🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷 #Review of Broken Prince by Erin Watt

Title: Broken Prince

Series: The Royals #2

Author: Erin Watt

Format: 352 pages, Paperback

Published: October 17, 2023 by Berkley

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 

Source: NetGalley

Reviewer: Crystal

Rating: 🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷/ 🌶️🌶️

From wharf fights and school brawls to crumbling lives inside glittery mansions, one guy tries to save himself.

THESE ROYALS WILL RUIN YOU...

Reed Royal has it all—looks, status, money. The girls at his elite prep school line up to date him, the guys want to be him, but Reed never gave a damn about anyone but his family until Ella Harper walked into his life.

What started off as burning resentment and the need to make his father’s new ward suffer turned into something else entirely—keep Ella close. Keep Ella safe. But when one foolish mistake drives her out of Reed’s arms and brings chaos to the Royal household, Reed’s entire world begins to fall apart around him.

Ella doesn’t want him anymore. She says they’ll only destroy each other.

SHE MIGHT BE RIGHT.

Secrets. Betrayal. Enemies. It’s like nothing Reed has ever dealt with before, and if he’s going to win back his princess, he’ll need to prove himself Royally worthy.

Crystal's Thoughts:

"He told me to stay away. He told me I didn't belong. If only I'd listened to him."

🍷🍷🍷🍷.5 #Review of Bring Me Your Midnight by Rachel Griffin

 

Title: Bring Me Your Midnight

Series: n/a

Author: Rachel Griffin

Format: 402 pages, Hardcover

Published: August 1, 2023 by Sourcebooks Fire

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 

Source: NetGalley

Reviewer: Crystal

Rating:  🍷🍷🍷🍷.5 

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Nature of Witches and Wild is the Witch comes a lush romantic fantasy about forbidden love, the choices we make, and the pull between duty and desire.

Tana Fairchild’s fate has never been in question. Her life has been planned out since the moment she was born: she is to marry the governor’s son, Landon, and secure an unprecedented alliance between the witches of her island home and the mainlanders who see her very existence as a threat.

Tana’s coven has appeased those who fear their power for years by releasing most of their magic into the ocean during the full moon. But when Tana misses the midnight ritual—a fatal mistake—there is no one she can turn to for help…until she meets Wolfe.

Wolfe claims he is from a coven that practices dark magic, making him one of the only people who can help her. But he refuses to let Tana’s power rush into the sea, and instead teaches her his forbidden magic. A magic that makes her feel powerful. Alive.

As the sea grows more violent, her coven loses control of the currents, a danger that could destroy the alliance as well as her island. Tana will have to choose between love and duty, between loyalty to her people and loyalty to her heart. Marrying Landon would secure peace for her coven but losing Wolfe and his wild magic could cost her everything else.

Crystal's Thoughts: 

"I would set the world on fire just to see your face."

"Then we can burn together."

Happy #BookBirthday to Archangel's Lineage by Nalini Singh

Join the archangels, vampires, and mortals for this extraordinary sixteenth addition to the New York Times bestselling Guild Hunter series. With plenty of inspiring romance, epic world building, and staggering emotion readers are guaranteed to adore, ARCHANGEL’S LINEAGE - out now!!!

About the Book

Archangel's Lineage
Guild Hunter #16
by Nalini Singh

Format 400 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published April 23, 2024 by Berkley

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh’s dangerous and beautiful world of archangels, vampires, and mortals has never faced a threat this cataclysmic…

Raphael and Elena are experiencing their first ever year of true peace. No war. No horrors of archangelic power. No nightmares given flesh. Until…the earth beneath the Refuge begins to tremble, endangering not only angelkind’s precious and fragile young, but the very place that has held their most innocent safe for eons.

Amid the chaos, Elena’s father suffers a violent heart attack that threatens to extinguish their last chance to heal the bonds between them and make sense of the ruins of their agonizing shared history.

Even as Elena battles grief, Raphael is torn from her side by the sudden disappearance of an archangel. But worse yet is to come. An Ancestor, an angel unlike any other, stirs from his Sleep to warn the Cadre of a darkness so terrible that it causes empires to fall and civilizations to vanish.

This time, even the Cadre itself may not be able to stop a ticking clock that is counting down at frightening speed…

AMAZON | B&N 

🍷🍷🍷🍷.5 #Review of Bride by Ali Hazelwood

Title: Bride 

Series: n/a
Author:  Ali Hazelwood
Format: 410 pages, Kindle Edition

Published: February 6, 2024 by Berkley

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 
Source: NetGalley

Reviewer: Crystal
Rating:  🍷🍷🍷🍷.5 / 🌶️

A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance.

Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again...

Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was….

Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.

Crystal's Thoughts:

"Isn't that what any relationship is in the end? Meeting someone and wanting to be with that person more than with anyone else, and trying to make it work?"

🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷 #Review of Paper Princess by Erin Watt

Title: Paper Princess

Series: The Royals

Author: Erin Watt

Format: 384 pages, Paperback

Published: September 19, 2023 by Berkley

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 

Source: NetGalley

Reviewer: Crystal

Rating:  🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷/🌶️🌶️

The TikTok sensation Paper Princess , the first in the #1 New York Times bestselling The Royals series, now in a new special edition with bonus material!

From strip clubs and truck stops to southern coast mansions and prep schools, one girl tries to stay true to herself.

These Royals will ruin you…

Ella Harper is a survivor—a pragmatic optimist. She’s spent her whole life moving from town to town with her flighty mother, struggling to make ends meet and believing that someday she’ll climb out of the gutter. After her mother’s death, Ella is truly alone.

 

That is until Callum Royal appears, plucking Ella out of poverty and tossing her into his posh mansion among his five sons who all hate her. Each Royal is more magnetic than the last, but none is as captivating as Reed Royal, the boy who is determined to send her back to the slums she came from.

 

Reed doesn’t want her. He says she doesn’t belong with the Royals.

 

He might be right.

 

Wealth. Excess. Deception. It’s like nothing Ella has ever experienced, and if she’s going to survive her time in the Royal palace, she’ll need to learn to issue her own Royal decrees.

Crystal's Thoughts:

"I feel the need to warn you that, we Royals are pretty f*cked up. We're good in bed, but out of it? We're like a stage for hurricane."

🍷🍷🍷🍷 #Review of The Rebel King by Gina L. Maxwell

Title: The Rebel King 
Series: Deviant Kings, #2
Author: Gina L. Maxwell 
Format: 352 pages, Paperback

Published: 
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 
Source: July 25, 2023 by Entangled: Amara

Reviewer: Crystal

Rating:  🍷🍷🍷🍷 / 🌶️🌶️🌶️

All work and no wicked play makes Tiernan a very unsatisfied king…

Of all the Verran brothers, Tiernan is the least suited to wear the Night Court crown. The Rebel Prince is happy with no responsibilities or accountability―just the freedom to pursue his own dark, lush pleasures in Sin City. Including his secret hunger for a certain smart-mouthed, fiery redhead.

Only, the possibility of having Fiona is stripped away when Tiernan is thrust into the one role he never king . As king of the Dark Fae, wanting―let alone pursuing―anything with a lower-caste fae like Fiona would shift from fun…to forbidden.

Now war is emerging from the shadows of Vegas, and Tiernan is caught between who he’s meant to be and who he wants . And somewhere in this maelstrom of lust, love, and rebellion is the key to the Dark Fae’s survival…even if the cost is more than he can imagine.

Crystal's Thoughts:

🍷🍷🍷🍷 #Review of The Scarlet Veil by Shelby Mahurin

Title: The Scarlet Veil
Series: The Scarlet Veil, #1
Author: Shelby Mahurin 
Format: 640 pages, Hardcover
Published: September 26, 2023 by HarperTeen
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 
Source: NetGalley
Reviewer: Crystal

Rating:  🍷🍷🍷🍷

This dark and thrilling vampire romance—set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Serpent & Dove series—is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas!

Célie Tremblay has always been a good girl: kind and beautiful, a daughter of whom every parent would be proud. She surprises the entire kingdom when she defies tradition to become the first huntswoman—including her new captain and fiancé, Jean Luc, who rules the huntsmen with an iron fist. He isn’t the only one concerned for Célie’s safety, however. Though her friends try to protect her from the horrors of her past, mysterious whispers still haunt her, and a new evil is rising in Belterra—leaving bodies in its wake, each one drained of blood.

Determined to prove herself in her new role, Célie tracks the killer to the lair of Les Éternels—ancient creatures only spoken about in nursery rhymes—and catches the attention of their king, a monster who hides his plans for her behind beautiful words and sharp smiles. Now Célie has new reason to fear the dark because the closer he gets, the more tempted she feels to give in to his dark hunger—and her own.

Crystal's Thoughts:

🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷 #Review of A Dawn of Onyx by Kate Golden

Title: A Dawn of Onyx
Series: The Sacred Stones, #1
Author: Kate Golden
Format: 427 pages, Kindle Edition
Published: December 15, 2022 by Berkley
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 
Source: NetGalley
Reviewer: Crystal
Rating:  🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷 / 0.5 🌶️

Captured by the king of darkness, she was forced to find the light within.

