It鈥檚 a stand-alone bully Mafia Romance, complete with HEA and no cliffhangers. It contains blazing hot bedroom scenes for mature readers only!!!]]>
Easily my favorite (so far) of the series. There are obvious things that would bring these two together - growing up in the same neighborhood, a great dislike for the same people, and their deep love for old cars. But the more they get thrown together, the more it shows how their souls are matched as well. There's darkness in both of them that speaks to each other, and deep secrets only the two of them understand.
As always, well written plot that continues to tie this book with the rest of the series. The spice is on point and brings more to the story than just being about the spice factor. Amazing!]]>
author: Sophie Lark
name: Kari
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/14
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: crime, dark-romance, fiction, spicy, mafia
review:
5 Stars! TW: highly described sexual scenes, bullying, death/murder (mentioned, not described), drug use, bullying. Nero Gallo is the most selfish man in existence. He decides early on to use people for his personal gain, and vows falling in love will never be his future. He's known Camille Rivera his whole life - both from the same Chicago neighborhood and they attended the same school their whole lives. Similarly, Camille has made her life about taking care of her father and her brother, with no room or time for anyone else. But when Camille's life takes a dangerous turn, it's Nero who continues showing up at both the worst and best possible moments. When they find they have the most important things in common with each other, the obsession grows hot and fast between them.
Easily my favorite (so far) of the series. There are obvious things that would bring these two together - growing up in the same neighborhood, a great dislike for the same people, and their deep love for old cars. But the more they get thrown together, the more it shows how their souls are matched as well. There's darkness in both of them that speaks to each other, and deep secrets only the two of them understand.
As always, well written plot that continues to tie this book with the rest of the series. The spice is on point and brings more to the story than just being about the spice factor. Amazing!
]]>
Mafia families from around the world send their children to Kingmakers Academy to learn the skills of criminal enterprise.
Under the rules of Sanctuary, students are forbidden to fight or kill. But rivalries are high, tensions inflamed, and forbidden love arises in the most unlikely places鈥�
Welcome to Kingmakers]]>
Kingmakers: Year One, is the re-release of "The Heir." This series follows the children of the previous series, Brutal Birthright, and a few of the books from the Underworld Series. It truly feels like a continuation of Brutal birthright, and the writing, as always, is bright, funny and very sexy. I will say, this particular one was a little obvious a lot of the time, though Sophie's writing really sucked me into what was going on. I don't normally physically feel the emotions as I'm reading, but this one had me along for the whole ride.]]>
author: Sophie Lark
name: Kari
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/28
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: dark-romance, fiction, spicy, romance, college, mafia
review:
4.5 Stars. TW: violence, mafia, non consensual drug use, threats, attempted murder, heavily described sexual scenes. Kingmakers is a college housing the students of the world's best mafia families. Anna Wilk and Leo Gallo grew up together, their fathers being the Dons of their respected Mafia businesses, and good friends. When they decide to attend Kingmakers together, their families have mixed emotions. They spend the year together, trying to determine what sudden new and unexpected feeling for each other might mean. Which would be much easier, if it weren't for Dean, Leo's cousin, who's hell bent on taking everything Leo loves the most from him.
Kingmakers: Year One, is the re-release of "The Heir." This series follows the children of the previous series, Brutal Birthright, and a few of the books from the Underworld Series. It truly feels like a continuation of Brutal birthright, and the writing, as always, is bright, funny and very sexy. I will say, this particular one was a little obvious a lot of the time, though Sophie's writing really sucked me into what was going on. I don't normally physically feel the emotions as I'm reading, but this one had me along for the whole ride.
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I vow. You vow. We vow.
Barrington University is home of the Lords, a secret society that requires their blood in payment. They are above all鈥攖he most powerful men in the world. They devote their lives to violence in exchange for power. And during their senior year, they are offered a chosen one.
People think growing up with money is freeing, but I promise you, it鈥檚 not. My entire life has been planned out for me. I never got the chance to do what I wanted until Ryat Alexander Archer came along and gave me an option for a better life. He offered me what no one else ever had鈥攆reedom.
I chose to be his. He made me believe that anyway, but it was just another lie. A way that the Lords manipulate you into doing what they want.
After being sucked into the dark, twisted world of the Lords, I embraced my new role and allowed Ryat to parade me around like the trophy I was to him. But like all things, what started out as a game soon became a fight for survival. And the only way out was death.
This book can be read as a standalone but the timeline of the Lords books is as follows:
The Ritual
The Sinner
The Sacrifice
Sabotage (the H isn't a Lord but he works for a Lord)]]>
author: Shantel Tessier
name: Kari
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/29
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: college, dark-romance, fiction, millionaire, romance, spicy
review:
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LITTLE DEMON
I was raised in a world where money and power are at your fingertips. My father is a LORD, a very respected member of a secret society that knows no bounds. When tragedy struck my family, we discovered we weren鈥檛 untouchable. Just when I thought life couldn鈥檛 get any worse, I was shown what hell is really like. Then he came and saved me. The devil disguised as my personal hero. But of course, nothing is for free. Not when a soul is up for grabs.
I VOW. YOU VOW. WE VOW.
Easton Bradley Sinnett鈥擲in鈥攗ses his power for his own sick pleasure. Like a typical Lord, he never thought about the consequences of his actions. I grew up with him, obsessed over him, craved him. He was who I pictured when I imagined doing things my body shouldn鈥檛 want.
One day, I realized he was not who I thought he was. It didn鈥檛 change anything, though, because I was already too far gone. If anything, I fell for him harder.
Every now and then, someone enters your life who flips it upside down. Sin wrecked me in the worst way, and I thanked him for it by serving on my knees.
As they say, nothing lasts forever. Men like him never stay with a woman like me. I鈥檓 what they use, not keep. So when he threw me away, I shouldn鈥檛 have been all that surprised.
My body had always craved the darker side of love. The kind that left bruises and scars. I was what most would call unholy. And when the devil whispered in my ear that he loved me, I was more than determined to show him just how devoted I could be.]]>
author: Shantel Tessier
name: Kari
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/31
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: crime, fiction, college, dark-romance, spicy, romance, millionaire
review:
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I want someone with a soul as black as night. Someone who would burn the world down for me and not lose a single minute of sleep over it.
Trauma nurse Alyssa Cappellucci doesn鈥檛 need any more kinks. She likes the one she鈥檚 landed on just fine. To her, nothing could top the masked men she follows online. Unless one of those men was shirtless, heavily tattooed, and waiting for her in her bedroom. She dreams about being hunted by one in particular, of him chasing her down and doing deliciously dark things to her willing body. She never could have guessed that by sending one drunken text, those dreams would become her new reality.
I want things most people don鈥檛, craving darkness and depravity instead of light and love.
Joshua Hammond has an infamous father鈥攖he kind of man that true-crime podcasts love talking about. Josh has spent his life avoiding the limelight, but his online persona is another story. At night, he posts masked thirst traps for his millions of fans to drool over, but one follower has caught his Aly. After reading a comment begging him to break into her house wearing a mask, he decides to take her up on her offer.
Together, Aly and Josh live out their darkest fantasies, unaware that Aly has captured the attention of someone else. Someone with far more sinister intentions than a little light stalking. As Josh turns from predator to protector and the stakes heighten, he must ask himself how far he鈥檚 willing to go for the woman he鈥檚 obsessed with.
Lights Out is a fast-paced dark romance with a morally gray male lead. Some themes and scenes may be disturbing to readers. Please check the TWs at the beginning of the book.
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This book is certainly very dark, but it鈥檚 also brilliantly written. There鈥檚 not a slow part in it as the story continues on at a lovely pace. The characters are both strong, badass and extremely likeable (even Tyler - you鈥檒l see, lol). The banter is on point and I was almost disappointed when it was all over.]]>
author: Navessa Allen
name: Kari
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/09
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: crime, dark-romance, fiction, mafia, romance, spicy
review:
5 stars! TW: highly described sexual scenes, mentioned of SA, mentions of childhood abuse and other traumas, murder, stalking, consensual non consent. Aly is an over worked ER nurse who鈥檚 only escape from her life is watching hours of her favorite masked tik toker and the thirst traps he posts. When a mutual friend unknowingly connects them, she because the subject of his obsession.
This book is certainly very dark, but it鈥檚 also brilliantly written. There鈥檚 not a slow part in it as the story continues on at a lovely pace. The characters are both strong, badass and extremely likeable (even Tyler - you鈥檒l see, lol). The banter is on point and I was almost disappointed when it was all over.
]]>
I caught the attention of a monster.
I didn't ask for it.
Didn't even see it coming.
But the moment I do, it's too late.
Killian Carson is a predator wrapped in sophisticated charm.
He's cold-blooded, manipulative, and savage.
The worst part is that no one sees his devil side.
I do.
And that will cost me everything.
I run, but the thing about monsters?
They always chase.
This book is not a conventional romance and contains themes that aren't to everyone's liking. Please check the author's note before reading.]]>
Tropes: Dark romance, college romance, secret society, mental health, touch her and die, morally black MMC, finds herself FMC.
Killian Carson is a literal psychopath. He has no emotions and has to keep the darkness in his head at bay in order to avoid crossing a line he can never uncross. When he meets Glyndon King, he assumes she's just another girl for him to play with until he tires of her. But the more time he spends with her, the more he finds the darkness quieting in his head. Meanwhile, Glyndon uses Killian both to discover parts of herself she ignored for years, while also searching for answers to the untimely death of her friend.
Unhinged doesn't begin to describe it. Killian isn't just morally gray - he's completely jet black. He spends more and more time with Glyndon, each time giving her every reason to run for the hills. And while she builds her strength mentally trying to fight him off, she also forces herself to really listen to him, trying to understand how he ticks. Told in a dual POV definitely adds layers to it, while you can learn Glyndon's step by step thoughts on how she's processing everything she's learning about him, while you also learn how Killian's brain works so methodically to get what he wants.
I found myself a little confused during the 'big reveal' or the twist at the end - in that I'm still not sure why certain players had a role in it, and I worry there might have been a plot hole there. But, to be honest, it doesn't effect much else overall.
Do not expect Killian to grow a heart for Glyndon. True, she's the only one who keeps the darkness away, which makes it easier for him to keep his psychopathic tendencies at bay - but that's pretty much it. He still is who he is. ]]>
author: Rina Kent
name: Kari
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/22
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: college, dark-romance, fiction, spicy, millionaire
review:
4.5 Stars. CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS
4 Spice.
Tropes: Dark romance, college romance, secret society, mental health, touch her and die, morally black MMC, finds herself FMC.
Killian Carson is a literal psychopath. He has no emotions and has to keep the darkness in his head at bay in order to avoid crossing a line he can never uncross. When he meets Glyndon King, he assumes she's just another girl for him to play with until he tires of her. But the more time he spends with her, the more he finds the darkness quieting in his head. Meanwhile, Glyndon uses Killian both to discover parts of herself she ignored for years, while also searching for answers to the untimely death of her friend.
Unhinged doesn't begin to describe it. Killian isn't just morally gray - he's completely jet black. He spends more and more time with Glyndon, each time giving her every reason to run for the hills. And while she builds her strength mentally trying to fight him off, she also forces herself to really listen to him, trying to understand how he ticks. Told in a dual POV definitely adds layers to it, while you can learn Glyndon's step by step thoughts on how she's processing everything she's learning about him, while you also learn how Killian's brain works so methodically to get what he wants.
I found myself a little confused during the 'big reveal' or the twist at the end - in that I'm still not sure why certain players had a role in it, and I worry there might have been a plot hole there. But, to be honest, it doesn't effect much else overall.
Do not expect Killian to grow a heart for Glyndon. True, she's the only one who keeps the darkness away, which makes it easier for him to keep his psychopathic tendencies at bay - but that's pretty much it. He still is who he is.
]]>
Then his bruised knuckles, dark eyes, and arrogant smirk.
The handcuffs came last.
No one else paid him attention, but I couldn鈥檛 look away. Or deny my instant lust.
I had no idea he was being imprisoned on the remote, dark Scottish island I knew well.
Or that he鈥檇 been kidnapped, not arrested.
I went from that na茂ve girl on the boat, dreaming of stolen kisses, to the one who held the key to his prison cell.
When heat turns to hate, all that鈥檚 left is ruin.
--
Ruin (Dark Island Scots, #1) is a new adult romance with dark themes, including angst, lust-to-hate-to-love, and lost innocence. This series will be deeply interconnected, so expect the occasional wicked cliffhanger (and McRae cameo). It'll be well worth the heart palpitations.
Lose yourself in Ruin.]]>
Thea was your average college kid when she and her father took a trip to her grandmother's home on a smile island across the see. What she didn't expect was to mean a young man who was being taking there against his will. Struan was taken to a run down hostel on the island, allegedly there for to pay penenace for his crimes. Neither Thea or Struan are prepared for what they discover about the island.
What a roller coaster! There are a lot of players in this book which can get a little confusing, but once you get into the story it becomes easier to follow. I think my favorite part was watching Thea grow as a person the more she learned and interacted with Struan, and the more she learned about the island and her family's part in it. I also love Struan's found family! It's sweet to see someone so rough and guarded allow the people who truly understand him into his life.
It ends on a cliff hanger, which would be annoying if the rest of the books weren't already out yet, lol. ]]>
author: Jolie Vines
name: Kari
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/25
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: crime, fiction, spicy, dark-romance, romance, suspense
review:
4.5 Stars
3 Spice.
Thea was your average college kid when she and her father took a trip to her grandmother's home on a smile island across the see. What she didn't expect was to mean a young man who was being taking there against his will. Struan was taken to a run down hostel on the island, allegedly there for to pay penenace for his crimes. Neither Thea or Struan are prepared for what they discover about the island.
What a roller coaster! There are a lot of players in this book which can get a little confusing, but once you get into the story it becomes easier to follow. I think my favorite part was watching Thea grow as a person the more she learned and interacted with Struan, and the more she learned about the island and her family's part in it. I also love Struan's found family! It's sweet to see someone so rough and guarded allow the people who truly understand him into his life.
It ends on a cliff hanger, which would be annoying if the rest of the books weren't already out yet, lol.
]]>
The one I dreamed of in a homelife filled with violence and pain.
It was Sin鈥檚 darkness that saved me, wrapping its way around my heart until it beat only for him.
I helped him escape his island prison.
He asked me to leave with him.
But my mother is pregnant, and I won鈥檛 let another child be raised in that house of horrors.
The only way to free her is to betray the man I want and the family he鈥檚 creating.
Love is impossible when my only option is to sin.
--
Sin (Dark Island Scots, #2) continues the story started in Ruin (Dark Island Scots, #1). This is Sinclair and Lottie鈥檚 romance, so expect exquisite and seductive scenes, a plus-sized heroine and her much bigger hero, and an insidious mystery threatening our tribe of found family.]]>
Continuing the saga of the family running from authorities and trying to figure out just how they found themselves together, Sinclair Stone finds himself thrust alongside Lottie Hunter. Whom he loves, but also can't trust. While on the run, Lottie is tasked to notify her father of the family's location, but quickly finds herself conflicted the more time she spends with them and, more importantly, with Sin.
Oooh it's getting good! This whole series is so intertwined, with more characters having secret second lives tying them all together. And I specifically liked watching Sin and Lottie work through things - they don't trust each other, but Lottie so desperately wants to be wanted/needed, and Sin so desperately wants to be able trust someone outside the family and eventually stop running. ]]>
author: Jolie Vines
name: Kari
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/27
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: crime, fiction, romance, spicy, dark-romance, suspense
review:
4 Stars.
3 Spice.
Continuing the saga of the family running from authorities and trying to figure out just how they found themselves together, Sinclair Stone finds himself thrust alongside Lottie Hunter. Whom he loves, but also can't trust. While on the run, Lottie is tasked to notify her father of the family's location, but quickly finds herself conflicted the more time she spends with them and, more importantly, with Sin.
Oooh it's getting good! This whole series is so intertwined, with more characters having secret second lives tying them all together. And I specifically liked watching Sin and Lottie work through things - they don't trust each other, but Lottie so desperately wants to be wanted/needed, and Sin so desperately wants to be able trust someone outside the family and eventually stop running.
]]>
I鈥檇 do anything to save my missing sister, even sell my body to the highest bidder.
Until he steals me from my buyer鈥檚 mansion.
Camden rescued me, but he won鈥檛 let me walk away. Especially when I discover he鈥檚 my buyer鈥檚 son.
And the strange thing? I can鈥檛 even be angry at the sweet, gentle, scarred Scotsman for the terrible thing he did.
Chasing after me will hurt him. And loving him will only leave me with scars.
鈥�
Scar is the third episode in the wildly popular Dark Island Scots series. As with the previous brothers鈥� stories, this is darkly delicious and may raise eyebrows. Check the note inside the book for warnings. Remember Camden is a tattoo artist? Just wait and see where he lays down his鈥kills.
