REVIEW: Breaking Him by R.K. Lilley

Breaking Him by R.K. Lilley
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

To sum it up:

SCARLETT

It was the kind of relationship where I invested more than I had to spare.

I gave it everything.

And so when it failed, I lost myself.

It changed me. He changed me.

I went down with the ship.

My soul, burnt embers in the aftermath.

The fire of him ravaged it all.

He burned me.

Broke me.

—

Scarlett had always dreamed big. She was headed straight for Hollywood. Destined for silver screen greatness.

But in her wildest dreams she never imagined she’d be broke and single at twenty-eight, doling drinks at thirty-five thousand feet.

She was a glorified waitress in the skies.

It had been years since she’d seen him.

But one day, there he sat, gazing intently at her, ready to set everything ablaze once more.

Dante wanted her. Again.

Sure, she’d play along… But this time, it was his turn.

She was breaking him.

After all, love is war.

REVIEW: Fuel the Fire by Krista & Becca Ritchie

Fuel the Fire by Krista & Becca Ritchie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

To sum it up: Protect your family. At all costs.

It’d take the impossible to hurt Connor Cobalt, even for a moment.

Protect your family. At all costs.

At twenty-six, his narcissistic tendencies have made room for the people he loves.

Protect your family. At all costs.

And he loves Rose. But when his love is threatened, when his greatest dreams with her are compromised — what is the cost then?

Protect your family. At all costs.

Love will guide his choices.
For the first time in his life.



★ FYI: If you didn't read this warning from the authors in the synopsis of the book, please read now before going further into my review:

**AUTHORS' NOTE**
It's possible to only read the Calloway Sisters spin-off series without reading the Addicted series, but you MUST read Hothouse Flower (Calloway Sisters #2) before reading Fuel the Fire (Calloway Sisters #3).

It's highly recommended to read the books in the recommended reading order, which is in tangent with the Addicted series. If you choose not to read Addicted After All before Fuel the Fire, there will be a time jump.

Fuel the Fire picks up in the Addicted Timeline where Addicted After All ended. FTF will not retell past events from Addicted After All in Rose & Connor's POV. All new material.

REVIEW: Kulti by Mariana Zapata

Kulti by Mariana Zapata
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

To sum it up: “Trust me, I’ve wanted to punch you in the face a time or five.”
When the man you worshipped as a kid becomes your coach, it’s supposed to be the greatest thing in the world. Keywords: supposed to. It didn’t take a week for twenty-seven-year-old Sal Casillas to wonder what she’d seen in the international soccer icon—why she’d ever had his posters on her wall, or ever envisioned marrying him and having super-playing soccer babies.

Sal had long ago gotten over the worst non-break-up in the history of imaginary relationships with a man that hadn’t known she’d existed. So she isn’t prepared for this version of Reiner Kulti who shows up to her team’s season: a quiet, reclusive, shadow of the explosive, passionate man he’d once been.

Nothing could have prepared her for the man she got to know.
Or the murderous urges he brought out in her.
“Sal, please don’t make me visit you in jail. Orange isn’t your color.”
This was going to be the longest season of her life.

REVIEW: Sempre by J.M. Darhower

Sempre by J.M. Darhower
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

To sum it up: Haven Antonelli and Carmine DeMarco grew up under vastly different circumstances. Haven, a second-generation slave, was isolated in the middle of the desert, her days full of hard work and terrifying abuse. Carmine, born into a wealthy Mafia family, lived a life of privilege and excess. Now, a twist of fate causes their worlds to collide. Entangled in a web of secrets and lies, they learn that while different on the surface, they have more in common than anyone would think. In a world full of chaos, where money and power rule, Haven and Carmine yearn to break free, but a string of events that began before either of them were born threatens to destroy them instead.

Murder and betrayal are a way of life, and nothing comes without a price-especially not freedom. But how much will they have to sacrifice? Can they escape their pasts? And, most of all, what does it mean to be free?

REVIEW: Bad Romeo by Leisa Rayven

Bad Romeo by Leisa Rayven
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

To sum it up: When Cassie Taylor met Ethan Holt at acting school, sparks flew. She was the good girl actress. He was the bad boy about campus. But one fated casting choice for Romeo and Juliet changed it all. Like the characters they were playing, Cassie and Ethan's romance seemed destined. Until he broke her heart and betrayed her trust. Now the A-list heartthrob is back in her life and turning her world around. One touch at a time.

Cast as romantic leads once again, they're forced to confront raw memories of the heartbreaking lows and pulse-pounding highs of their secret college affair. But they'll also discover that people who rub each other the wrong way often make the best sparks...