Arwen Valondale never expected to be the brave one, offering her life to save her brother’s. Now she’s been taken prisoner by the most dangerous kingdom on the continent, and made to use her rare magical abilities to heal the soldiers of the vicious Onyx King.

Arwen knows better than to face the ancient, wicked woods that surround the castle on her own, which means working with a fellow prisoner might be her only path to freedom. Unfortunately, he’s as infuriating as he is cunning—and seems to take twisted pleasure in playing on Arwen’s deepest fears.

But here in Onyx Kingdom, trust is a luxury she can’t afford.

To make it out of enemy territory, she'll have to navigate back-stabbing royals, dark magic, and dangerous beasts. But untold power lies inside Arwen, dormant and waiting for a spark. If she can harness it, she just might be able to escape with her life—and hopefully, her heart.

Crystal's Thoughts:

"I thought...I'd lost you. I could eat. Sleep. Move. ... Shave. ... I did not want to live in a world without you in it."

I really enjoyed this fantasy romance with a slow burn and lots of fun banter. The world building was wonderful and I’m really intrigued with it and the characters. Especially the Onyx King. I’m looking forward to continuing this trilogy! Check out my TikTok page for an in-depth review! 

Tropes to Look For: 

✔️ Enemies to Lovers

✔️Warring Kingdoms

✔️ Magical World & Creatures

✔️ Touch Her and Die / Who Did This to You

✔️ Found Family

✔️ One Horse

✔️ Forced Proximity

✔️ Shadow Daddy

#CoverReveal of The Hunted Heir by Holly Renee

Holly Renee has revealed the gorgeous covers for The Hunted Heir!

About the Book

The Hunted Heir
The Veiled Kingdom #2
by Holly Renee
Expected publication July 23, 2024

From USA Today Bestselling Author Holly Renee, comes the second book in the scorching romantasy series with enthralling secrets, impassioned enemies, and luring tension.

Verena was the lost princess of Marmoris, the very thing we had spent our entire lives looking for, and I had let her go.

The lingering taste of her mixed with the deep ache in my chest over her betrayal haunted my days and nights. I knew she was hiding something, but her secrets were far more treacherous than I could have imagined.

Though I wished my own betrayal hadn’t been so bitter on my tongue.

Now my dreams are haunted with the way her deep blue eyes looked up at me in shock when I revealed I knew her truth.

The way I crave for her to look at me now as I hunt for her.

Me, along with half of the rebellion.

If my father finds her before me, there is no telling what he will do to her.

And even though she’s the little traitor I’d always thought she was, I couldn’t allow him to find her.
But his orders were clear. The princess is to be taken by the rebellion or she would be taken by the gods. I don’t know which is worse.

She is the heir to our kingdom, the daughter of the cruel king who was responsible for my mother’s death, and the key to winning our rebellion.

I vowed to my father that I would find her, the one person I wish I didn’t have to.

Verena is the hunted heir. But more than anything, she is mine.

AMAZON

Happy #BookBirthday to A Promise of Peridot by Kate Golden

A Promise of Peridot by Kate Golden is out TODAY! 

About the Book

A Promise of Peridot

The Sacred Stones Trilogy #2

by Kate Golden

Format: 481 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication: April 11, 2024 by Berkley Books

A prophecy of death. A weapon of hope. A sacrifice of love.

Arwen Valondale is sailing for the mysterious Kingdom of Citrine after the battle of Siren's Bay. Reeling from shocking revelations and her newfound powers, Arwen directs all of her pain and rage toward the man who betrayed her: King Kane Ravenwood.

Kane's presence is unavoidable as he travels with Arwen and her friends to seek the Blade of the Sun, a legendary weapon inextricably tied to her fate and the future of the realm. Even an uneasy truce proves difficult as Arwen fights against her unresolved feelings for Kane, who is willing to become darkness itself to protect her.

As Arwen faces creatures, foes, and magic beyond her wildest imaginings, she must discover the secrets of her past to defeat the monstrous Fae king Lazarus. But finding the light within might mean the death of her and everyone she loves.