Let Camden and Breeze leave you emotionally scarred!]]>
Continuing the saga, we follow Scar, as he has an instant connection with the girl he finds chained to a bed in his biological father's house, Breeze, while he's trying to discover the deep dastardly deeds of said father. When he tries to rescue her, she tells him no and we find out Breeze is also searching for someone who means more to her then anyone. In a whirlwind of thrills and romance, they realize the best way to get what they both want is to work together.
EASILY MY FAVORITE OF THE SERIES! There's a good chance it's because Scar is my favorite character of the series. He's just the sweetest damned thing! And when he meets Breeze who's the other half to his crazy broken heart, it's just adorable. Plus, Scar having the "talk" with Struin might be my favorite thing ever. The banter, the emotion, the thrill in this book is just the best!]]>
author: Jolie Vines
name: Kari
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/28
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: crime, fiction, spicy, romance, suspense, dark-romance
review:
5 Stars.
3 Spice.
Continuing the saga, we follow Scar, as he has an instant connection with the girl he finds chained to a bed in his biological father's house, Breeze, while he's trying to discover the deep dastardly deeds of said father. When he tries to rescue her, she tells him no and we find out Breeze is also searching for someone who means more to her then anyone. In a whirlwind of thrills and romance, they realize the best way to get what they both want is to work together.
EASILY MY FAVORITE OF THE SERIES! There's a good chance it's because Scar is my favorite character of the series. He's just the sweetest damned thing! And when he meets Breeze who's the other half to his crazy broken heart, it's just adorable. Plus, Scar having the "talk" with Struin might be my favorite thing ever. The banter, the emotion, the thrill in this book is just the best!
]]>
Jamieson was my penpal.
My first crush. My surf-crazy, impulsive, pyro boy, and the secret I kept from the world.
Until he broke us up before we ever met.
When I discover he's been imprisoned by an evil man, saving him becomes my only goal.
Except his enemy wants me too.
He was fire and water. With him, I'd either drown or burn.
--
Burn (Dark Island Scots, #4) brings this smexy and thrilling series to a breathtaking finish. This is Jamieson and Summer's romance, so expect fiercely passionate scenes between a plus-sized heroine and her fire-loving, reckless hero.
With nothing left to lose, our tribe of found family have to risk it all to end the war against them.
Please note this series contains darker themes.]]>
author: Jolie Vines
name: Kari
average rating: 4.40
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/01
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: dark-romance, drama, crime, fiction, spicy, romance, suspense
review:
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The clock at St. Killian鈥檚 chimes as whispers float in the dark staircase above.
Snow falls from the black sky beyond the windows, and candles glow, the flames lighting up the longest night of the year.鈦�
鈦�
Devil鈥檚 Night isn鈥檛 the only holiday we celebrate. Tonight, we鈥檙e pulling on a different mask.鈦�
鈦�
Some call it Midwinter.鈦�
鈦�
Others call it Yule.鈦�
鈦�
We call it Fire Night.鈦�
鈦�
***
鈦�
FIRE NIGHT is a 28K word holiday novella.]]>
author: Penelope Douglas
name: Kari
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/27
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: dark-romance, religion, fiction, suspense, spicy
review:
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What happens when it's five against one and nowhere to run?
EMORY
They call it Blackchurch. A secluded mansion in a remote, undisclosed location where the wealthy and powerful send their misbehaving sons to cool off away from prying eyes.
Will Grayson has always been an animal, though. Reckless, wild, and someone who was never bound by a single rule other than to do exactly what he wanted. There was no way his grandfather was going risk him humiliating the family again.
Not that the last time was entirely his fault. He might鈥檝e enjoyed backing me into corners in high school when no one was looking, so they wouldn鈥檛 catch on that Mr. Popular actually wanted a piece of that quiet, little nerd he loved to torture so much, but鈥�
He could also be warm. And fierce in keeping me safe.
The truth is鈥� He has a right to hate me.
It鈥檚 all my fault. Everything.
Devils Night. The videos. The arrests.
I鈥檓 to blame for all of it.
And I regret nothing.
WILL
I never minded being locked up. I learned a long time ago that being treated like an animal gives you permission to act like one. No one has ever looked at me any other way.
Their only mistake is believing anything I do is an accident. I can sit in this house with no Internet, television, liquor, or girls, but I鈥檒l come out of here with something far more frightening to my enemies.
A plan.
And a new pack of wolves.
I just didn鈥檛 expect one of my enemies to come to me.
I don鈥檛 know who smuggled her in or if they meant to leave her here, but I can smell her hiding in the house. She鈥檚 here.
And as the security detail leaves the supplies, the gates close, and the door to my gilded cage opens, giving me free reign of the house and grounds for another unsupervised month, I remember with a smile鈥�
Blackchurch houses five prisoners. I鈥檓 only one of her problems.
*Nightfall is a full-length, romantic suspense suitable for readers 18+. It鈥檚 necessary to read the prior installments in the series before starting this story.]]>
author: Penelope Douglas
name: Kari
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/27
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: dark-romance, fiction, romance, spicy, suspense
review:
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We have done things that have marked our souls for eternity.
But before we get there, we have to go back.
Back to where it all started.
The place I could find in my sleep.
Hollow Heights University in the macabre, somber seaside town of Ponderosa Springs.
A college for prestigious, wealthy children to receive the highest education. A town drowning in treachery and secrets that became our damnation.
But it wasn鈥檛 the forest surrounding the grounds or even the mysterious hidden mausoleum that haunted me.
It was them.
The ones that lurked in the night, things so wicked, so twisted, so evil, they would become the rulers of my nightmares.
The Hollow Boys.
One wrong move and I landed myself directly in their line of fire.
This is not a story about love, it is not a story of happy endings.
Love just happened to blossom in our sorrows, in our pain, our fear, our blood.
Every terrible thing they ever did, we watched, we helped, we loved them anyway.
Some run from their monsters, we fell in love with ours.]]>
**DARK. Check Trigger Warnings**
The last thing Alistair Caldwell wanted was to be stuck in Ponderosa Springs with a family who literally never wanted him. However, when his best friend's girlfriend is found dead under mysterious circumstances, Alistair promises to stick around until they find out what truly happened and bestow their own brand of vigilante justice. While harming and interrogating one of those involved, new student Briar Lowell, stumbles upon them and attempts to run from Alistair and his friends. When Alistair realizes he can't let Briar continue knowing what they've done, he decides to use her abilities for his own gains.
Definite "Devil's Night" (Penelope Douglas) vibes! This is definitely darker than DN, but has the same best friends, found family, bully romance tropes to pull the story along. Not only is Alistair morally extra gray, but all three of his best friends (the Hollow Boys) are equally as tortured and unhinged which brings a whole new layer to the story.
I will say the ending felt a bit quick - obviously in an enemies-to-lovers or bully romance, it's going to be a bit of a slow burn. But, and maybe I just missed it because I was a bit distracted when reading the end, but suddenly soul-darker-than-night Alistair becomes caring (as much as he's capable) towards Briar without a real understanding as to why. Again - clearly that was going to happen, it just would have been nice to see a kind of catalyst towards it. ]]>
author: Monty Jay
name: Kari
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/16
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: college, crime, dark-romance, fiction, romance, spicy, millionaire
review:
4 Stars
3 Spice
**DARK. Check Trigger Warnings**
The last thing Alistair Caldwell wanted was to be stuck in Ponderosa Springs with a family who literally never wanted him. However, when his best friend's girlfriend is found dead under mysterious circumstances, Alistair promises to stick around until they find out what truly happened and bestow their own brand of vigilante justice. While harming and interrogating one of those involved, new student Briar Lowell, stumbles upon them and attempts to run from Alistair and his friends. When Alistair realizes he can't let Briar continue knowing what they've done, he decides to use her abilities for his own gains.
Definite "Devil's Night" (Penelope Douglas) vibes! This is definitely darker than DN, but has the same best friends, found family, bully romance tropes to pull the story along. Not only is Alistair morally extra gray, but all three of his best friends (the Hollow Boys) are equally as tortured and unhinged which brings a whole new layer to the story.
I will say the ending felt a bit quick - obviously in an enemies-to-lovers or bully romance, it's going to be a bit of a slow burn. But, and maybe I just missed it because I was a bit distracted when reading the end, but suddenly soul-darker-than-night Alistair becomes caring (as much as he's capable) towards Briar without a real understanding as to why. Again - clearly that was going to happen, it just would have been nice to see a kind of catalyst towards it.
]]>
I found out about the auction when my roommate stole my rent money. One night with a man who bought me. To keep my apartment and independence, I could do it. That is, until the one man I never expected walked through the door.
Everyone else was terrified of him, but I knew men far more terrifying than the 鈥淟ion鈥�. Something about him screamed trust-worthy to me, but I couldn鈥檛 trust those instincts after everything I鈥檇 been through. He gave me an out - but staring up at Leo, I didn鈥檛 want to take it. I wanted to experience something I suspected he could give me. Little did I know it, but that night would change everything.
Leo
They say to not let your past define you, but mine did. My family runs this city, but it was my mercenaries who kept it safe from the worst of the worst. We鈥檝e been hunting down the members of a human trafficking ring for far too long. All I needed was a name, and I鈥檇 wipe it out of existence.
Meanwhile, the step-daughter of my enemy was being hunted for revenge, and I swore to protect her. I watched from the shadows, followed her across town, and searched for any threat to her. Then she surprised me, and I wasn鈥檛 easily surprised. I wanted - no - needed her. Desperate to keep her safe, when an unexpected opportunity arose, I forced her hand and made her mine.
*Undressed is the fifth and final book in the Unrelenting series. Each book in the series is a standalone however, the themes get darker and there is an overarching plot. While not necessary to read every book in the series it is recommended. Foreword has trigger and content warnings for those interested. Open-door.]]>
author: Jayne Katway
name: Kari
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/25
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: crime, dark-romance, fiction, mafia, romance, spicy
review:
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Blood has soaked the hands of those we trusted most. Decrepit intentions finally come to light.
And now truths are ready to be incinerated in the open for everyone to witness.
I was ready to watch this town that made me the villain, Rot in front of my eyes, but it seems ghosts don鈥檛 stay buried here either.
Everyone鈥檚 favorite sweetheart has returned to Hollow Heights dragging nothing but unanswered questions and grim memories behind her.
A distraction I can鈥檛 afford with the police sniffing around.
A mistake that torched my last piece of humanity.
The dirty little secret that has returned searching for closure surrounding her sister鈥檚 mysterious death.
But I know the innocent, lost girl is an act. Underneath it鈥檚 just another part of her show.
They all are eating from the palm of her hand, puppets on her string.
But not me.
I see her for what she truly is, I always have.
A fake. A manipulator. A liar.
I won鈥檛 let her ruin all we have worked for. I refuse to let her derail our plan of vengeance.
I鈥檝e played your game once before, Sage, now it鈥檚 time to play mine.
And you鈥檙e not making it out without getting burned.]]>
author: Monty Jay
name: Kari
average rating: 4.17
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/21
date added: 2025/02/21
shelves: college, crime, dark-romance, fiction, millionaire, romance, spicy
review:
]]>
Juliette鈥檚 short tenure as the supreme commander of North America has been an utter disaster. When the children of the other world leaders show up on her doorstep, she wants nothing more than to turn to Warner for support and guidance. But he shatters her heart when he reveals that he鈥檚 been keeping secrets about her family and her identity from her鈥攕ecrets that change everything.
Juliette is devastated, and the darkness that鈥檚 always dwelled within her threatens to consume her. An explosive encounter with unexpected visitors might be enough to push her over the edge.]]>
author: Tahereh Mafi
name: Kari
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/21
date added: 2025/02/21
shelves: drama, dystopian, fantasy, fiction
review:
]]>
Hiding. Lying. Spying.
Waiting like a spider for her to wander into my web鈥�
Now she鈥檚 here, and I have to get even closer to her. I鈥檒l help her. Befriend her. Seduce her, even.
The only thing I can鈥檛 do is fall in love with her.
Her father took everything from me: my money, my family, my life.
He has to pay for what he鈥檚 done. And she鈥檚 the only thing that can hurt him鈥�
The Lark Notes:
I鈥檝e been planting clues and Easter Eggs all the way through the first three Kingmakers books 鈥� now it鈥檚 time for the secrets to be revealed, and the mysteries to find their conclusions. The moment you finish 鈥淭he Spy鈥�, you鈥檙e going to want to go back and read the whole series all over again! 鈥� Sophie
鈥淭he Spy鈥� is the final installment in the epic dark mafia Kingmakers series. It鈥檚 a forbidden romance, full of mystery, betrayal, and an explosive conclusion that will give you the biggest book hangover of your life!]]>
The spy has been lying in wait for the last three years at Kingmakers and suddenly it's all beginning to pay off. When Nix Moroz shows up for her freshman year at Kingmakers, the spy puts himself into her path to develop a relationship he can later use to take her family down. Why? Because her father has been keeping his father prisioner for the last 3.5 years and the spy is ready to take his revenge and find his father.
SO GOOD! This was easily my favorite book in the series. I love that I was both right AND wrong about who the spy was. Same person - both right and wrong - talk about a mind f*ck! I enjoyed the transition of the spy going from "i'm going to end her" to "touch her and die" throughout the book. And there's no one more of a bad ass than Nix Moroz, let me tell you! She's so strong even having been sheltered from the mafia life while she was growing up and then being literally thrown in (by her own demand) into a school full of them. It also beautifully summed up the whole series and everything was perfectly wrapped with a perfect bow :) ]]>
author: Sophie Lark
name: Kari
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/07
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves: college, crime, dark-romance, fiction, mafia, romance, spicy
review:
6 stars
3 spice
The spy has been lying in wait for the last three years at Kingmakers and suddenly it's all beginning to pay off. When Nix Moroz shows up for her freshman year at Kingmakers, the spy puts himself into her path to develop a relationship he can later use to take her family down. Why? Because her father has been keeping his father prisioner for the last 3.5 years and the spy is ready to take his revenge and find his father.
SO GOOD! This was easily my favorite book in the series. I love that I was both right AND wrong about who the spy was. Same person - both right and wrong - talk about a mind f*ck! I enjoyed the transition of the spy going from "i'm going to end her" to "touch her and die" throughout the book. And there's no one more of a bad ass than Nix Moroz, let me tell you! She's so strong even having been sheltered from the mafia life while she was growing up and then being literally thrown in (by her own demand) into a school full of them. It also beautifully summed up the whole series and everything was perfectly wrapped with a perfect bow :)
]]>
My rightful place is at the head of the Bonetti empire. With my father dying, the pressure is on to prove I鈥檓 the man he can trust with his legacy. He has but one stipulation. I, Luca Bonetti, certified playboy, must take a wife.
When I find a stunning brunette attempting to steal from me, everything changes. Sweet little thief. She may be beautiful, but she chose the wrong man to mess with. I have two choices. Kill her or use her to get what I want more than anything.
What I hadn鈥檛 bargained
Her refusal.
Her little body tempting me at every turn.
Her sassy little mouth.
What she doesn鈥檛 realize is the harder she fights, the more it thrills me. I love a challenge. And breaking in my butterfly will be nothing short of exhilarating.
ChelleRoseAuthor
ChelleRoseAuthor]]>
**VERY DARK. Read Trigger Warnings**
Athena has no idea what future awaits her when she tries to break in to the fortress of Luca "Bones" Bonetti in hopes of stealing his car for her boyfriend. Bones quickly catches her and brings her inside, with a plan to take her life for her discretion. But when he plans to deal with her as he deals with everyone who crosses him - he quickly learns Athena is very different from anyone else he'd every encountered, and his sudden desire to know everything about her crosses over into complete obsession.
Honestly - I was disappointed. I had seen this book recommended on Tik Tok and when I was told it was a dark mafia romance, of course I thought it was right up my alley. IMMEDIATELY, and for no reason at all, Bones starts in with a nickname - Butterfly. Now, I love nick names and I think Butterfly is super cute. But the reason he calls her that is flimsy at best. And then he NEVER STOPS USING IT. Again, I like nicknames and it makes sense he'd use it more than her given name, but he uses it when he doesn't need to. You use a nickname in place of a given name - not in every sentence. Also, the main climax of the book happens at about 60% in, and the rest of the book feels rushed. And then there's a random twist that was completely unnecessary and adds nothing to the story. Honestly, the "twist" scene could have switched places with the climax and I think it would have flowed better. It was also clear the Bonetti brothers were mentioned as a way to introduce more books in the series, but there was nothing to really build their characters - zero connection.
I did like how Athena was described and how she worked through her trauma with Bones. Again, it seemed a lot of additional things were added at the end, which I don't know was necessary because her life was literal hell being held captive by her father, abandoned by her mother, and her first boyfriend-ish person also abandoning her and making her feel worthless when she asked him for help. I don't know that we needed to randomly add "also she can't read" at the very end of the book. Does it make sense given her captivity - yes. But maybe we should have mentioned it earlier so it didn't feel like we were just throwing things in at the end. ]]>
author: Chelle Rose
name: Kari
average rating: 4.12
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/17
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves: crime, dark-romance, fiction, mafia, romance, spicy
review:
2.5 Stars
4 Spice
**VERY DARK. Read Trigger Warnings**
Athena has no idea what future awaits her when she tries to break in to the fortress of Luca "Bones" Bonetti in hopes of stealing his car for her boyfriend. Bones quickly catches her and brings her inside, with a plan to take her life for her discretion. But when he plans to deal with her as he deals with everyone who crosses him - he quickly learns Athena is very different from anyone else he'd every encountered, and his sudden desire to know everything about her crosses over into complete obsession.