REVIEW: The Virgin by Tiffany Reisz

The Virgin by Tiffany Reisz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So sum it up: For years, Kingsley Edge warned Eleanor the day would come when she, the mistress of a well-respected Catholic priest, would have to run and hide. She always imagined if that day came she'd be running away with Søren. But instead, she's running from him.

Knowing Søren and Kingsley will their use their influence to bring her back, Eleanor alone, penniless and scared takes refuge at the one place the men in her life cannot follow: the abbey where her mother has taken orders. Behind the cloistered gates of the convent, Eleanor hides from the man she loves and hates in equal measure

She cannot, however, hide from her true nature. When Eleanor befriends a young virginal nun, she faces a startling sexual awakening. But Eleanor can't stay forever, and the lure of her real life beckons beyond the locked gates. But to follow her fate means to leave Kyrie behind, a sacrifice Eleanor refuses to make

The lure of the forbidden. The temptation to sin. The price of passion has never been higher, and Eleanor will have to pay it if she ever wants to go home again.

REVIEW: Aflame by Penelope Douglas

Aflame by Penelope Douglas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

To sum it up: The tables have turned. Now I have the power—and it’s his turn to beg…

Everyone wants to be me.

Maybe it’s the sway of my skirt or the way I flip my hair, but I don’t care. Even though their attention is the last thing I crave, I just can’t stop. I dominate the track, the speed rattles my bones, and the wind and the crowd screams my name.

I’m her. The girl driver. The queen of the race. And I’m surviving—something he thought I’d never do.

They all still talk about him. Did you see Jared Trent on T.V? What did you think of his last race, Tate? When is he coming back to town, Tate?

But I refuse to care too much. Because when Jared does come home, I won’t be here.

Tatum Brandt is gone. I’m someone new.

REVIEW: Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James

Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book Description: 

Daunted by the singular sexual tastes and dark secrets of the beautiful, tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Anastasia Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a Seattle publishing house.

But desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, Anastasia cannot resist. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and Anastasia learns more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven, and demanding Fifty Shades.

While Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Anastasia must confront her anger and envy of the women who came before her and make the most important decision of her life.

Erotic, sparkling and suspenseful, Fifty Shades Darker is the irresistibly addictive second part of the Fifty Shades trilogy.

REVIEW: Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book Description: 

When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.
 
Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.

Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.

This book is intended for mature audiences.

REVIEW: Dearest Clementine by Lex Martin

Dearest Clementine (Dearest, #1) by Lex Martin
My rating: 4.5 our of 5 stars

Book Description: 

Twenty-year-old Clementine Avery doesn't mind being called bitchy and closed off. It's safe, and after being burned by her high school sweetheart and stalked by a professor her freshman year of college, safe sounds pretty damn good.

Her number one rule for survival? No dating. That is until she accidentally signs up for a romance writing class and needs material for her latest assignment. Sexy RA Gavin Murphy is more than happy to play the part of book boyfriend to help Clem find some inspiration, even if that means making out...in the name of research, of course.

As Gavin and Clem grow closer, they get entangled in the mystery surrounding a missing Boston University student, and Clem unwittingly becomes a possible target. Gavin tries to show Clem she can handle falling in love again, but she knows she has to be careful because her heart’s at stake…and maybe even her life.

DEAREST CLEMENTINE is a stand-alone novel with two companion novels. This New Adult romance is recommended for readers 18+ due to mature content. 

     

REVIEW: Debt by Nina G. Jones

Debt by Nina G. Jones
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Book Description: 

I don’t know what I was thinking when I hired someone to attack me. Maybe I was bored, or lonely, or there was a void so deep inside of me that I needed something explosive to fill it. 

It was supposed to be safe. A thrill. A way to break through the monotony of everyday life. It was an illusion of danger that I could walk away from as soon as it was over. 

Except that it wasn’t. Because I had been in danger long before I ever invited it into my life. 

———————

My mission is almost complete. The bubbling boil of vengeance that heats my blood might finally simmer. 

She is the last piece of the puzzle. Once I destroy her, everyone who ever hurt me will have paid their debt. 

It was supposed to be quick and easy, but as soon as I met her it got complicated. 

Very complicated.

     

REVIEW: Asylum by Lily White

Asylum by Lily White 

My rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Book Description: 

Words are funny things.

Their meaning, the pictures they paint in the minds of those that hear them: they’re not always the same and to me at least, that makes them meaningless.