AMAZON | B&N 

🍷🍷🍷🍷.5 #Review of The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren

Title: The True Love Experiment
Series: DNADuo #2

Author: Christina Lauren
Format: 409 pages, Hardcover
Published: First published May 16, 2023
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 
Source: NetGalley
Reviewer: Crystal
Rating:  🍷🍷🍷🍷.5 / 🌶️🌶️

Sparks fly when a romance novelist and a documentary filmmaker join forces to craft the perfect Hollywood love story and take both of their careers to the next level—but only if they can keep the chemistry between them from taking the whole thing off script.

Felicity “Fizzy” Chen is lost. Sure, she’s got an incredible career as a beloved romance novelist with a slew of bestsellers under her belt, but when she’s asked to give a commencement address, it hits her: she hasn’t been practicing what she’s preached.

Fizzy hasn’t ever really been in love. Lust? Definitely. But that swoon-worthy, can’t-stop-thinking-about-him, all-encompassing feeling? Nope. Nothing. What happens when the optimism she’s spent her career encouraging in readers starts to feel like a lie?

Connor Prince, documentary filmmaker and single father, loves his work in large part because it allows him to live near his daughter. But when his profit-minded boss orders him to create a reality TV show, putting his job on the line, Connor is out of his element. Desperate to find his romantic lead, a chance run-in with an exasperated Fizzy offers Connor the perfect solution. What if he could show the queen of romance herself falling head-over-heels for all the world to see? Fizzy gives him a hard pass—unless he agrees to her list of demands. When he says yes, and production on The True Love Experiment begins, Connor wonders if that perfect match will ever be in the cue cards for him, too.

The True Love Experiment is the book fans have been waiting for ever since Fizzy’s debut in The Soulmate Equation. But when the lights come on and all eyes are on her, it turns out the happily ever after Fizzy had all but given up on might lie just behind the camera.

Crystal's Thoughts:

"Have you ever been slapped? By yourself? This feels like that."

🍷🍷🍷.5 #Review of Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent

Title: Daughter of No Worlds

Series: The War of Lost Hearts #1

Author: Carissa Broadbent

Format: 16 pages, Audible Audio

Published: First published January 7, 2020

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 

Source: Purchased 

Reviewer: Crystal

Rating:  🍷🍷🍷.5 / 🌶️

A former slave fighting for justice. A reclusive warrior who no longer believes it exists. And a dark magic that will entangle their fates.

Ripped from a forgotten homeland as a child, Tisaanah learned how to survive with nothing but a sharp wit and a touch of magic. But the night she tries to buy her freedom, she barely escapes with her life.

Desperate to save the best friend she left behind, Tisaanah journeys to the Orders, the most powerful organizations of magic Wielders in the world. But to join their ranks, she must complete an apprenticeship with Maxantarius Farlione, a handsome and reclusive fire wielder who despises the Orders.

The Orders's intentions are cryptic, and Tisaanah must prove herself under the threat of looming war. But even more dangerous are her growing feelings for Maxantarius. The bloody past he wants to forget may be the key to her future . . . or the downfall of them both.

But Tisaanah will stop at nothing to save those she abandoned. Even if it means gambling in the Orders's deadly games. Even if it means sacrificing her heart.

Even if it means wielding death itself.

Crystal's Thoughts:

Tisaanah offered herself to slavery to save her family in the midst of war. With her unique looks and magic, she's been able to live a good life...for a slave... But when she tries to buy back her freedom her illusions are shattered. Running for her life, Tisaanah barely makes it to the Order's doors, an organization of powerful magic wielders. But in taking her in, the Order wants something from her in return. She must fight for them, and they'll fight for her. First though, she must train with the reclusive Maxantarius, who wants nothing to do with her or the Order's scheming's. Can she convince hi to give her a chance without losing her heart to him and her soul to the Order?

#Spotlight on Midnight Salvation by Penelope Black

Midnight Salvation by Penelope Black is now LIVE! Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

About the Book 

Midnight Salvation: A Small Town Why Choose Romance
Rosewood #3

by Penelope Black

Format 304 pages, Paperback

Published March 31, 2024 by Black Pearl Publishing

The thrilling conclusion to the bestselling Rosewood trilogy whisks you away into a gripping romance of page-turning suspense, addicting why choose romance, and jaw-dropping small-town secrets.

Just when I thought I could finally catch my breath, the secrets of Rosewood come crashing down like a house of cards, leaving me adrift. With danger lurking in every shadow, I’m caught in a tricky web of deceit tighter than ever before.

I couldn’t be more enamored with my three leading men. Nova’s charming wit, Bane’s unwavering presence, and Silas’s smoldering intensity have been a balm to my wounded heart. They’re my salvation in this town of secrets and whispers. As we navigate the treacherous path ahead to the truth, I cling to them like a lifeline.