Honestly - I was disappointed. I had seen this book recommended on Tik Tok and when I was told it was a dark mafia romance, of course I thought it was right up my alley. IMMEDIATELY, and for no reason at all, Bones starts in with a nickname - Butterfly. Now, I love nick names and I think Butterfly is super cute. But the reason he calls her that is flimsy at best. And then he NEVER STOPS USING IT. Again, I like nicknames and it makes sense he'd use it more than her given name, but he uses it when he doesn't need to. You use a nickname in place of a given name - not in every sentence. Also, the main climax of the book happens at about 60% in, and the rest of the book feels rushed. And then there's a random twist that was completely unnecessary and adds nothing to the story. Honestly, the "twist" scene could have switched places with the climax and I think it would have flowed better. It was also clear the Bonetti brothers were mentioned as a way to introduce more books in the series, but there was nothing to really build their characters - zero connection.
I did like how Athena was described and how she worked through her trauma with Bones. Again, it seemed a lot of additional things were added at the end, which I don't know was necessary because her life was literal hell being held captive by her father, abandoned by her mother, and her first boyfriend-ish person also abandoning her and making her feel worthless when she asked him for help. I don't know that we needed to randomly add "also she can't read" at the very end of the book. Does it make sense given her captivity - yes. But maybe we should have mentioned it earlier so it didn't feel like we were just throwing things in at the end.
]]>
I've always been good at following rules.聽Until she came.聽My name is Tyler Anselm Bell. I'm twenty-nine years old. Six months ago, I broke my vow of celibacy on the altar of my own church, and God help me, I would do it again.聽I am a priest and this is my confession.
Priest is a standalone, full-length novel with an HEA. 聽For mature audiences only]]>
Tyler Bell finds himself called to the priesthood to aid in ridding the Catholic Church of harmful clergy after the same harm lead to his sister鈥檚 death. He helped rebuild another church in a small town after they experienced similar tragedy from their own priest. He knew his plan and his calling - then Poppy Danforth walks in and makes him question everything.
This book is very heavy on the spice and while normally I like that in a romance book, this might have been a tad much for me. Well written, certainly, and each scene was just different enough it wasn鈥檛 boring, which I liked. The plot was shockingly interesting for having religion as a central theme, and I actually appreciated there wasn鈥檛 an added age gap troupe usually found in similar stories.
Some of the writing felt a little lack luster to me - a lot of repetitive verbs and adjectives, a lot of description on settings we only saw the one time. That being said, the main characters were easy to fall for and become connected with. And the supporting characters added depth and honestly, some humor through out the book. This is the first in a three part series and I would definitely be interested in the other two. ]]>
author: Sierra Simone
name: Kari
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/22
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves: fiction, romance, spicy, religion
review:
3.75 stars. Triggers: mentioned child SA, mentioned abuse by clergy, heavily described sexual scenes, some dominant/submissive scenes, grief, heavy themes of sibling/child suicide.
Tyler Bell finds himself called to the priesthood to aid in ridding the Catholic Church of harmful clergy after the same harm lead to his sister鈥檚 death. He helped rebuild another church in a small town after they experienced similar tragedy from their own priest. He knew his plan and his calling - then Poppy Danforth walks in and makes him question everything.
This book is very heavy on the spice and while normally I like that in a romance book, this might have been a tad much for me. Well written, certainly, and each scene was just different enough it wasn鈥檛 boring, which I liked. The plot was shockingly interesting for having religion as a central theme, and I actually appreciated there wasn鈥檛 an added age gap troupe usually found in similar stories.
Some of the writing felt a little lack luster to me - a lot of repetitive verbs and adjectives, a lot of description on settings we only saw the one time. That being said, the main characters were easy to fall for and become connected with. And the supporting characters added depth and honestly, some humor through out the book. This is the first in a three part series and I would definitely be interested in the other two.
]]>
2 Spice
Professor of marine archeology, Kenzie, has been hopelessly obsessed with the story of a pirate in the 1800's who stole a priceless headdress from the Royal collection of Queen Elizabeth II. The rest of her team and the National Archeological Society, do not agree that this treasure even exists, let alone agree to where it might be hidden. Turned down for funding, Kenzie finds out her best friend offers her a spot on a cruise to the Caribbean - right in the area where Kenzie believes the ship went down. Kenzie quickly runs into Burke, a cranky fisherman with a boat equipped for scuba diving. Together, they set off to find what then can discover. Things change quickly, however, when unknown mystery men begin to show up out of the woodwork, trying to take what Kenzie has found, proving pirates still exist.
This was a very intense and fun read. Literal pirates, treasure hunting, and strangers falling in love - there's a little something for everyone. I enjoyed the pace and chemistry in this book, and even though I didn't really understand it, there was a lot of technical explanation regarding deep sea scuba diving and archeological digs under water which appeared to be accurate which added to the realism of everything.
Thank you JM Schneider for trusting me with your book and letting me experience this really fun story.]]>
author: J.M. Schneider
name: Kari
average rating: 4.29
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/09
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves: crime, fiction, historical, romance, spicy, suspense
review:
**Copy sent by author for review**
3.5 Stars
2 Spice
Professor of marine archeology, Kenzie, has been hopelessly obsessed with the story of a pirate in the 1800's who stole a priceless headdress from the Royal collection of Queen Elizabeth II. The rest of her team and the National Archeological Society, do not agree that this treasure even exists, let alone agree to where it might be hidden. Turned down for funding, Kenzie finds out her best friend offers her a spot on a cruise to the Caribbean - right in the area where Kenzie believes the ship went down. Kenzie quickly runs into Burke, a cranky fisherman with a boat equipped for scuba diving. Together, they set off to find what then can discover. Things change quickly, however, when unknown mystery men begin to show up out of the woodwork, trying to take what Kenzie has found, proving pirates still exist.
This was a very intense and fun read. Literal pirates, treasure hunting, and strangers falling in love - there's a little something for everyone. I enjoyed the pace and chemistry in this book, and even though I didn't really understand it, there was a lot of technical explanation regarding deep sea scuba diving and archeological digs under water which appeared to be accurate which added to the realism of everything.
Thank you JM Schneider for trusting me with your book and letting me experience this really fun story.
]]>
Will is gone. He hasn鈥檛 been seen in months, and the texts coming from his phone are almost certainly forged. Something鈥檚 wrong. We need to act now.
Michael is ready to tear down The Cove, Rika鈥檚 hiding something, Evans Crist is a threat, and Winter鈥檚 father is still out there.
Everyone is off in a million directions, and we鈥檙e vulnerable.It鈥檚 time to do this.
It鈥檚 time to claim our place.
RIKA
A few years ago, I never thought I鈥檇 be here. On board Pithom. Miles out at sea. At a table with Michael Crist, Kai Mori, and Damon Torrance鈥攎en I now consider family.
We鈥檝e locked ourselves on this yacht for however long it takes to address our agenda, and we won鈥檛 leave until everything is on the table.
Even things I don鈥檛 want to talk about. Things Michael doesn鈥檛 know.
We will find Will. We will solidify our plans, and we will remove any threats.
If we survive Conclave.
*Conclave is a 27,000 word novella that is available for FREE on the author's website. You do not have to pay for it. But for those of you who would love this as part of your ebook and/or paperback libraries, it has been made available in both formats. Please be aware it takes place between Kill Switch (Devil鈥檚 Night #3) and Nightfall (Devil鈥檚 Night #4) and is only suitable for readers 18+. Please read Corrupt, Hideaway, and Kill Switch prior to reading this novella.]]>
author: Penelope Douglas
name: Kari
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/07
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves: fiction, dark-romance, spicy, romance
review:
]]>
Ever since that night, twin sisters Cassie and Lenora have been inseparable. As the sole permanent residents of Cabin Two, their refuge on an isolated Tennessee campground, they manage to stay away from prying eyes, probing questions, and true crime junkies. Just the two of them, Cassie and Lenora against the world. The peace and quiet is almost enough to make them forget what happened all those years ago. Almost.
Until a teenage girl camping at the neighboring cabin goes missing, and the memories come rushing back. As the crime becomes ever more recognizable鈥攖hey know better than anyone that so-called 'happy families' can be anything but鈥攅ach sister suspects the other knows more than she's letting on鈥�.
Trapped in the isolating, claustrophobic wilderness, Cassie and Lenora must piece together the truth of what happened鈥攁nd the sinister truth lurking in their own pasts鈥攂efore it's too late.]]>
Cassie and her identical twin sister, Lenora, have been on the run for several years since that fateful day that would change their lives forever. Making a quaint life for themselves in the middle of nowhere at a former campground, old memories get churned up when the ownership of the camp ground changes hands and another family rents the cabin next door. The family's daughter goes missing one night, sending Cassie and Lenora on separate negative spirals trying to make sense of what they may - or may not - have been involved with.
Talk about suspenseful! This is told in multiple view points on different time lines and I swear I never truly knew what was going on. While there were definitely some dry parts, the plot itself was very intoxicating and easy to get lost in the "need to know what happens next" kind of thing. I did not see the twist coming at all, and I think most of the book sets up to have you believing a particular timeline, only to rip the rug out from under you right at the end. ]]>
author: Marlee Bush
name: Kari
average rating: 3.35
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/07
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves: crime, drama, fiction, suspense, thriller
review:
4 Stars
0 Spice.
Cassie and her identical twin sister, Lenora, have been on the run for several years since that fateful day that would change their lives forever. Making a quaint life for themselves in the middle of nowhere at a former campground, old memories get churned up when the ownership of the camp ground changes hands and another family rents the cabin next door. The family's daughter goes missing one night, sending Cassie and Lenora on separate negative spirals trying to make sense of what they may - or may not - have been involved with.
Talk about suspenseful! This is told in multiple view points on different time lines and I swear I never truly knew what was going on. While there were definitely some dry parts, the plot itself was very intoxicating and easy to get lost in the "need to know what happens next" kind of thing. I did not see the twist coming at all, and I think most of the book sets up to have you believing a particular timeline, only to rip the rug out from under you right at the end.
]]>
From the moment I saw Hannah Meyer, I wanted to make her mine. We had one summer together that was perfect until we were driven apart. We were an unfinished story. Now, she鈥檚 standing in front of me in the arms of a liar who's allied himself with my family's enemy.
I鈥檒l do anything to keep her safe and make her mine again ... forever.
HANNAH
It took one summer for me to fall in love with Liam Teresi, except my plans didn鈥檛 involve a man - especially one from a rich and dangerous family. I didn't want to end things, but I made him leave. Now, he鈥檚 standing in front of me after years have passed, and my heart still belongs to him.
I've always been his ... but something happened and I鈥檓 not the same woman he once knew.
*Unfinished is the first book in the Unrelenting series. It is a dark-ish romance. Each book in the series will progressively get darker in content. Foreword has trigger and content warnings for those interested. Open-door.]]>
One night at one party in a summer while in college would change Hannah Meyers and Liam Teresi forever. They would spend that summer in puppy loved bliss, until Liam's secret family life and distance pulls them apart. Now, several years later after a brutal and complete breakup between them puts the two of them back in each other's paths, and it turns out old flames don't extinguish so easily.
How I became so completely obsessed with this serious so fast will forever shock me. I downloaded this book to my Kindle when the author was offering it for free for a weekend, and I've devoured every book in this series as they're released. I love the second chance romance of this book and the back and forth between Liam and Hannah is nothing short of feet-kicking amazing! I love the found family and how all of them will do anything for the others and the women they care about/obsess over. ]]>
author: Jayne Katway
name: Kari
average rating: 4.27
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/06
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves: crime, dark-romance, fiction, mafia, romance, spicy
review:
4.5 Stars
3.5 Spice
One night at one party in a summer while in college would change Hannah Meyers and Liam Teresi forever. They would spend that summer in puppy loved bliss, until Liam's secret family life and distance pulls them apart. Now, several years later after a brutal and complete breakup between them puts the two of them back in each other's paths, and it turns out old flames don't extinguish so easily.
How I became so completely obsessed with this serious so fast will forever shock me. I downloaded this book to my Kindle when the author was offering it for free for a weekend, and I've devoured every book in this series as they're released. I love the second chance romance of this book and the back and forth between Liam and Hannah is nothing short of feet-kicking amazing! I love the found family and how all of them will do anything for the others and the women they care about/obsess over.
]]>
His good girl.
Broken down and wounded by my emotionally neglectful ex, I wanted someone to tell me I was good enough.
Then, I stumbled into a new job with a boss who brings me to my knees鈥攍iterally. He has me do things a real secretary would never do.
Emerson Grant tells me I鈥檓 more than just good enough.
I鈥檓 worthy of his praise.
There are a million reasons why I should stay away. The owner of the Salacious Players鈥� Club is not just my new boss, he鈥檚 twice my age.
And my ex-boyfriend鈥檚 father.
With him, I am treasured. I am adored. I am his.
I鈥檓 a good girl, but I鈥檓 falling for the wrong man.
Emerson Grant knows what he wants鈥�
And he wants me.
So how far will I go to hear his approval?]]>
A break up between Charlotte "Charlie" Underwood and Beau Grant ends in Charlie having to go to Beau's father in order to get her half of the security deposit back. What Charlie doesn't know, is Beau's father, Emerson Grant, leads a very specific lifestyle and has a friend who sends him women he pays to be submissive to Emerson. When Charlie arrives for her check, a mistaken identity leads to an embarassing introduction, and sparks interest in young Charlie. Wanting to learn more about his lifestyle and a desperate need for a higher paying job, Emerson employs Charlie as his assistant and teaches her what he's looking for.
THIS IS THE BOOK WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN OVER 50 SHADES OF GREY! This is a beautifully and appropriately written book diving into the world of consent dynamic. It's done realistically and safely and would be a good book to start someone down this path of interest. Honestly, people have called it 'taboo' mostly because of the Dom/sub subject matter and also because Emerson is her ex-boyfriend's father, but I don't know that it even matters. Beau certainly has a problem with it which makes him a bit unlikeable for the first part of the book, but he comes around :) ]]>
author: Sara Cate
name: Kari
average rating: 3.41
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/24
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves: fiction, millionaire, romance, spicy
review:
4.5 Stars
4 Spice
A break up between Charlotte "Charlie" Underwood and Beau Grant ends in Charlie having to go to Beau's father in order to get her half of the security deposit back. What Charlie doesn't know, is Beau's father, Emerson Grant, leads a very specific lifestyle and has a friend who sends him women he pays to be submissive to Emerson. When Charlie arrives for her check, a mistaken identity leads to an embarassing introduction, and sparks interest in young Charlie. Wanting to learn more about his lifestyle and a desperate need for a higher paying job, Emerson employs Charlie as his assistant and teaches her what he's looking for.
THIS IS THE BOOK WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN OVER 50 SHADES OF GREY! This is a beautifully and appropriately written book diving into the world of consent dynamic. It's done realistically and safely and would be a good book to start someone down this path of interest. Honestly, people have called it 'taboo' mostly because of the Dom/sub subject matter and also because Emerson is her ex-boyfriend's father, but I don't know that it even matters. Beau certainly has a problem with it which makes him a bit unlikeable for the first part of the book, but he comes around :)
]]>
I was told that dreams were our heart鈥檚 desires. My nightmares, however, became my obsession.
His name is Michael Crist.
My boyfriend鈥檚 older brother is like that scary movie that you peek through your hand to watch. He's handsome, strong, and completely terrifying. The star of his college鈥檚 basketball team and now gone pro, he鈥檚 more concerned with the dirt on his shoe than me.
But I noticed him.
I saw him. I heard him. The things that he did, and the deeds that he hid鈥or years, I bit my nails, unable to look away.
Now, I鈥檝e graduated high school and moved on to college, but I haven鈥檛 stopped watching Michael. He鈥檚 bad, and the dirt I鈥檝e seen isn鈥檛 content to stay in my head anymore.
Because he鈥檚 finally noticed me.
Michael
Her name is Erika Fane, but everyone calls her Rika.
My brother鈥檚 girlfriend grew up hanging around my house and is always at our dinner table. She looks down when I enter a room and stills when I am close. I can always feel the fear rolling off of her, and while I haven鈥檛 had her body, I know that I have her mind. That鈥檚 all I really want anyway.
Until my brother leaves for the military, and I find Rika alone at college.
In my city.
Unprotected.
The opportunity is too good to be true, as well as the timing. Because you see, three years ago she put a few of my high school friends in prison, and now they鈥檙e out.
We鈥檝e waited. We鈥檝e been patient. And now every last one of her nightmares will come true.