Take for instance the phrase ‘black widow’. Those words conjure the image of a spider, an eight-legged creature with the red imprint of an hourglass on its abdomen.

However, instead of speaking of an arachnid, of the resident of a spindly and dew-laden web, the people who whisper those words are talking about something much different.

They’re talking about me.

From what I’m told, I’m called the Black Widow because no man I’ve ever loved has survived.

Yet, I have no memory of any of it.

My new home leads me to the definition of another vague and meaningless word.

It’s a place where I’m supposed to seek refuge.

A place of retreat and security.

It’s a place where I’m supposed to be kept safe because I’m sick.

But the definition for this place is wrong and the word becomes meaningless when you’re tucked away and made silent by drugs and pretty white jackets.

My name is Alexandra Sutton and this is the story of what happened when I was imprisoned inside an Asylum.

REVIEW: Captivated by You by Sylvia Day

Captivated by You by Sylvia Day
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book Description: 

Gideon calls me his angel, but he's the miracle in my life. My gorgeous, wounded warrior, so determined to slay my demons while refusing to face his own.

The vows we'd exchanged should have bound us tighter than blood and flesh. Instead they opened old wounds, exposed pain and insecurities, and lured bitter enemies out of the shadows. I felt him slipping from my grasp, my greatest fears becoming my reality, my love tested in ways I wasn't sure I was strong enough to bear.

At the brightest time in our lives, the darkness of his past encroached and threatened everything we'd worked so hard for. We faced a terrible choice: the familiar safety of the lives we'd had before each other or the fight for a future that suddenly seemed an impossible and hopeless dream...

REVIEW: The King by Tiffany Reisz

The King by Tiffany Reisz
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

To sum it up: Cunning. Sex. Pure nerve. Only this unholy threesome can raise him to his rightful place as a rule of Manhattan's king kingdom.

Bouncing from bed to bed on the Upper East Side, Kingsley Edge is brilliant, beautiful and utterly debauched. No carnal act of chemical compound can relieve his self-destructive heartache— Only Søren, the one person he loves without limit or regret. A man he can never have, but in whose hands Kingsley is reborn to attain even greater heights of sin.

Kingsley's plan to open the ultimate BDSM club— A dungeon playground for New York's A-list— Becomes his obsession. His expertise in domination can't subdue the one man who wants to stop him. The enigmatic Reverend Fuller won't rest until King's dream is destroyed, and so the battle lines are set; it's one man's sacred mission against another's… 3 1/2


***ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***

★★★ 3 1/2 Stars ★★★

★ FYI: This is the sixth book in Tiffany's Original Sinners series and the second book in The White Years quartet. While I have blocked spoilers within this book in my review, spoilers exist for those who haven't read up to this point in the series. With that being said...

Guys... It hurts my heart to say this, but this book was the absolute biggest let-down. To say that I was excited for Kingsley's story would be the understatement of the year. Tiffany Reisz is one of my absolute favorite authors ever and none of her books have yet to disappoint... That is, until this one. Damn, it depresses me to even let those words leave my mouth. It's only fair though that I give you all my honest feedback so alas, I must continue on...

Boring.

I think it's safe to say that that's as accurate as it gets when it comes to describing this story and how I felt about it. I was honest to God just bored to tears. I fell head-over-heels in love with The Saint , and to be fair I don't think any book could have topped that one- It was perfection at it's finest, ladies and gentleman. Perhaps that's why I felt so devastated when this one turned out to be such a disappointment. However, I think a lot of that had to do with the lack of Eleanor's presence in my opinion. Before going on, I need to give a little word of warning here: If you're expecting Eleanor to play a major role in this book, then you're going to be extremely disappointed- She may have made maybe one or two very short appearances and that was it. In all fairness though, my own personal expectations is what probably made this book such a let-down for me. Based on all other books involved in this series, I had just assumed that this story revolved around Søren, Kingsley and Eleanor's relationship and how it all began. What I got instead was a story strictly based on Kinglsey's obsession with opening up the ultimate BDSM club.

I mean, where the fuck was the romance? Sure, we got some detailed glimpses and scenes of Kingsley's relationship with Søren... And we also got to see him have some interesting relationships/sex with many others as well; Some who even ended up holding a special place in his heart, but none that I gave a shit about if I'm being perfectly honest here. This book just wasn't the same without the infamous Nora being present. I missed the trio together and without that, I just felt such a deep loss of connection with everything and everyone else involved.