*Corrupt is a STANDALONE dark romance with no cliffhanger. It is suitable for ages 18+.]]>
Michael Crist has been in the orbit of Rika Fane, for as long as either of them can remember. Rika grew up in Michael's house and around his family since her father was taken from her in a mysterious accident as a kid. Set to be paired with Michael's younger brother, Trevor, Rika spent a lot of time at the house and with the family, watching Michael and his friends: The Four Horsemen. Rika is very aware of the shenanigans the Horsemen get up to, especially on Devil's Night, as are the rest of their small town. But 4 years ago, Michael believes Rika is responsible for the evidence coming to light which lead the 3 other Horsemen to be arrested and sentenced to prison. Now that they're out, all four of them are out for revenge on Rika.
Put 4 morally gray men together and see what happens. This book is a back and forth of the past few years of life with the Horsemen and how Kai, Damon and Will went through and survived prison, while Michael was left on the outside with huge survivor's guilt. For most of this book, I never was able to understand how Rika might forgive them for what they were doing to her, and all for it to have been a misunderstanding and the involvement of a shady character from their lives who wanted to take down Michael and make Rika his. It's spicy, it's suspenseful and a definite page turner. ]]>
author: Penelope Douglas
name: Kari
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/01
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves: crime, dark-romance, fiction, romance, spicy, suspense
review:
4 Stars
3.5 Spice
Michael Crist has been in the orbit of Rika Fane, for as long as either of them can remember. Rika grew up in Michael's house and around his family since her father was taken from her in a mysterious accident as a kid. Set to be paired with Michael's younger brother, Trevor, Rika spent a lot of time at the house and with the family, watching Michael and his friends: The Four Horsemen. Rika is very aware of the shenanigans the Horsemen get up to, especially on Devil's Night, as are the rest of their small town. But 4 years ago, Michael believes Rika is responsible for the evidence coming to light which lead the 3 other Horsemen to be arrested and sentenced to prison. Now that they're out, all four of them are out for revenge on Rika.
Put 4 morally gray men together and see what happens. This book is a back and forth of the past few years of life with the Horsemen and how Kai, Damon and Will went through and survived prison, while Michael was left on the outside with huge survivor's guilt. For most of this book, I never was able to understand how Rika might forgive them for what they were doing to her, and all for it to have been a misunderstanding and the involvement of a shady character from their lives who wanted to take down Michael and make Rika his. It's spicy, it's suspenseful and a definite page turner.
]]>
BANKS
Buried in the shadows of the city, there鈥檚 a hotel called The Pope. Ailing, empty, and dark鈥攊t sits abandoned and surrounded by a forgotten mystery.
But you think it鈥檚 true, don鈥檛 you, Kai Mori? The story about the hidden twelfth floor. The mystery of the dark guest who never checked in and never checks out. You think I can help you find that secret hideaway and get to him, don鈥檛 you?
You and your friends can try to scare me. You can try to push me. Because even though I struggle to hide everything I feel when you look at me鈥攁nd have ever since I was a girl鈥擨 think maybe what you seek is so much closer than you鈥檒l ever realize.
I will never betray him.
So sit tight.
On Devil鈥檚 Night, the hunt will be coming to you.
KAI
You have no idea what I seek, Little One. You don鈥檛 know what I had to become to survive three years in prison for a crime I would gladly commit again.
No one can know what I鈥檝e turned into.
I want that hotel, I want to find him, and I want this over.
I want my life back.
But the more I鈥檓 around you, the more I realize this new me is exactly who I was meant to be.
So come on, kid. Don鈥檛 chicken out. My house is on the hill. So many ways in, and good luck finding your way out.
I鈥檝e seen your hideaway. Time to see mine.
*Hideaway is a romantic suspense suitable for ages 18+. While the romance is a stand-alone, the plot is a continuation of events that began in CORRUPT (Devil's Night, #1). It is strongly recommended that you have read Corrupt prior to reading this.]]>
Kai Mori is trying to pick his life back up after being released from prison for an assault on a police officer he was involved in while in college. Coming back from something like that proves difficult for Kai, and his desire to find his former friend, Damon, to get some answers begins to consume him. He ends up going to Damon's father in hopes of getting ownership rights over a hotel from his past, in hopes he finds Damon hiding out there. But when he finds a mystery girl from his past, Banks, working for the father, Kai makes a deal to put himself right into the middle of her life, regardless of her complaints.
My love for Kai Mori borders on ridiculous at this point. For someone so privileged and used to getting everything he wants, watching him fight for Banks to notice him and connect with him is so interesting. Also, I love everything about Banks - her being and her existence is such a mystery for the majority of this book it becomes somewhat suspenseful as more and more information gets brought to light. I love how Kai is such a badass, while also being the Horseman with a soul and a conscience, which is often more than can be said for the others. ]]>
author: Penelope Douglas
name: Kari
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/04
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves: crime, dark-romance, drama, fiction, romance, spicy, suspense
review:
4.5 Stars
3.5 Spice
Kai Mori is trying to pick his life back up after being released from prison for an assault on a police officer he was involved in while in college. Coming back from something like that proves difficult for Kai, and his desire to find his former friend, Damon, to get some answers begins to consume him. He ends up going to Damon's father in hopes of getting ownership rights over a hotel from his past, in hopes he finds Damon hiding out there. But when he finds a mystery girl from his past, Banks, working for the father, Kai makes a deal to put himself right into the middle of her life, regardless of her complaints.
My love for Kai Mori borders on ridiculous at this point. For someone so privileged and used to getting everything he wants, watching him fight for Banks to notice him and connect with him is so interesting. Also, I love everything about Banks - her being and her existence is such a mystery for the majority of this book it becomes somewhat suspenseful as more and more information gets brought to light. I love how Kai is such a badass, while also being the Horseman with a soul and a conscience, which is often more than can be said for the others.
]]>
For one, we don鈥檛 get snow. And, in my specific experience, there tend to be more murders.
Which brings us here.
After having solved two relatively high-profile murders, my third case begins when a body drops dead at my feet during a Christmas pageant.
I鈥檓 writing this all out on Christmas Eve, and honestly, this whole thing鈥檚 an advent calendar. 23 clues and a killer, because the best chocolate鈥檚 always behind door number 24.
But getting there won鈥檛 be easy. Because this Christmas, everyone has a motive. So it鈥檚 not a matter of who wanted the victim dead 鈥� but who got there first鈥]>
Ernest Cunningham once again finds himself in the middle of a mystery he didn't ask for. When his ex-wife calls him from jail being accused of the murder of her current boyfriend, Ernest jumps to her aide. This brings him in the middle of a well known, well respected traveling magic show, and everyone in the show has a secret to hide.
This is a really cute, quick mystery read. I very much enjoyed the first two books in this series and this "Christmas Special" was no different. It's definitely more of a novella type, as it's maybe about 200 pages and takes place over the 24 days leading up to Christmas (it's set up to read as an advent calendar if you really wanted to). As always, we have a reliable narrator who breaks the fourth wall often and uses his wit and humor to solve the mystery. Great holiday mystery read!]]>
author: Benjamin Stevenson
name: Kari
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/15
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves: christmas, crime, fiction, mystery, suspense
review:
4 Stars
0 Spice
Ernest Cunningham once again finds himself in the middle of a mystery he didn't ask for. When his ex-wife calls him from jail being accused of the murder of her current boyfriend, Ernest jumps to her aide. This brings him in the middle of a well known, well respected traveling magic show, and everyone in the show has a secret to hide.
This is a really cute, quick mystery read. I very much enjoyed the first two books in this series and this "Christmas Special" was no different. It's definitely more of a novella type, as it's maybe about 200 pages and takes place over the 24 days leading up to Christmas (it's set up to read as an advent calendar if you really wanted to). As always, we have a reliable narrator who breaks the fourth wall often and uses his wit and humor to solve the mystery. Great holiday mystery read!
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WINTER
Sending him to prison was the worst thing I could've done. It didn't matter that he did the crime or that I wished he was dead. Perhaps I thought I'd have time to disappear before he got out or he'd cool off in jail and be anything but the horror he was.
But I was wrong. Three years came and went too fast, and now he's anything but calm. Prison only gave him time to plan.
And while I anticipated his vengeance, I didn't expect this.
He doesn't want to make me hurt. He wants to make everything hurt.
DAMON
First thing's first. Get rid of her daddy. He told them I forced her. He told them his little girl was a victim, but I was a kid, too, and she wanted it just as much as I did.
Step two... Give her, her sister, and her mother nowhere to run and no fuel to escape. The Ashby women are alone now and desperate for a knight in shining armor.
But that's not what's coming.
No, it's time I listened to my father and took control of my future. It's time I showed them all--my family, her family, my friends--that I will never change and that I have no other ambition than to be the nightmare of their lives.
Starting with her.
She'll be so scared, she won't even be safe in her own head by the time I'm done with her. And the best part is I won't have to break into her home to do it.
As the new man of the house I have all the keys.
*Kill Switch is a romantic suspense suitable for readers 18+. It is advised to read Corrupt (Devil's Night #1) and Hideaway (Devil's Night #2) prior to reading this book. Both are available on Kindle Unlimited.]]>
Winter Ashby is the reason Damon Torrance spent nearly 4 years in prison. They've known eachother since they were school aged kids, and Damon was there the night of a devestating accident which took Winter's sight forever. Winter continues to grow in a family who sees her as nothing more than an inconvenience. Fast forward and Damon gets out of prison and using some information he has on Winter's father, the Mayor, Damon causes the man to disappear and marries Winter's older sister as a way to be in Winter's orbit and his hopes to make her life a living hell in retribution for what she did to him.
I went into this knowing it was going to be a crazy ride! We've known for two books how unhinged Damon is, and in this book we learn what brought him to this place of morally blackness. The book, once again, goes back and forth between current time, and while everyone was back and high school and watching Damon try to get close to Winter by pretending to be someone else is both heartwarming and a giant red flag. I also really enjoyed Winter's strength and resilience because it's not the kind of resilience you expect out of her, but she's a total badass in her own way.]]>
author: Penelope Douglas
name: Kari
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/26
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves: crime, dark-romance, fiction, romance, spicy
review:
4 Stars
3.5 Spice
Winter Ashby is the reason Damon Torrance spent nearly 4 years in prison. They've known eachother since they were school aged kids, and Damon was there the night of a devestating accident which took Winter's sight forever. Winter continues to grow in a family who sees her as nothing more than an inconvenience. Fast forward and Damon gets out of prison and using some information he has on Winter's father, the Mayor, Damon causes the man to disappear and marries Winter's older sister as a way to be in Winter's orbit and his hopes to make her life a living hell in retribution for what she did to him.
I went into this knowing it was going to be a crazy ride! We've known for two books how unhinged Damon is, and in this book we learn what brought him to this place of morally blackness. The book, once again, goes back and forth between current time, and while everyone was back and high school and watching Damon try to get close to Winter by pretending to be someone else is both heartwarming and a giant red flag. I also really enjoyed Winter's strength and resilience because it's not the kind of resilience you expect out of her, but she's a total badass in her own way.
]]>
After a cult tried to sacrifice me to their wicked God, I went on the run, doing whatever was necessary to survive. Until a demon offered me a deal: give him my soul and he'll help me claim the vengeance I seek. Blood will be spilled, and the monsters I once ran from will soon be running from me. But damning my soul was just the beginning - it's my heart the demon wants next.
Zane
I've been hunting souls for centuries, but she's the ultimate prize - vicious and feral, with a broken soul as dark as my own. I thought claiming her would be a simple game, but Juniper is far from simple. I chose to follow her on a path drenched with the blood of her enemies, but it's our blood that may be spilled next. As an ancient God wakes from Its slumber, neither of us may survive.
Her Soul for Revenge is book 2 in the Souls Trilogy. Although all the books are interconnected, they are stand-alone and can be read in any order.
Content Note
This book contains sexual scenes, kink/fetish content, horror elements, drug use, scenes of trauma, anxiety, and PTSD, and depictions of "hard" kink/edgeplay. A complete CW can be found in the frontmatter of the book.]]>
Juniper Kynes is the sacrifice who got away, and the cult and the god they serve don't let that get in the way of what they're trying to accomplish. When Juniper ran from her sacrifice 4 years ago, she caught the eye of a soul catching demon, Zane. 4 years later, Juniper has been on the run, surviving everything that gets thrown at her when Zane appears in her life with and offer - her soul for her revenge against the cult.
AMAZING!! I love how each of these books tells the same over-arching story, but from different perspectives without becoming repetitive. Also, there is no bigger badass than Juniper Kynes! This woman...I might be in love, honestly. She's so strong, resilient, and focused on her biggest goal - revenge. She's not afraid to go to the mat if she needs to and comes out on top. And when Zane gets involved - it's a love/hate relationship because she knows she needs him but HAAATES that fact so much. The whole series is brilliant but so far this is my favorite in the trilogy with one more to go.]]>
author: Harley Laroux
name: Kari
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/03
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves: dark-romance, fiction, paranormal, spicy, romance
review:
5 Stars.
3.5 Spice
Juniper Kynes is the sacrifice who got away, and the cult and the god they serve don't let that get in the way of what they're trying to accomplish. When Juniper ran from her sacrifice 4 years ago, she caught the eye of a soul catching demon, Zane. 4 years later, Juniper has been on the run, surviving everything that gets thrown at her when Zane appears in her life with and offer - her soul for her revenge against the cult.
AMAZING!! I love how each of these books tells the same over-arching story, but from different perspectives without becoming repetitive. Also, there is no bigger badass than Juniper Kynes! This woman...I might be in love, honestly. She's so strong, resilient, and focused on her biggest goal - revenge. She's not afraid to go to the mat if she needs to and comes out on top. And when Zane gets involved - it's a love/hate relationship because she knows she needs him but HAAATES that fact so much. The whole series is brilliant but so far this is my favorite in the trilogy with one more to go.
]]>
Dani was living a nightmare. All she wanted was to find a safe place to hide out and reinvent herself, praying she could leave her past behind her. She never intended to get caught in the middle of a biker war. And she never dreamed she鈥檇 have to work so hard to avoid the one man that sets her soul on fire.
Hero is a broken man. His only loyalty is to his club, and he takes his job as Vice President very seriously. When Dani is brought to the clubhouse, he knows he can鈥檛 trust her, but there鈥檚 something about the mysterious beauty that makes him burn. There are secrets in her eyes and lies in her smile. As those secrets come out, and her lies are revealed, Hero鈥檚 heart and loyalty to his club are about to be put to the test.
Can a fallen angel with blood-covered wings and the devil himself resist temptation, or will they risk bringing hellfire down on everything they love?
CAN BE READ AS A STANDALONE]]>
Dani Espinoza is running from a huge secret and finds herself across the country in sunny California renting a room from a bubbly stranger. This bubbly stranger helps her get a job at a seedy bar which is frequented by the Heaven's Reject motorcycle club, and this is the night she meet the club's VP, Hero. Lust and attraction is instant, but when Hero believes Dani is in bed with a rival MC, he's happy to cut ties immediately. However, Dani's past and her constant issue of being betrayed ends up regularly finding herself in trouble and right in Hero's path.
I will say my rating for this book dropped as it went on. The plot is SO GOOD and very interesting and I devoured the first 60% of this book easily. I would say over all there is probably a decent 70/30 split between plot/spice, but all the spice is in the same 10% of the book which makes it feel spice heavy. Also, it gets quite repetitive which makes it a little hard. Other than that, the story is interesting, the characters are SO FUN, and I'm definitely interested in reading the rest of the series, as each one follows a different member of the MC.]]>
author: Avelyn Paige
name: Kari
average rating: 3.24
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/04
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves: dark-romance, fiction, motorcycle-club, romance, spicy
review:
3.5 Stars
2.5 Spice
Dani Espinoza is running from a huge secret and finds herself across the country in sunny California renting a room from a bubbly stranger. This bubbly stranger helps her get a job at a seedy bar which is frequented by the Heaven's Reject motorcycle club, and this is the night she meet the club's VP, Hero. Lust and attraction is instant, but when Hero believes Dani is in bed with a rival MC, he's happy to cut ties immediately. However, Dani's past and her constant issue of being betrayed ends up regularly finding herself in trouble and right in Hero's path.
I will say my rating for this book dropped as it went on. The plot is SO GOOD and very interesting and I devoured the first 60% of this book easily. I would say over all there is probably a decent 70/30 split between plot/spice, but all the spice is in the same 10% of the book which makes it feel spice heavy. Also, it gets quite repetitive which makes it a little hard. Other than that, the story is interesting, the characters are SO FUN, and I'm definitely interested in reading the rest of the series, as each one follows a different member of the MC.
]]>
Mafia families from around the world send their children to Kingmakers Academy to learn the skills of criminal enterprise.
Under the rules of Sanctuary, students are forbidden to fight or kill. But rivalries are high, tensions inflamed, and forbidden love arises in the most unlikely places鈥�
Welcome to Kingmakers]]>
Cat Romero has a secret her life literally depends on her keeping. But when she learns Dean Yenin also knows of her secret, she has to agree to do whatever he wants in order for him to keep it. While Cat spends a month at Dean's constant beckon call, someone else is hiding in the shadows, buying their time.
I was the most excited about this installment and it did not disappoint. I enjoyed getting read Dean's installment, since he's a large presence in the first book. And I personally enjoyed the d/s aspect of this book as well and even though it was done without consent initially, I still think it was done really well. ]]>
author: Sophie Lark
name: Kari
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/28
date added: 2024/12/29
shelves: college, dark-romance, fiction, mafia, romance, spicy
review:
4.5 Stars
3 Spice.
Cat Romero has a secret her life literally depends on her keeping. But when she learns Dean Yenin also knows of her secret, she has to agree to do whatever he wants in order for him to keep it. While Cat spends a month at Dean's constant beckon call, someone else is hiding in the shadows, buying their time.
I was the most excited about this installment and it did not disappoint. I enjoyed getting read Dean's installment, since he's a large presence in the first book. And I personally enjoyed the d/s aspect of this book as well and even though it was done without consent initially, I still think it was done really well.
]]>
It鈥檚 the night before Christmas and I鈥檓 alone in the house鈥�
Popular jewelry influencer Chloe Hallman is steeling herself to spend another holiday on her own. Instead, she finds herself drawn to two different guys鈥� a smoldering hot fan of her secret, seductive online persona, and a sexy fireman named Jack who looks out for her in their NYC neighborhood.
She has no idea that I know her better than she knows herself. Her deepest secrets, her darkest desires鈥攕he's careful, but I鈥檝e been watching, never leaving footprints in the snow outside her home.
Jack was the first responder to the accident that stole a beautiful young woman's family two Christmases ago, and he's been quietly guarding her ever since. When Jack uncovers Chloe鈥檚 secret account, his obsession only grows. Both he and Chloe are drawn to the darkness that mirrors their own.
She鈥檚 my Christmas wish come true. And I'm hers. She just doesn鈥檛 know it yet.
Will Chloe鈥檚 Christmas be a tale of fiery passion...or a dangerous game with a man whose love knows no bounds?
He Sees You When You're Sleeping is a dark romance with a morally grey male lead. Some themes may be disturbing to readers. Please check the content warnings at the beginning of the book.
Tropes: Stalker romance, Acquainted in real life, Christmas romance, Fireman romance, Morally grey MMC, He falls first, Kink friendly]]>
Jewelry influencer Chloe Hallman has felt for a long time there was something deeper, something darker lurking beneath her skin. What she didn't know, is there was also something darker sitting just outside her window. Jack, a local firefighter has been keeping an eye on Chloe for the last two years from afar, until a chance meeting changes everything.
Honestly, I was quite disappointed by this. It started out really interesting, with the double side of Chloe (her perky influencer persona vs. her after-dark vixen personality), and how Jack seems to fit both of those sides. But...that's the whole plot. The fact that he stalks her, he's keeping a big secret from her (which is the fact he's been stalking her)...that's it. It's quite spicy and while well written, it's very repetitive. Overall, disappointing considering the ad I saw for it likened it to "Butcher and Blackbird" and "Lights Out" and this is neither.]]>
author: Alta Hensley
name: Kari
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/19
date added: 2024/12/19
shelves: christmas, dark-romance, fiction, spicy, romance
review:
2 Stars.
4 Spice.
Jewelry influencer Chloe Hallman has felt for a long time there was something deeper, something darker lurking beneath her skin. What she didn't know, is there was also something darker sitting just outside her window. Jack, a local firefighter has been keeping an eye on Chloe for the last two years from afar, until a chance meeting changes everything.
Honestly, I was quite disappointed by this. It started out really interesting, with the double side of Chloe (her perky influencer persona vs. her after-dark vixen personality), and how Jack seems to fit both of those sides. But...that's the whole plot. The fact that he stalks her, he's keeping a big secret from her (which is the fact he's been stalking her)...that's it. It's quite spicy and while well written, it's very repetitive. Overall, disappointing considering the ad I saw for it likened it to "Butcher and Blackbird" and "Lights Out" and this is neither.
]]>
I was no stranger to breaking rules, but getting involved with an employee was one line I swore I鈥檇 never cross. Yet, the moment another employee showed interest in Ada Fischer, I made sure she answered to me and only me.
At the time, I didn鈥檛 realize how deep my attraction ran. This woman didn鈥檛 back down - she challenged me, refused to see me for my wealth and status like I was used to.
When I dug into her past, I uncovered 鈥榠nvisible strings鈥� linking our families together since childhood - ties I never even knew existed.
Ada
I accepted a position at Trident Holdings with a single purpose - finding answers to what happened to my family twenty years ago. After months of dead ends, I risked discovery by hacking into company records.
I didn鈥檛 bargain on working side-by-side with Orion Teresi - the spoiled playboy CFO with rumored ties to the underworld. I couldn鈥檛 stand him! Rion lived to push my buttons, though I dished it back just as well. I鈥檇 be lying if I said I haven鈥檛 had 鈥榯houghts鈥� about him in ways I shouldn鈥檛, but relationships would only complicate my mission.
After dragging me with him on a business trip, I learned there was more to Rion than I鈥檇 expected.
*Unapproved is the fourth book in the Unrelenting series. Each book in the series is a standalone however, the themes get darker and there is an overarching plot. While not necessary to read every book in the series it is recommended. Foreword has trigger and content warnings for those interested. Open-door.]]>
Orion Teresi and his employee, Ada Fischer, have been at each others throats since the moment he hired her eight months prior. Orion, as a man of structure and order and who always needs to be in charge is pressed to his limits when he interacts with the intelligent, quick thinking Ada. When the big project they're working on seems to have more going on in the background than either of them planned, the find themselves thrown together in more than one way to protect their livlihoods and their own lives.
This is the darkest one yet! We learn more about Rion's traumatic childhood, as well as Ada's, which ties together is a beautifully traumatic way that just screams soulmates. Though, if I'm being honest, about 1/4 of the way through I forgot this was a dark romance because the suspense/thriller part comes glaring through so much stronger. Every couple of pages there's a new plot twist that deepens the story in amazing ways.]]>
author: Jayne Katway
name: Kari
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/13
date added: 2024/12/14
shelves: crime, fiction, mafia, romance, spicy, thriller
review:
4 Stars. *Check Trigger Warnings*
3 Spice.
Orion Teresi and his employee, Ada Fischer, have been at each others throats since the moment he hired her eight months prior. Orion, as a man of structure and order and who always needs to be in charge is pressed to his limits when he interacts with the intelligent, quick thinking Ada. When the big project they're working on seems to have more going on in the background than either of them planned, the find themselves thrown together in more than one way to protect their livlihoods and their own lives.
This is the darkest one yet! We learn more about Rion's traumatic childhood, as well as Ada's, which ties together is a beautifully traumatic way that just screams soulmates. Though, if I'm being honest, about 1/4 of the way through I forgot this was a dark romance because the suspense/thriller part comes glaring through so much stronger. Every couple of pages there's a new plot twist that deepens the story in amazing ways.
]]>
Melody Gallard may be the daughter of music royalty, but her world is far from glamorous. She spends her days restoring old books and avoiding the limelight (one awkward tabloid photo was enough, thanks). But when a producer offers her a lot of money to reunite her mother鈥檚 band on live tv, Mel begins to wonder if it鈥檚 time to rattle the cage, shake up her quiet life鈥� and see him again. The only other person who could wrangle the rock and roll divas.
Beat Dawkins, the lead singer鈥檚 son, is Melody鈥檚 opposite鈥攖he camera loves him, he could charm the pants off anyone, and his mom is not a potential cult leader. Still, they might have been best friends if not for the legendary feud that broke up the band. When they met as teenagers, Mel felt an instant spark, but it鈥檚 nothing compared to the wild, intense attraction that builds as they embark on a madcap mission to convince their mothers to perform one last show.
While dealing with rock star shenanigans, a 24-hour film crew, brawling Santas, and mobs of adoring fans, Mel starts to step out of her comfort zone. With Beat by her side, cheering her on, she鈥檚 never felt so understood. But Christmas Eve is fast approaching, and a decades-old scandal is poised to wreck everything鈥攖he Steel Birds reunion, their relationships with their mothers, and their newfound love.聽]]>
Beat Dawkins and Melody Gallard are the children of rock and roll legends, Steel Birds, who broke up mysteriously and completely thirty years ago. With a reunion being begged for by fans, and both Beat and Melody having their own needs for quick money, they agree to be live streamed for a reality show while they try to convince their mothers to get the band back together.
I was really disappointed by this. I have heard great things about Tessa Bailey, and maybe this just wasn't one of her best. The plot was interesting, though fairly convenient if I'm being honest. A live streamed reality show about two people who are supposedly trying to convince their parents to get back together musically, though they really don't make any progress with it. It becomes mostly about them and their insta-crush heating up. There are some sub plots going on - Beat's consistent struggle with guilt and Melody's painstaking shyness, but after about 50%, it's like those doing really exist. There's a small level of kink in this book, which is meant to be tied to Beat's guilt (like make himself hurt to avoid hurting others kind of thing), but it barely makes sense. It feels like it was thrown in there just to have it in there.
And the spice was not good, in my opinion. Incredibly cringey, poorly chosen dialog and reminded me of satire to really bad adult movies. Overall, other than Melody being very quick witted, which I enjoyed, there was nothing very salvageable to me regarding this book. ]]>
author: Tessa Bailey
name: Kari
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2023
rating: 1
read at: 2024/12/14
date added: 2024/12/14
shelves: christmas, drama, fiction, romance, spicy
review:
1.5 Stars.
3 Spice.
Beat Dawkins and Melody Gallard are the children of rock and roll legends, Steel Birds, who broke up mysteriously and completely thirty years ago. With a reunion being begged for by fans, and both Beat and Melody having their own needs for quick money, they agree to be live streamed for a reality show while they try to convince their mothers to get the band back together.
I was really disappointed by this. I have heard great things about Tessa Bailey, and maybe this just wasn't one of her best. The plot was interesting, though fairly convenient if I'm being honest. A live streamed reality show about two people who are supposedly trying to convince their parents to get back together musically, though they really don't make any progress with it. It becomes mostly about them and their insta-crush heating up. There are some sub plots going on - Beat's consistent struggle with guilt and Melody's painstaking shyness, but after about 50%, it's like those doing really exist. There's a small level of kink in this book, which is meant to be tied to Beat's guilt (like make himself hurt to avoid hurting others kind of thing), but it barely makes sense. It feels like it was thrown in there just to have it in there.
And the spice was not good, in my opinion. Incredibly cringey, poorly chosen dialog and reminded me of satire to really bad adult movies. Overall, other than Melody being very quick witted, which I enjoyed, there was nothing very salvageable to me regarding this book.
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I was a walking red flag, but that skeleton-masked man was mine.
I always knew I was different鈥攎y obsession with catching Deadwater鈥檚 murderer with my Skeleton Girls Detective Agency, my hunger to hunt predators with my steel sharp and my manicure perfect.
And now, my dangerous instalove for the skeleton crew鈥檚 new recruit.
Riordan, with his tousled dark hair and striking green eyes, would be wise to run far from me. But it was infatuation at first sight, and there鈥檚 nothing I won鈥檛 do to keep him close. Even if it means risking everything.
Yet love isn't simple for someone like me. If Riordan dared to love me back, the scars of my past could surface, and in the chaos, I might become his greatest threat. Until then, I鈥檓 ready to help him take down his enemies, to share his battle and make Riordan's revenge my own.
But the murderer still haunts the city, and whatever happiness we find together is under threat.
How can I keep us both safe when the next name on the killer鈥檚 list is mine?
--
Riordan鈥檚 Revenge is the final instalment of the Body Count dark romance, murder mystery series that shot to #1 on Amazon in the US and Canada and has become an international bestseller. The Skeleton Girls Detective Agency鈥檚 guessing game concludes in this thrilling finale of the trilogy.
mafia princess and the biker thiefGirl obsessedHigh spice levels with punishment playShe鈥檚 a killer in trainingHe has a revenge mission of his ownThis series has a number of TWs so please review those if you need to. (I know many of you dirty girls flock to them with delight. Do your thing.)]]>
The conclusion of the Body Count Series comes to a dramatic head after Riordan Jones has been kidnapped by the one, the only, Cassie Archer. Cassie had decided she was going to keep him based on their first meeting, and interesting subsequential meeting, regardless of his feelings on it. Meanwhile, the killer of women in Deadwater continues their spree and Cassie, along with the other women in the Skeleton Crew Detective agency, moves through hell and high water to bring them to very messy and final justice.
Easily my favorite of the series. Cassie and Riordan's relationship is everything my sassy, snarky little heart loves. They are the light and dark of each other and Cassie's impulsive, determined nature is the perfect match to Riordan's calm and precise nature. The plot is plotting, and we get the answers we've waiting two other books to know. ]]>
author: Jolie Vines
name: Kari
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/07
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves: crime, dark-romance, fiction, gang, suspense, spicy, romance
review:
5 Stars
3 Spice
The conclusion of the Body Count Series comes to a dramatic head after Riordan Jones has been kidnapped by the one, the only, Cassie Archer. Cassie had decided she was going to keep him based on their first meeting, and interesting subsequential meeting, regardless of his feelings on it. Meanwhile, the killer of women in Deadwater continues their spree and Cassie, along with the other women in the Skeleton Crew Detective agency, moves through hell and high water to bring them to very messy and final justice.
Easily my favorite of the series. Cassie and Riordan's relationship is everything my sassy, snarky little heart loves. They are the light and dark of each other and Cassie's impulsive, determined nature is the perfect match to Riordan's calm and precise nature. The plot is plotting, and we get the answers we've waiting two other books to know.
]]>
Flipping Blackleaf Manor already feels impossible, even before Remi is blackmailed by Dane Covett, the dangerously hot doctor-next-door, and Grimstone鈥檚 most eligible bachelor鈥攊f you can ignore the fact that everyone in town thinks he murdered his wife.
Remi doesn鈥檛 want to believe it, especially after Dane sews up a gash in her thigh and steals a kiss in payment鈥攁 kiss that makes it hard to walk for reasons that have nothing to do with an injured leg.
But as the renovation takes a strange and violent turn, Remi must decide if Dane is the one haunting her nights, or if he鈥檚 trying to protect her from something much worse鈥�
Lark Notes :
Halloween is my favorite! I get such a thrill out of writing a spooky, dark book at this time of year. Remi and Dane are two deeply damaged people with skeletons in their closets. It鈥檚 only when they meet each other that they finally find the connection and acceptance that allows them to move on from their dark pasts. I fell in love with the gothic beach town of Grimstone, and will be writing a dark romance set there each autumn. 鈥� Sophie
"Grimstone" is a deeply dark contemporary romance and a complete standalone. Reader it has extremely spicy scenes and triggering content not suitable for all.]]>
Remi and her brother, Jude, come to the small town of Grimstone after her great uncle dies, leaving his house for her to flip. She runs into her first problem when she attempts to use the road up to the house, only to be stopped by Dane, the town doctor. Since he owns the road, he makes her pay for the privilege by doing some work around his house. Hard labor quickly turns romantic, all while Remi is starting to learn of the concerning rumors floating around about her new doctor. Remi suddenly finds herself of two minds: does she trust this new, perfect man who fell into her lap, or does she trust the townspeople and her own brother who made their own opinions of the story?
This is probably my least favorite Sophie Lark so far. While this is more of a suspense/thriller than her other works I read, I had a hard time staying focused on it. I will say, I don't think I caught the twist until I was supposed to, so that I certainly appreciated (I hate when I catch them to early). But over all, the romance piece was a bit rushed (though if you like insta-ship, you'd like this) and parts of it dragged a bit more than I would normally like. ]]>
author: Sophie Lark
name: Kari
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/30
date added: 2024/11/30
shelves: dark-romance, fiction, romance, small-town-romance, suspense, spicy
review:
3 Stars
3 Spice
Remi and her brother, Jude, come to the small town of Grimstone after her great uncle dies, leaving his house for her to flip. She runs into her first problem when she attempts to use the road up to the house, only to be stopped by Dane, the town doctor. Since he owns the road, he makes her pay for the privilege by doing some work around his house. Hard labor quickly turns romantic, all while Remi is starting to learn of the concerning rumors floating around about her new doctor. Remi suddenly finds herself of two minds: does she trust this new, perfect man who fell into her lap, or does she trust the townspeople and her own brother who made their own opinions of the story?
This is probably my least favorite Sophie Lark so far. While this is more of a suspense/thriller than her other works I read, I had a hard time staying focused on it. I will say, I don't think I caught the twist until I was supposed to, so that I certainly appreciated (I hate when I catch them to early). But over all, the romance piece was a bit rushed (though if you like insta-ship, you'd like this) and parts of it dragged a bit more than I would normally like.
]]>
Mafia families from around the world send their children to Kingmakers Academy to learn the skills of criminal enterprise.