Oh, and another word of warning: There's quite a bit of M/M action going on throughout this book as well. Not that that kind of things turns me off or anything... It just isn't my cup of tea, which in turn put a damper on my over-all feelings for the book. So was this book complete shit? Far from it. It would be impossible for any book revolving around these characters to be an absolute dud. I've grown to love everyone involved in this series throughout the years and each and every character has held a special place in my heart. It's just... This story lacked romance and instead focused on history-- Not my cup of tea either.

Over-all though, The King fills in a lot of blanks for fans of The Original Sinners series. We get further insight into Kinglsey and Søren's relationship, especially their time spent together at St. Ignatius as well as receiving a very lengthy story behind how The 8th Circle came about... And by lengthy story, I basically mean the whole fucking book. As a die-hard fan of this entire series, it was a definite plus to get some major insight into the ever-present mysteriousness of "The King" and how he came about. Unfortunately though, I just expected something completely different from this story which only ended up backfiring on me instead.

Review: Vain by Deborah Bladon

Vain by Deborah Bladon
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

To sum it up: Sex. 

That's all Noah Foster wanted when Alexa Jackson showed up at his apartment. 

After returning from a semester in Paris, Alexa is back in her hometown of Boston and looking for anything but the drama that surrounds Noah. He's intense, gifted, famous and a bastard through and through. 

Alexa doesn't take life too seriously. Noah doesn't do calm and easygoing. 

Their unexpected meeting sets them both on a course towards an unlikely connection. As Noah embarks on a journey to teach school teacher Alexa the ways of his dark and mysterious world, she's fighting her own demons and the memory of a stranger in Paris. 

When Alexa's past suddenly becomes her present, she's forced to face the reality of whether the passionate moments she's spent in Noah's arms, in his bed, and in his life mean anything to him, or has it all been in vain?

REVIEW: The Last Good Night by Tiffany Reisz

The Last Good Night (The Last Good Knight, #5) by Tiffany Reisz

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book Description:

The Last Good Knight: An Original Sinners novella told in five parts.

Part V: The Last Good Night

Now that the perpetrator has been apprehended, Nora sadly acknowledges she doesn't need a bodyguard anymore. She adores Lance and wants to keep him but is faced with a dilemma—if she uses her connections to help Lance, she'll have to give him up forever…

Review: The Games Destiny Plays by Tiffany Reisz

The Games Destiny Plays (The Last Good Knight, #3) by Tiffany Reisz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book Description: 
The Last Good Knight: An Original Sinners novella told in five parts.

Part III: The Games Destiny Plays

Shocked to see Nora's bruises, Lance is furious that she put herself in danger and demands to know where she got them. As Nora confesses her true nature, she's equally shocked to learn that Lance has some secrets of his own, drawing them together despite Kingsley's orders….

Review: Sore Spots by TIffany Reisz

Sore Spots (The Last Good Knight, #2) by Tiffany Reisz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book Description: 
The Last Good Knight: An Original Sinners novella told in five parts.

Part II: Sore Spots

With a potential stalker on the loose, Kingsley hires Lance as Nora's bodyguard, but stipulates no sex while he's on duty. Frustrated by the ex-SEAL's noble chivalry, Nora is driven to seek release with the one man she's trying to forget….

Review: Monster in His Eyes by J.M. Dahower

Monster in His Eyes by J.M. Dahower

My Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Book Description: 

Ignazio Vitale is not a good man.

I suspect it, the first time I see him, sense the air of danger that surrounds the man. He has a way of commanding attention, of taking control, of knowing what I'm thinking before I even do.

It's alarming and alluring. It's dark and deadly. It's everything I've ever wanted but the last thing I truly need. Obsession.

It doesn't take him long to draw me into his web, charming me into his bed and trapping me in his life, a life I know nothing about until it's too late. He has secrets, secrets I can't fathom, secrets that make it so I can't walk away, no matter how much I beg him to let me go. I see it sometimes in his eyes, a darkness that's both terrifying and thrilling. He's a monster, wrapped up in a pretty package, and what I find when I unmask him changes everything.

I want to hate him.

Sometimes, I do.

But it doesn't stop me from loving him, too.

Review: Scars and Stripes by Tiffany Reisz

Scars and Stripes (The Last Good Knight, #1) by Tiffany Reisz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book Description: 
The Last Good Knight: An Original Sinners novella told in five parts.

Part I: Scars and Stripes

It's lust at first sight when Mistress Nora encounters a sexy newcomer to The 8th Circle. She's happy for the distraction, since she left her lover, Søren, but her session with Lance is cut short when her boss, Kingsley Edge, reveals they're all in danger….