Under the rules of Sanctuary, students are forbidden to fight or kill. But rivalries are high, tensions inflamed, and forbidden love arises in the most unlikely places鈥�
Welcome to Kingmakers]]>
It's year two at Kingmaker's College and Zoe Romero grows closer and closer to the impending marriage her father agreed to with Rocco Prince, a psychopath of a man who doesn't seem to care about anyone or anything, Zoe included. On a night where Zoe comes face to face with just how dangerous Rocco can be, she makes an impulsive decision and attempts to throw herself from a jagged cliff - saved by the help of Miles Griffin. When Miles finds a like minded soul in Zoe, it becomes his number one goal to save her from this disastrous marriage - and from herself.
The second installment of the Kingmakers series is no joke, my friends! This one gets darker and more heart wrenching, while building up for more in the upcoming books. I really enjoyed Zoe and Miles' relationship because, while seemingly quick, it also makes sense from the soulmate angle. And it's the fire in Zoe Miles is so attracted to, which I find very alluring. There's also definitely side plots going on, especially with Ares and Hedeon, and while it becomes slightly more clear, it's still about as clear as mud, which only helps in bringing back for the next one.]]>
author: Sophie Lark
name: Kari
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/29
date added: 2024/11/29
shelves: college, crime, dark-romance, fiction, mafia, romance, spicy
review:
4.5 Stars
3 spice
It's year two at Kingmaker's College and Zoe Romero grows closer and closer to the impending marriage her father agreed to with Rocco Prince, a psychopath of a man who doesn't seem to care about anyone or anything, Zoe included. On a night where Zoe comes face to face with just how dangerous Rocco can be, she makes an impulsive decision and attempts to throw herself from a jagged cliff - saved by the help of Miles Griffin. When Miles finds a like minded soul in Zoe, it becomes his number one goal to save her from this disastrous marriage - and from herself.
The second installment of the Kingmakers series is no joke, my friends! This one gets darker and more heart wrenching, while building up for more in the upcoming books. I really enjoyed Zoe and Miles' relationship because, while seemingly quick, it also makes sense from the soulmate angle. And it's the fire in Zoe Miles is so attracted to, which I find very alluring. There's also definitely side plots going on, especially with Ares and Hedeon, and while it becomes slightly more clear, it's still about as clear as mud, which only helps in bringing back for the next one.
]]>
The demon didn't just want my body. He wanted my soul.
My reputation among magicians is unblemished. Killer, they call me; killing is what I鈥檓 best at. One wrong move and you鈥檙e dead. Except her . The one I was supposed to take, the one I should have killed. The cult that once controlled me wants her, but I鈥檓 not about to lose my new toy to them.
I鈥檝e always believed in the supernatural. Hunting for ghosts is my passion, but summoning a demon was never part of the plan. Monsters are roaming the woods, and something ancient鈥攕omething evil鈥攊s waking up . . . and calling my name. I don鈥檛 know who I can trust, or how deep this darkness goes. All I know is my one shot at survival is the demon stalking me, and he doesn鈥檛 just want my body鈥攈e wants my soul.]]>
Rae Lawson finds herself back in her home town her family moved far away from when she was a little girl. Looking to finish college, get back to her roots, and find some haunted places for her floundering paranormal investigation YouTube Channel. It doesn't take long before an old, interesting book of spells falls into her hands, and she catches the eye of the demon, Leon, who is searching for it. More and more she learns there are darker secrets in her home town than she ever knew, and it turns out Rae is right in the center of it.
HOLY COW THIS WAS SO GOOD! Definitely very dark and incredibly spicy, but the paranormal aspect brings it to a whole new level. An equal mix of plot and spice, I had a hard time putting it down. The characters in this book are amazing and even though he's a demon, and you know what dangerous and dastardly things Leon is capable at any moment, you can't help but pull for him. Especially when his connection to Rae turns from a need to complete a job, to a need for her. They are so snarky together and their annoyance of each other builds to need and complete devotion. This book is a little intimidating being close to 500 pages, but I'm not sure there was a slow moment at any point.]]>
author: Harley Laroux
name: Kari
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/27
date added: 2024/11/27
shelves: college, dark-romance, paranormal, romance, spicy, fiction
review:
4.5 Stars
4 Spice
Rae Lawson finds herself back in her home town her family moved far away from when she was a little girl. Looking to finish college, get back to her roots, and find some haunted places for her floundering paranormal investigation YouTube Channel. It doesn't take long before an old, interesting book of spells falls into her hands, and she catches the eye of the demon, Leon, who is searching for it. More and more she learns there are darker secrets in her home town than she ever knew, and it turns out Rae is right in the center of it.
HOLY COW THIS WAS SO GOOD! Definitely very dark and incredibly spicy, but the paranormal aspect brings it to a whole new level. An equal mix of plot and spice, I had a hard time putting it down. The characters in this book are amazing and even though he's a demon, and you know what dangerous and dastardly things Leon is capable at any moment, you can't help but pull for him. Especially when his connection to Rae turns from a need to complete a job, to a need for her. They are so snarky together and their annoyance of each other builds to need and complete devotion. This book is a little intimidating being close to 500 pages, but I'm not sure there was a slow moment at any point.
]]>
My husband was a monster who hunted me. For two years, I鈥檇 managed to keep myself hidden in New York City. Lately, I鈥檝e been feeling eyes on me again, and roses keep showing up outside my apartment. I was his prey, but I was determined to survive.
With the money I鈥檇 save from a new job offer working for one of the richest men in the city, I could disappear entirely. My ex would never find me again. But, my new boss, Archer Teresi, broke down the walls I so carefully built to keep people out.
He made me feel like, maybe, I could stay.
Archer
The goddess Athena had an owl that was her trusted companion. I had my own Little Owl too, she just didn鈥檛 know it yet. Jo was a ghost with no past, which I knew all too well couldn鈥檛 be true. She was my obsession. Past or no past, I would claim her.
I lurked in the shadows, watching her flit between three jobs, and created an opportunity to capture her. My carefully laid plans drew her closer, and once she agreed to my offer 鈥�
She had no choice but to stay.
*Unintended is the third book in the Unrelenting series. Each book in the series is a standalone however, the themes get darker and there is an overarching plot. While not necessary to read every book in the series it is recommended. Foreword has trigger and content warnings for those interested. Open-door.]]>
When Ashley decides to play match maker, Archer Teresi finds himself at a new coffee shop and he can't take his eyes off of Jo Hayes, the regular barista. It was attraction at first sight and when Archer learns the girl has three jobs just to get by in New York, he knows he can't go the normal routes of dating her, so he begins stalking her in order to get to know her. Jo's life is a tragic one, currently in year two of running away from her abusive husband and has no desire to get to know Archer or any other man. When Archer offers Jo the job of a life time, it forces her further into his world, and hopefully his arms.
Archer is hands down my favorite Teresi boy! He's morally gray at best, but also cares hard and deeply for those in his inner circle. Obviously struggling with ADHD, it's not only in his dialog but even in the first person narration it's kept up to really help you see who Archer is. And my heart breaks for Jo pretty much the whole book - everything she's been through, her inability to pull her walls down and let someone in - it's beautifully heartbreaking. This book is definitely dark, however, and Jayne Katway wasn't playing around when she said each book gets darker as it goes. ]]>
author: Jayne Katway
name: Kari
average rating: 4.27
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/22
date added: 2024/11/22
shelves: crime, dark-romance, fiction, mafia, romance, spicy
review:
4.5 Stars *CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS*
3 Spice
When Ashley decides to play match maker, Archer Teresi finds himself at a new coffee shop and he can't take his eyes off of Jo Hayes, the regular barista. It was attraction at first sight and when Archer learns the girl has three jobs just to get by in New York, he knows he can't go the normal routes of dating her, so he begins stalking her in order to get to know her. Jo's life is a tragic one, currently in year two of running away from her abusive husband and has no desire to get to know Archer or any other man. When Archer offers Jo the job of a life time, it forces her further into his world, and hopefully his arms.
Archer is hands down my favorite Teresi boy! He's morally gray at best, but also cares hard and deeply for those in his inner circle. Obviously struggling with ADHD, it's not only in his dialog but even in the first person narration it's kept up to really help you see who Archer is. And my heart breaks for Jo pretty much the whole book - everything she's been through, her inability to pull her walls down and let someone in - it's beautifully heartbreaking. This book is definitely dark, however, and Jayne Katway wasn't playing around when she said each book gets darker as it goes.
]]>
If he thinks I'm going to allow him to destroy me again, Bastian Teresi can kiss my ...
Bas
Ashley was the love of my life, but my family made demands that I had to obey ... well, for the most part. For a time, I had to be content to watch her from afar, but she's an addiction, my Siren, and I need more of her.
Ashley Woods has always been and forever will be mine ... even if she doesn't realize it just now.
*Unrealized is the second book in the Unrelenting series. Each book in the series is a standalone however, the themes get darker and there is an overarching plot. While not necessary to read every book in the series it is recommended. Foreword has trigger and content warnings for those interested. Open-door.]]>
Bastian Teresi was supposed to be Ashley's one night stand. Which turned into a Summer fling. And then a 2 year long-distance relationship. When Bas was given orders he was forced to obey in an effort to keep Ashley safe from his mafia family's ties, he did the only thing he knew would work - he broke her heart. 6 years later, their back in each other's lives when Ashley's best friend, Hannah, gets engaged to Bas' cousin, Liam. Bas has been keeping an eye on Ashley, destroying any relationship she tried to have during that time, which brings a whole new level of danger to their lives when Bas messes with the wrong man.
This installment is definitely darker than it's predecessor with themes of BDSM, obsession, stalking and mafia-related themes. I love how Bas is so completely sure of himself and who he is, but is willing to allow Ashley do what she needs to in order to earn her forgiveness. I also love when they're stuck in the apartment together and it becomes an amazing prank war between them. We learn more about the family and how close their ties are, bringing each other together over and over. ]]>
author: Jayne Katway
name: Kari
average rating: 4.25
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/19
date added: 2024/11/19
shelves: crime, dark-romance, mafia, fiction, romance, spicy
review:
5 Stars **READ TRIGGERS**
4 Spice
Bastian Teresi was supposed to be Ashley's one night stand. Which turned into a Summer fling. And then a 2 year long-distance relationship. When Bas was given orders he was forced to obey in an effort to keep Ashley safe from his mafia family's ties, he did the only thing he knew would work - he broke her heart. 6 years later, their back in each other's lives when Ashley's best friend, Hannah, gets engaged to Bas' cousin, Liam. Bas has been keeping an eye on Ashley, destroying any relationship she tried to have during that time, which brings a whole new level of danger to their lives when Bas messes with the wrong man.
This installment is definitely darker than it's predecessor with themes of BDSM, obsession, stalking and mafia-related themes. I love how Bas is so completely sure of himself and who he is, but is willing to allow Ashley do what she needs to in order to earn her forgiveness. I also love when they're stuck in the apartment together and it becomes an amazing prank war between them. We learn more about the family and how close their ties are, bringing each other together over and over.
]]>
The story of Whit Hayes and Inez Olivera continues with a quickie wedding to connect Inez to him, and Whit to her fortune. When Whit betrays her, their marriage becomes one of distrust in turmoil, all at the time where they start to discover the underground black market of stolen Egyptian artifacts. When new players join the fray, Inez has to decide quickly who to trust.
The only negative thing I had about this book's predecessor was that damned cliffhanger, but this continuation was well worth it. Even though the entire time I had no idea who to trust or what their plans were, it was a very satisfying ending to this whirlwind of a story. ]]>
author: Isabel Iba帽ez
name: Kari
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/16
date added: 2024/11/16
shelves: fantasy, fiction, historical, romance
review:
4 Stars
1.5 Spice.
The story of Whit Hayes and Inez Olivera continues with a quickie wedding to connect Inez to him, and Whit to her fortune. When Whit betrays her, their marriage becomes one of distrust in turmoil, all at the time where they start to discover the underground black market of stolen Egyptian artifacts. When new players join the fray, Inez has to decide quickly who to trust.
The only negative thing I had about this book's predecessor was that damned cliffhanger, but this continuation was well worth it. Even though the entire time I had no idea who to trust or what their plans were, it was a very satisfying ending to this whirlwind of a story.
]]>
Years took their toll, and while his band, Diagnosis, was once all the rage, they are no longer on anyone's radar. Noah has faded into the background, and he can't even get a new song out to help turn things around.
It's only when a snowstorm forces the band bus off the road on the way to a pre-Christmas gig that Noah is pushed back to the past - back to a place he has tried to forget, and back to a girl that may hold the key to turning his holiday and his life around.]]>
2 Spice
It seems like fate steps in when classic rocker, Noah Healy's tour bus stops in a small town hours away from the city of their next show. It only takes him a moment to realize, he knows this particular small town from his past. And none other than his best friend's sister is working behind the counter of the only hotel in town. Sparks fly as they walk down memory lane, making new memories around town together.
It's definitely cute and definitely very holiday-themed. The characters are sweet and you do find yourself pulling for Emma and Noah very quickly. It's a great winter/Holiday read and very cute and full of fluff.
The climax of the plot felt a little forced. For a good chunk of this book, I was wondering what the main plot was going to be, and when it showed up it felt a little "thrown in." I understand the fight Noah gets into with a bandmate, and even a little that Emma got caught in the crossfire and Noah gets blamed for it. But the arresting officer having a crush on Emma, while it is mentioned prior to this plot, he's barely mentioned and it's more of a throw away plot point prior to this. And, the Judge was aware that same officer increased the charges unfairly but STILL ordered the no contact for 48 hours? I don't know, that part is not only far fetched (I've never known a judge to order a no contact when he dismisses the charges attached to it all WITHOUT a complaining victim/witness), and just felt like "we need a reason they can't be together."
Overall, if you just want a happily ever after read filled with Holiday Themes and sweetness, then it's a cute read.]]>
author: Michael Geraghty
name: Kari
average rating: 3.81
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/10
date added: 2024/11/10
shelves: drama, fiction, romance, small-town-romance, classic, christmas
review:
**ARC copy sent by Michael Geraghty's PR team for an honest review**
3 Stars
2 Spice
It seems like fate steps in when classic rocker, Noah Healy's tour bus stops in a small town hours away from the city of their next show. It only takes him a moment to realize, he knows this particular small town from his past. And none other than his best friend's sister is working behind the counter of the only hotel in town. Sparks fly as they walk down memory lane, making new memories around town together.
It's definitely cute and definitely very holiday-themed. The characters are sweet and you do find yourself pulling for Emma and Noah very quickly. It's a great winter/Holiday read and very cute and full of fluff.
The climax of the plot felt a little forced. For a good chunk of this book, I was wondering what the main plot was going to be, and when it showed up it felt a little "thrown in." I understand the fight Noah gets into with a bandmate, and even a little that Emma got caught in the crossfire and Noah gets blamed for it. But the arresting officer having a crush on Emma, while it is mentioned prior to this plot, he's barely mentioned and it's more of a throw away plot point prior to this. And, the Judge was aware that same officer increased the charges unfairly but STILL ordered the no contact for 48 hours? I don't know, that part is not only far fetched (I've never known a judge to order a no contact when he dismisses the charges attached to it all WITHOUT a complaining victim/witness), and just felt like "we need a reason they can't be together."
Overall, if you just want a happily ever after read filled with Holiday Themes and sweetness, then it's a cute read.
]]>
Regan Fletcher
I used to have big dreams: finish college, make beautiful art, all while taking over my dad鈥檚 business. He wanted a legacy, and I wanted to give it to him. But his illness wasn鈥檛 part of the plan. Neither was his sudden need to keep me locked up in our mansion, safe and isolated. I want more from life, but could only spend my days waiting. Until one night, I came face-to-face with a street biker from a world far different from mine. What starts as him stalking me, quickly spirals into something deeper, and more deadly. I鈥檓 falling for a man who鈥檚 everything I should fear, yet he鈥檚 the only one who鈥檚 ever made me feel truly alive. But loving him means risking everything鈥攎y heart, my future, and my father.
Rook Emberson
Revenge has been my driving force for as long as I can remember. Cameron Fletcher stole everything from me, and I鈥檝e spent years plotting the perfect way to take it all back. When fate puts his daughter in my sights, I know I鈥檝e found the key to his destruction. But from the moment I meet her, my plans begin to unravel. Regan is everything I didn鈥檛 expect and I can鈥檛 help but be drawn to her. What starts as a twisted game of vengeance turns into an obsession. I need her, but I also need to destroy her father.
The lines between love and vengeance blur, and I鈥檓 not sure where one ends and the other begins.]]>
Reagan Fletcher has felt out of step and out of the loop her whole life. This feeling only continues while on a walk on the wrong side of the tracks with her boyfriend, that ends up in him being shook down for money he owes, running away from the masked man with a gun. Soon, Reagan learns the masked man's name is Rook, and quickly dives in to his dark, dastardly world, and learned just how much she's already tied into it.
It's dark, it's spicy, it's action, it's hilarious! The banter between Reagan and Rook is completely off the charts, and then we add the fun of the secondary characters that just brings the whole thing to life. It's got motorcycle gangs, stalking, betrayal, plus Reagan's development from na茂ve pampered princess to dark motorcycle Queen is beautifully written and timed. ]]>
author: Kate Crew
name: Kari
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/09
date added: 2024/11/09
shelves: crime, fiction, gang, romance, spicy, dark-romance
review:
4.5 Stars
3 Spice.
Reagan Fletcher has felt out of step and out of the loop her whole life. This feeling only continues while on a walk on the wrong side of the tracks with her boyfriend, that ends up in him being shook down for money he owes, running away from the masked man with a gun. Soon, Reagan learns the masked man's name is Rook, and quickly dives in to his dark, dastardly world, and learned just how much she's already tied into it.
It's dark, it's spicy, it's action, it's hilarious! The banter between Reagan and Rook is completely off the charts, and then we add the fun of the secondary characters that just brings the whole thing to life. It's got motorcycle gangs, stalking, betrayal, plus Reagan's development from na茂ve pampered princess to dark motorcycle Queen is beautifully written and timed.
]]>
I鈥檝e lived the last several years of my life under the control of my step-mother.
Every decision taken away from me, completely suffocating me. At eighteen, she sold me off to the highest bidder and traded one gilded cage for another. I鈥檝e never been anything but a dollar sign to her.
Until two years later Kade Luchetti kidnapped me from my tower, making me yet another dictator鈥檚 rag doll.
I have never known freedom; free to make the decisions that impact my life.
But as time goes on under his watchful eyes, I feel I can finally take a breath. Maybe I won鈥檛 always be a prisoner.
Kade:
This life of bloodshed and violence, I was born into it. It鈥檚 exhausting and I鈥檓 tired of it.
My father has made it my sole duty to keep an eye on the broken mafia Princess. Just maybe, if I play my cards right, she could be my way out. A way to leave this life once and for all.
I didn鈥檛 plan on falling in love with her 鈥� the glass pieces of her soul just as shattered as mine.]]>
Soren is the daughter of a Mafia Boss who has known a lot of loss in her life. First her mother, then her father, and her own freedom when her stepmother sells her to the highest bidder to combine with another mafia family. Her life is literal hell with a monster of a husband, when one knight a dark, black knight in the form of Mafia son, Kade Luchetti, literally steals her in the middle of the night, starting the Mafia war to end all wars.
This book had so much promise. I really enjoyed the set up of the multiple families wheeling and dealing, in all the ways I love in my mafia romances. My problem with it started about half way through. The build up was decent, albeit a bit quick, but then suddenly it became even faster. Days and weeks are fast forwarded, but along with that is the emotions and the development as well. So, one moment, Soren is upset and distraught, the next it's two days later and she's fine. There are also plot holes that may seem minor, but so many of them started to make things confusing. In the beginning, Sawyer is the youngest brother, but then Kade is calling him "big brother" at the end. Finn is terrifying and just like his father, but then suddenly he's "too emotional to be a Mafia boss." Also, the climactic fight scene was blown over very quickly within about 2 pages. The second half of the book is incredibly rushed and just feels thrown together. All in all, quite disappointing. ]]>
author: Vera Kane
name: Kari
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/11/03
date added: 2024/11/03
shelves: crime, fiction, mafia, spicy, romance
review:
2 Stars.
3 Spice.
Soren is the daughter of a Mafia Boss who has known a lot of loss in her life. First her mother, then her father, and her own freedom when her stepmother sells her to the highest bidder to combine with another mafia family. Her life is literal hell with a monster of a husband, when one knight a dark, black knight in the form of Mafia son, Kade Luchetti, literally steals her in the middle of the night, starting the Mafia war to end all wars.
This book had so much promise. I really enjoyed the set up of the multiple families wheeling and dealing, in all the ways I love in my mafia romances. My problem with it started about half way through. The build up was decent, albeit a bit quick, but then suddenly it became even faster. Days and weeks are fast forwarded, but along with that is the emotions and the development as well. So, one moment, Soren is upset and distraught, the next it's two days later and she's fine. There are also plot holes that may seem minor, but so many of them started to make things confusing. In the beginning, Sawyer is the youngest brother, but then Kade is calling him "big brother" at the end. Finn is terrifying and just like his father, but then suddenly he's "too emotional to be a Mafia boss." Also, the climactic fight scene was blown over very quickly within about 2 pages. The second half of the book is incredibly rushed and just feels thrown together. All in all, quite disappointing.
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When Cora Lawson attends her sister's birthday party, she expects at most a hangover or a walk of shame by the end of it. She doesn't anticipate a stolen wallet, leaving her stranded and dependent on her sister's fianc茅, Dean Asher鈥昲er archnemesis and perpetual thorn in her side.
And she really doesn't anticipate getting knocked out and waking up chained in a madman's basement, Dean in his own shackles beside her.
After fifteen years of teasing, insults, and never-ending pranks, the ultimate joke seems to be on them. The two people who always thought they'd end up killing each other must now work together if they want to survive long enough to escape.
But Cora and Dean don't know that their abductor has a plan for them. A plan that will alter the course of their relationship, blur the line between hate and love, and shackle them to each other long after they are freed from their chains. They're in this together鈥昻o matter what their unexpected bond might cost them.]]>
Be aware - this story is VERY dark. Most of those trigger warnings happen in the first act of the book. That being said, this story is riveting! I finished it in just over a day because it's beautifully written, even with the subject matter being a bit on the dark side. I really liked how the different stages of survival and grief as depicted between Cora and Dean, as well as their friends and families. This book definitely wrecked me in all the best ways.]]>
author: Jennifer Hartmann
name: Kari
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/12
date added: 2024/10/30
shelves: dark-romance, fiction, spicy
review:
4.5 Stars. TW: abduction, captivity, physical abuse, murder, rape, death of a pet, PTSD, depression, self harm, attempted suicide, described sexual scenes. Cora is sure the worst night of her life is when she's abducted by a psychotic serial killer and locked in his basement for 20 days. To add insult to injury, she finds herself captured and locked up with the man she's hated for the last 15 years - her sister's fianc茅, Dean. They go through hell together, but upon escape they realize the healing from that pain becomes much more difficult.
Be aware - this story is VERY dark. Most of those trigger warnings happen in the first act of the book. That being said, this story is riveting! I finished it in just over a day because it's beautifully written, even with the subject matter being a bit on the dark side. I really liked how the different stages of survival and grief as depicted between Cora and Dean, as well as their friends and families. This book definitely wrecked me in all the best ways.
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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Giver of Stars, discover the love story that captured over 20 million hearts in Me Before You, After You, and Still Me.
They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose . . .
Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life鈥攕teady boyfriend, close family鈥攚ho has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex鈥揗aster of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life鈥攂ig deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel鈥攁nd now he鈥檚 pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.
Will is acerbic, moody, bossy鈥攂ut Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.
A Love Story for this generation and perfect for fans of John Green鈥檚 The Fault in Our Stars, Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn鈥檛 have less in common鈥攁 heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?]]>
author: Jojo Moyes
name: Kari
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/11
date added: 2024/10/25
shelves: fiction, romance
review:
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When Ophelia and her sister discovers their mother brutally murdered, there is no time to grieve: Ophelia has inherited both her powerful death-driven magic and enormous debt on their home. Circumstances go from dire to deadly, however, when Ophelia鈥檚 sister decides to pay off the loan by entering Phantasma鈥攁 competition where most contestants don鈥檛 make it out alive and the winner is granted a single wish.
The only way to save her sister is to compete. But Phantasma is a cursed manor, with twisting corridors and lavish ballrooms, and filled with enticing demons and fatal temptations. Ophelia will need to face nine floors of challenges to win... if her fears don鈥檛 overtake her first.
When a charming, arrogant stranger claims he can protect and guide Ophelia, she knows she shouldn鈥檛 trust him. While Blackwell may not seem dangerous, appearances can be deceptive. But with her sister鈥檚 life on the line, Ophelia can鈥檛 afford to turn him away. She just needs to ignore the overwhelming, dark attraction drawing them closer and closer together.
Because in Phantasma, the only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart.]]>
Tw: paranormal, OCD, heavily described sexual scenes, death, torture, murder - literally the stuff of nightmares. Ophelia Grimm always knew where her life would lead her. But when her mother dies mysteriously and her younger sister takes off, Ophelia has no other choice but to follow her. She finds herself in a competition to the death where the prize is a favor from the creator of the challenges, the devil himself. Even more surprising, she befriends a phantom within the game who, for all intents and purposes, should be one of the nightmares of the games, but turns out to be something else entirely.
Omg this was amazing! I was a little intimidated by how large of a book this is, but it鈥檚 so easy to get sucked into the story. It鈥檚 funny, spicy, scary, but with enough going on you don鈥檛 even realize you鈥檙e guessing what happens next. OCD plays a large role in understanding Ophelia as a person and it鈥檚 written so beautifully (though, full disclosure, I鈥檓 saying this as someone who hasn鈥檛 personally dealt with the affliction).
Blackwell is one of my new favorite characters! He鈥檚 so beautifully witty and snarky! I will say, there are parts that feel a little too convenient; however, it doesn鈥檛 take away how much I enjoyed this read!]]>
author: Kaylie Smith
name: Kari
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/16
date added: 2024/10/16
shelves: dark-romance, fantasy, fiction, romance, spicy, paranormal
review:
5 stars.
3.5 spice.
Tw: paranormal, OCD, heavily described sexual scenes, death, torture, murder - literally the stuff of nightmares. Ophelia Grimm always knew where her life would lead her. But when her mother dies mysteriously and her younger sister takes off, Ophelia has no other choice but to follow her. She finds herself in a competition to the death where the prize is a favor from the creator of the challenges, the devil himself. Even more surprising, she befriends a phantom within the game who, for all intents and purposes, should be one of the nightmares of the games, but turns out to be something else entirely.
Omg this was amazing! I was a little intimidated by how large of a book this is, but it鈥檚 so easy to get sucked into the story. It鈥檚 funny, spicy, scary, but with enough going on you don鈥檛 even realize you鈥檙e guessing what happens next. OCD plays a large role in understanding Ophelia as a person and it鈥檚 written so beautifully (though, full disclosure, I鈥檓 saying this as someone who hasn鈥檛 personally dealt with the affliction).
Blackwell is one of my new favorite characters! He鈥檚 so beautifully witty and snarky! I will say, there are parts that feel a little too convenient; however, it doesn鈥檛 take away how much I enjoyed this read!
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And when they suddenly pass away, she knows she should be devastated. But has anything really changed? She鈥檚 always been alone, hasn鈥檛 she?
Jake Van der Berg, her father鈥檚 stepbrother and her only living relative, assumes guardianship of Tiernan who is still two months shy of eighteen. Sent to live with him and his two sons, Noah and Kaleb, in the mountains of Colorado, Tiernan soon learns that these men now have a say in what she chooses to care and not care about anymore. As the three of them take her under their wing, teach her to work and survive in the remote woods far away from the rest of the world, she slowly finds her place among them.
And as a part of them.
She also realizes that lines blur and rules become easy to break when no one else is watching.
One of them has her.
The other one wants her.
But he鈥�
He鈥檚 going to keep her.
*Credence is a new adult standalone novel suitable for readers 18+.]]>
I gave this a three stars because I still don鈥檛 know what to think of it. Tiernan is 17 for the first half of the book, which makes all the flirting and trying to win her affections gross. Actual contact doesn鈥檛 occur until she鈥檚 18 which only makes that whole part marginally better. I totally get why Tiernan all but throws herself (eventually) at all three men. She was desperate for the connection and intimacy her parents never gave her. And she was young and didn鈥檛 know who she was yet.
I did like how she was able to connect with each of them in a different way. All of their stories intertwined with hers in a way that, again, I get why she was so enthralled with them. That being said, I think we could have gotten to the same conclusion without the 鈥渓ust for my step uncle鈥� story line which very quickly halted and was never picked up again. I think it would have been more satisfying to see her think she鈥檚 in love with Noah, and find out they鈥檙e better as friends more organically.
Also, for about 80% of this book I didn鈥檛 know what the plot was or where it was really headed. Some of the writing felt repetitive and juvenile. But, it did have parts that were funny, and over all it was an interesting FICTIONAL story.]]>
author: Penelope Douglas
name: Kari
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/20
date added: 2024/10/07
shelves: fiction, romance, spicy
review:
4 stars. TW: highly detailed sexual scenes, violence, discussion of suicide, discussion of child emotional abuse, discussion of child neglect, taboo sexual scenes, r*pe. Tiernan has been alone for 17 years, even as the only daughter of wealthy, famous parents. But her parents proved they loved each other more than her when they leave this world together, leaving her in the hands of her estranged step uncle, Jake. Jake invites her to live with him in rural Colorado with his two sons, Noah and Kaleb. As winter comes, they know they鈥檒l be snowed in at the top of the mountain, trying to determine what family really means.
I gave this a three stars because I still don鈥檛 know what to think of it. Tiernan is 17 for the first half of the book, which makes all the flirting and trying to win her affections gross. Actual contact doesn鈥檛 occur until she鈥檚 18 which only makes that whole part marginally better. I totally get why Tiernan all but throws herself (eventually) at all three men. She was desperate for the connection and intimacy her parents never gave her. And she was young and didn鈥檛 know who she was yet.
I did like how she was able to connect with each of them in a different way. All of their stories intertwined with hers in a way that, again, I get why she was so enthralled with them. That being said, I think we could have gotten to the same conclusion without the 鈥渓ust for my step uncle鈥� story line which very quickly halted and was never picked up again. I think it would have been more satisfying to see her think she鈥檚 in love with Noah, and find out they鈥檙e better as friends more organically.
Also, for about 80% of this book I didn鈥檛 know what the plot was or where it was really headed. Some of the writing felt repetitive and juvenile. But, it did have parts that were funny, and over all it was an interesting FICTIONAL story.
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Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town.
But she can't shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. She knew Sal when she was a child, and he was always so kind to her. How could he possibly have been a killer?
Now a senior herself, Pip decides to reexamine the closed case for her final project, at first just to cast doubt on the original investigation. But soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent . . . and the line between past and present begins to blur. Someone in Fairview doesn't want Pip digging around for answers, and now her own life might be in danger.]]>
This was definitely an interesting read! I did like how excerpts from Pippa's "paper" were scattered within the story in between the narration of what was happening while she was investigating and writing everything. It broke it all up very nicely and allowed a different layer to a normal "whodunnit." The characters of Pippa and Ravi were very likeable and I really enjoyed their banter. Even the unlikeable characters were likeable - in that you knew you weren't supposed to like them, and there weren't showing up enough in the story to be frustrating.
I am very interested to see how story gets depicted for the screen, so I had to get this read before August 1.]]>
author: Holly Jackson
name: Kari
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/29
date added: 2024/10/07
shelves: crime, fiction, mystery, thriller
review:
3 stars. TW: murder, underage drinking, drunk driving, drug use, drug selling, date rape, statutory rape, teacher/student, underage partying, bullying. Pippa decides for her Senior Thesis to re-open a 5 year old case of the murder/suicide of two students from her alma mater, Andie and Sal. It never say right with her that Sal would kill his girlfriend and them himself, and she recruits the help of Sal's younger brother, Ravi, to connect the dots no one else considered connecting before. Her suspect list grows very quickly and she learns just how intwined everyone is.
This was definitely an interesting read! I did like how excerpts from Pippa's "paper" were scattered within the story in between the narration of what was happening while she was investigating and writing everything. It broke it all up very nicely and allowed a different layer to a normal "whodunnit." The characters of Pippa and Ravi were very likeable and I really enjoyed their banter. Even the unlikeable characters were likeable - in that you knew you weren't supposed to like them, and there weren't showing up enough in the story to be frustrating.
I am very interested to see how story gets depicted for the screen, so I had to get this read before August 1.
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It's been twelve years and none of that fatal attraction has left me. It's grown, spread throughout my body like a cancer. But I can't have her yet. Even though Jake is gone, when she looks at my face, she can't help but see him. Being identical was a curse I'd been born with and there was no escaping it. I couldn't let her go, though. I'd never let her go.
It was bound to come to this. Fighting it was pointless, so I was gonna play with her a little. Maybe I'd let myself break her. It was time to introduce her to someone else, the monster who had been tracking her every move for so long. I'd rip my brother's memory from her so that she could be free. When she realized who her savior was underneath the mask, she'd no longer see him. She'd see me.
It was my turn.]]>
5 Spice. Detailed sexual scenes, significant use of dark kinks.
Plot: Jayce Weste has always been in love with his twin's fiance, Alana, and it allowed him to remain close to her as best friends. After his twin, Jake, dies in a fire at their home, Alana spends the next year picking up the pieces along with her best friend. When Jayce can't handle not being with her any longer, he devises a way to try to bring her out of morning and into his arms - by developing a second persona used to stalk her, break her down and chase her right into Jayce's arms.
To say this book is dark doesn't even begin to describe it. This is probably the darkest book I've ever read. That being said, it an interesting read given it's told in dual narraration so you get both Jayce and Alana's sides of what is going on as it's happening. You see Jayce work through why he does what he does, though I can't say I ever really aligned with him. You also see how Alana tries to work through it all, convincing herself whether or not it was Jayce she wanted all along and that she had to break down before he could help build her back up.
The climax came kind of abruptly, which I'm not sure I liked. The book spends so much time with Alana trying to make sense of everything, then to just have her accept things as they are, seemingly out of nowhere. What I did think was the most interesting, is there are two endings to this book. The author lets you know that in the beginning and it's basically a "choose your own ending" depending on whether you want a Happily Ever After or not. ]]>
author: Madilyn DeRose
name: Kari
average rating: 4.03
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/06
date added: 2024/10/06
shelves: crime, dark-romance, fiction, spicy, romance, thriller
review:
*This book was sent to me through BookSirens for an honest review*
4 Stars. CHECK THE TRIGGER WARNINGS
5 Spice. Detailed sexual scenes, significant use of dark kinks.
Plot: Jayce Weste has always been in love with his twin's fiance, Alana, and it allowed him to remain close to her as best friends. After his twin, Jake, dies in a fire at their home, Alana spends the next year picking up the pieces along with her best friend. When Jayce can't handle not being with her any longer, he devises a way to try to bring her out of morning and into his arms - by developing a second persona used to stalk her, break her down and chase her right into Jayce's arms.
To say this book is dark doesn't even begin to describe it. This is probably the darkest book I've ever read. That being said, it an interesting read given it's told in dual narraration so you get both Jayce and Alana's sides of what is going on as it's happening. You see Jayce work through why he does what he does, though I can't say I ever really aligned with him. You also see how Alana tries to work through it all, convincing herself whether or not it was Jayce she wanted all along and that she had to break down before he could help build her back up.
The climax came kind of abruptly, which I'm not sure I liked. The book spends so much time with Alana trying to make sense of everything, then to just have her accept things as they are, seemingly out of nowhere. What I did think was the most interesting, is there are two endings to this book. The author lets you know that in the beginning and it's basically a "choose your own ending" depending on whether you want a Happily Ever After or not.
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I hated the gangs that ruled my city.
After my friend was killed and my father vanished, I had no choice but to infiltrate one to figure out why. Entering their infamous club quickly showed me I was in over my head.
Then the most feared gang leader took an interest in me. Arran was corrupt, deadly, and his searing gaze both terrified and tempted me.
In my search for answers, I stumbled into his dark and dangerous game. The result? I belonged to him, with no chance of escape.
In a heartbeat, I became Arran鈥檚 obsession. And in a terrible twist, I think he鈥檚 becoming mine.
--
Arran鈥檚 Obsession is the first book in an interconnected dark romance trilogy featuring a murder mystery, a dark city, an adult entertainment club, and a crew of men who are possessive over what鈥檚 theirs.
Tropes:
路 A masked gang and an adult club
路 Possessive, damaged men
路 Dangerous play (including free use and predator/prey)
路 Forced proximity
路 Set entirely at night
Check the TWs in the front of the book or on my website if you need to (the list is as long as 鈥� it should be, dirty girl).]]>
I loved this book from the first 20%. It's dark and it's spicy, but I also really loved the family Arran built for himself, and then brought Genevieve into. At first, i'll admit, Genevieve was a little whiney to me, but as she started to open her mind to what Arran showed her, and his family told her, it was nice to see her be able to lose some of her naivety about the world.
The ending felt a little rushed, and I still don't know what happened to Convict. I'm hoping we learn that in the next book, which appears to be Shade's book, which I NEED IN MY LIFE! Shade is easily my favorite character in this book :) Gotta love the loveable, yet scary, best friend :)]]>
author: Jolie Vines
name: Kari
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/02
date added: 2024/10/02
shelves: crime, dark-romance, fiction, gang, romance, spicy
review:
4.5 Stars. 4 spice. CHECK THE TRIGGER WARNINGS.
While looking into the disappearance of her father, Genevieve finds herself in the middle of a dangerous game, becoming the prize to emotionally broken gang leader, Arran Daniels. Now having to play by the rules of the game, the two need to figure out how to work together in order to both get what they want, and the answers they're looking for.
I loved this book from the first 20%. It's dark and it's spicy, but I also really loved the family Arran built for himself, and then brought Genevieve into. At first, i'll admit, Genevieve was a little whiney to me, but as she started to open her mind to what Arran showed her, and his family told her, it was nice to see her be able to lose some of her naivety about the world.
The ending felt a little rushed, and I still don't know what happened to Convict. I'm hoping we learn that in the next book, which appears to be Shade's book, which I NEED IN MY LIFE! Shade is easily my favorite character in this book :) Gotta love the loveable, yet scary, best friend :)
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After surviving three rounds to the chest, homicide detective Temple Stone knows he is on borrowed time. His medical leave is cut short when the body of a beautiful woman is dumped in the heart of Boston for the entire city to see. And her killer has left a chilling warning -- there is more to come.
In what could be his last investigation, Temple Stone must work fast, combing through misleading clues in a complicated case if he wants to catch the twisted killer who likes to drain his victims鈥� blood and hide their faces behind a petrifying mask.
And as the sinful deeds become public, the entire city is plunged into chaos and no one feels safe. Everyone begins to question whether Temple has what it takes to catch the vigilante.
Before long, Temple lands in a hospital bed, facing his own death. And as the minutes slip away, Temple puts it all together, realizing who is behind the terrifying murders. But can he bring the monster down in the hours he has left to live or would more innocent blood be spilled?]]>
I'm going to be honest - this entire book confused me. It's very repetitive - explaining what happened to the victim (what felt like) a dozen times, using everyone's full name, etc. The beginning was much slower moving than the second half of the book, and then, once I got to the second half, it just seemed to throw everything together to get to the ending.
Overall, this wasn't a favorite for me, and not a mystery/thriller I would recommend.]]>
author: Jolene Grace
name: Kari
average rating: 4.11
book published:
rating: 1
read at: 2024/09/30
date added: 2024/09/30
shelves: crime, fiction
review:
1 star. Almost DNF'd. Story follows new Boston Homicide detective, Temple Stone, as he dives head first into a case where an unsuspecting victim is found at the beginning of a large, public run. He quickly becomes obsessed with the victim and finding what happened to her.
I'm going to be honest - this entire book confused me. It's very repetitive - explaining what happened to the victim (what felt like) a dozen times, using everyone's full name, etc. The beginning was much slower moving than the second half of the book, and then, once I got to the second half, it just seemed to throw everything together to get to the ending.
Overall, this wasn't a favorite for me, and not a mystery/thriller I would recommend.
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As a disgraced member of a fallen house, Cassandra Gataki has seen firsthand what comes from trusting the venomous Thirteen. But when the maddeningly gorgeous and kind Apollo asks her to go undercover as his plus-one at a week-long party hosted by a dangerous new power player鈥assandra reluctantly agrees to have his back.
On one condition: when it's all over, and Apollo has the ammunition he needs to protect Olympus, she and her sister will be allowed to leave. For good.
Apollo may be the city's official spymaster, but it's his ability to inspire others that keeps him at the top. Despite what the rest of Olympus says, there's no one he trusts more than Cassandra. Yet even as their fake relationship takes a wicked turn for the scaldingly hot, a very real danger surfaces鈥� threatening not only Cassandra and Apollo, but the very heart of Olympus itself.]]>
TW: death, murder.
Tropes: fake dating, status difference, secret feelings, employer/employee
Things are changing in Olympus, and Apollo has been working tirelessly to figure out how to stop it. When new blood comes to the city and sets up a week long party for an exclusive guest list, Apollo quickly finds himself on it. He decides he's going to use the party as a way to extract information from this new family, bringing along his trusty second-in-command, Cassandra. Only, Cassandra wants nothing to do with The Thirteen and all their backroom deals, only desperate to leave Olympus in her rearview forever. Putting on a fascade of a relationship, Apollo and Cassandra use their time and skills in an attempt to get to the bottom of what is going on in the city.
Ooooh this one was so good! Not quite enough to call it enemies to lovers, but Cassandra makes her opinions about The Thirteen clear from the beginning, least of all hiding it from Apollo. The book so quickly builds their 5 year relationship of hiding their true feelings from each other in a way that is exciting and not long-winded or boring. I also, as to be expected with Katee Robert, enjoy the way she depicts D/s relationships in a more positive and, frankly more realistic light, which she manages to do in this installment as well. ]]>
author: Katee Robert
name: Kari
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/27
date added: 2024/09/27
shelves: crime, dark-romance, fiction, greek-mythology, spicy
review:
4.5 Stars
4 Spice; including D/s scenes and light bondage.
TW: death, murder.
Tropes: fake dating, status difference, secret feelings, employer/employee
Things are changing in Olympus, and Apollo has been working tirelessly to figure out how to stop it. When new blood comes to the city and sets up a week long party for an exclusive guest list, Apollo quickly finds himself on it. He decides he's going to use the party as a way to extract information from this new family, bringing along his trusty second-in-command, Cassandra. Only, Cassandra wants nothing to do with The Thirteen and all their backroom deals, only desperate to leave Olympus in her rearview forever. Putting on a fascade of a relationship, Apollo and Cassandra use their time and skills in an attempt to get to the bottom of what is going on in the city.
Ooooh this one was so good! Not quite enough to call it enemies to lovers, but Cassandra makes her opinions about The Thirteen clear from the beginning, least of all hiding it from Apollo. The book so quickly builds their 5 year relationship of hiding their true feelings from each other in a way that is exciting and not long-winded or boring. I also, as to be expected with Katee Robert, enjoy the way she depicts D/s relationships in a more positive and, frankly more realistic light, which she manages to do in this installment as well.
]]>
Tw: drug use, theft, drug use by minors, murder
The stock market crash of 1987 would change one family鈥檚 lives forever. The Gimmelmans were affected by the crash significantly, with their father Barry making financial mistakes causing them to lose everything except their RV. Told from the perspective of middle child, Aaron, the Gimmelmans embark on a trip from New Jersey to Florida to stay with family while they iron things out. Suddenly going from high class to broke, Aaron finds a quick way to get money by robbing a convenience store, which starts the whole family on a wild ride of manipulation and robberies.
Over all, this is a good read. It鈥檚 told in an interesting way: as an audiobook being played for Aaron鈥檚 son who is finding himself in trouble and history repeating itself in regards to Aaron鈥檚 connection with him. Aaron had written a book about the family鈥檚 trip that year, and the story is being told in the first person that way.
The beginning is a bit slow, and there are a lot of plot points that don鈥檛 feel they make sense - Heidi鈥檚 storyline doesn鈥檛 really offer too much in the grand scheme, some of the Jewish vocabulary was lost on me (as a non Jewish person), the parents overly sexual connection, building the youngest - Jenny - up to be a psychopath, and I will never understand the obsession with describing snot in different ways. Some of the dialog was a little cringey, but could have had more to do with my own lack of 80鈥檚 knowledge, only having been alive for half of it.
All that to say, the story picks up wonderfully and I wasn鈥檛 prepared for the heart break at the end. The ending also did not feel as rushed as I was anticipating and everything came together well in the end.]]>
author: Lee Matthew Goldberg
name: Kari
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/25
date added: 2024/09/25
shelves: crime, fiction, historical, suspense
review:
*copy of book given by author, Lee Matthew Goldberg to review*
3 stars.
Tw: drug use, theft, drug use by minors, murder
The stock market crash of 1987 would change one family鈥檚 lives forever. The Gimmelmans were affected by the crash significantly, with their father Barry making financial mistakes causing them to lose everything except their RV. Told from the perspective of middle child, Aaron, the Gimmelmans embark on a trip from New Jersey to Florida to stay with family while they iron things out. Suddenly going from high class to broke, Aaron finds a quick way to get money by robbing a convenience store, which starts the whole family on a wild ride of manipulation and robberies.
Over all, this is a good read. It鈥檚 told in an interesting way: as an audiobook being played for Aaron鈥檚 son who is finding himself in trouble and history repeating itself in regards to Aaron鈥檚 connection with him. Aaron had written a book about the family鈥檚 trip that year, and the story is being told in the first person that way.
The beginning is a bit slow, and there are a lot of plot points that don鈥檛 feel they make sense - Heidi鈥檚 storyline doesn鈥檛 really offer too much in the grand scheme, some of the Jewish vocabulary was lost on me (as a non Jewish person), the parents overly sexual connection, building the youngest - Jenny - up to be a psychopath, and I will never understand the obsession with describing snot in different ways. Some of the dialog was a little cringey, but could have had more to do with my own lack of 80鈥檚 knowledge, only having been alive for half of it.
All that to say, the story picks up wonderfully and I wasn鈥檛 prepared for the heart break at the end. The ending also did not feel as rushed as I was anticipating and everything came together well in the end.
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Callum Griffin is the heir to the Irish Mafia. He鈥檚 ruthless, arrogant, and he wants to kill me.
We got off on the wrong foot when I set a (very small) fire in his house.
Our families believe a marriage pact is the only thing that will prevent all-out warfare.
I think I might need to murder him while he sleeps.
This would all be a lot easier if Callum wasn鈥檛 so damned good-looking.
But I鈥檝e got a lockbox around my heart. Because even if I鈥檓 forced to marry him鈥�
I could never love a brutal prince.
鈥淏rutal Prince鈥� is the explosive first act in the epic 鈥淏rutal Birthright鈥� series. It鈥檚 a stand-alone Dark Mafia Romance, complete with HEA and no cliffhangers. It contains blazing hot bedroom scenes for mature readers only!!!]]>
Sophie Lark does not disappoint! Brutal Prince is the first installment of the Brutal Birthright Series and follows Callum Griffin and Aida Gallo, children of rival mafia bosses. When Aida sneaks in and sets Callum鈥檚 house on fire, their whole lives change. Their fathers meet and decide the best way out of this mess is to join families, meaning Callum and Aida, who hate each other, are to be married. While they try to figure out how to lay down with the enemy, an old flame of Aida鈥檚 begins to make things more and more difficult.
I love everything about this book and it makes me excited for the rest of the series, which follows other siblings of the Gallo and Griffin families. The banter is brilliant and it moves at a great pace for an enemy-to-lovers story. I also like how it sets things up for the following books without it taking away from the main plot of Aida and Callum.]]>
author: Sophie Lark
name: Kari
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/04
date added: 2024/09/05
shelves: dark-romance, fiction, romance, spicy
review:
4.5 stars. Triggers: detailed sexual scenes, bdsm, attempted murder, actual murder, torture, death, mafia, and forced marriage.
Sophie Lark does not disappoint! Brutal Prince is the first installment of the Brutal Birthright Series and follows Callum Griffin and Aida Gallo, children of rival mafia bosses. When Aida sneaks in and sets Callum鈥檚 house on fire, their whole lives change. Their fathers meet and decide the best way out of this mess is to join families, meaning Callum and Aida, who hate each other, are to be married. While they try to figure out how to lay down with the enemy, an old flame of Aida鈥檚 begins to make things more and more difficult.
I love everything about this book and it makes me excited for the rest of the series, which follows other siblings of the Gallo and Griffin families. The banter is brilliant and it moves at a great pace for an enemy-to-lovers story. I also like how it sets things up for the following books without it taking away from the main plot of Aida and Callum.
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She鈥檚 my captive, my little ballerina who dances only for me.
Nessa is sweet and innocent. She doesn鈥檛 deserve any of this. But that鈥檚 how our world works - the wolves eat the lambs, no matter how gentle they may be.
I鈥檒l use her to get my revenge. Unless I give in to my hunger first...
鈥淪tolen Heir鈥� is the dark and gothic second act of the 鈥淏rutal Birthright鈥� series. It鈥檚 a stand-alone Enemies to Lovers Romance, complete with HEA and no cliffhangers. It contains blazing hot bedroom scenes for mature readers only!!!]]>
This is a great enemies-to-lovers, captivity story, and Miko might be my current favorite morally gray man. This book is intense from the start, but is a real quick pace through the story. I love that Nessa is such a strong female lead (as are all females in Sophie鈥檚 works) even if in the beginning, and first book, she doesn鈥檛 seem she would be. It even has an air of a 鈥淏eauty and the Beast,鈥� retelling to give it added depth.]]>
author: Sophie Lark
name: Kari
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/27
date added: 2024/09/05
shelves: crime, dark-romance, fiction, romance, spicy
review:
4 stars. Tw: heavily described sexual scenes, kidnapping, stalking, captivity, mafia, death, and murder. The second installment of the Brutal Birthright Series follows the youngest of the Griffin family, Nessa, who is stalked and kidnapped by Mikolaj Wilk, the reining boss of the Polish mob, who has a strong vendetta against the Griffin family.
This is a great enemies-to-lovers, captivity story, and Miko might be my current favorite morally gray man. This book is intense from the start, but is a real quick pace through the story. I love that Nessa is such a strong female lead (as are all females in Sophie鈥檚 works) even if in the beginning, and first book, she doesn鈥檛 seem she would be. It even has an air of a 鈥淏eauty and the Beast,鈥� retelling to give it added depth.
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