But when the truth finally surfaces, will we withstand the storm, or will we crumble like sandcastles against an onslaught of devastating waves.

In Midnight Salvation, the bonds of love and loyalty will be tested, and only the strongest hearts will prevail.

AMAZON

🍷🍷🍷🍷.5 #Review of House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas

Title: House of Flame and Shadow
Series: Crescent City, #3
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Format: 835 pages, ebook
Published: January 30, 2024 by Bloomsbury Publishing
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 
Source: Purchased 
Reviewer: Crystal
Rating:  🍷🍷🍷🍷.5  / 🌶️

The stunning third book in the sexy, action-packed Crescent City series, following the global bestsellers House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath.

Bryce Quinlan never expected to see a world other than Midgard, but now that she has, all she wants is to get back. Everything she loves is in Midgard: her family, her friends, her mate. Stranded in a strange new world, she's going to need all her wits about her to get home again. And that's no easy feat when she has no idea who to trust.

Hunt Athalar has found himself in some deep holes in his life, but this one might be the deepest of all. After a few brief months with everything he ever wanted, he's in the Asteri's dungeons again, stripped of his freedom and without a clue as to Bryce's fate. He's desperate to help her, but until he can escape the Asteri's leash, his hands are quite literally tied.

In this sexy, breathtaking sequel to the #1 bestsellers House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath, Sarah J. Maas's Crescent City series reaches new heights as Bryce and Hunt's world is brought to the brink of collapse-with its future resting on their shoulders.

Crystal's Thoughts:

"You're my home, Hunt. Our love spans across stars and worlds..." ~ Bryce

Read an #Excerpt from The House on Biscayne Bay by Chanel Cleeton

Available Now!

About the Book

The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
Format: 336 pages, Paperback
Published: April 2, 2024 by Berkley

As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide in New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton’s atmospheric new novel.

With the Great War finally behind them, thousands of civilians and business moguls alike flock to South Florida with their sights set on making a fortune. When wealthy industrialist Robert Barnes and his wife, Anna, build Marbrisa, a glamorous estate on Biscayne Bay, they become the toast of the newly burgeoning society. Anna and Robert appear to have it all, but in a town like Miami, appearances can be deceiving, and one scandal can change everything.

Years later following the tragic death of her parents in Havana, Carmen Acosta journeys to Marbrisa, the grand home of her estranged older sister, Carolina, and her husband, Asher Wyatt. On the surface, the gilded estate looks like paradise, but Carmen quickly learns that nothing at Marbrisa is as it seems. The house has a treacherous legacy, and Carmen’s own life is soon in jeopardy . . . unless she can unravel the secrets buried beneath the mansion’s facade and stop history from repeating itself.

AMAZON | B&N 

🍷🍷🍷🍷 #Review of What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

Title: What the River Knows
Series: Secrets of the Nile #1

Author: Isabel Ibañez

Format: Audible
Published: First published October 31, 2023
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 
Source: Audible/Libby 
Reviewer: Crystal
Rating:  🍷🍷🍷🍷 / 0 🌶️ 

Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and like the rest of the world, the town is steeped in old world magic that’s been largely left behind or forgotten. Inez has everything a girl might want, except for the one thing she yearns the most: her globetrotting parents—who frequently leave her behind.

When she receives word of their tragic deaths, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Yearning for answers, Inez sails to Cairo, bringing her sketch pads and an ancient golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping before he died. But upon her arrival, the old world magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there’s more to her parent’s disappearance than what her guardian led her to believe.

With her guardian’s infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent’s disappearance—or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her.

The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in this lush, immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt filled with adventure, a rivals-to-lovers romance, and a dangerous race.

Crystal's Thoughts:

"Do you kiss all of your friends like this?"

#Spotlight on SLAY by Abbi Glines

🖤NOW AVAILABLE🖤
𝐒𝐥𝐚𝐲 by New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Abbi Glines is LIVE!!! This is a steamy, southern Mafia Romance set in the Georgia Smoke Series.  

About the Book

Slay
Georgia Smoke #1
by Abbi Glines
Format Kindle Edition
Published March 25, 2024 by Abbi Glines Publishing

Rumor

There are moments in life when you make a decision. Accept who you are. What you have become. This was one of those times…The fairytale I thought I’d found had become a nightmare so quickly after I said, “I do.” Which was the reason I ran when I had the chance. Not thinking about the consequences. Just knowing I had to get free before it was my life that was taken.
I never expected to end up finding a haven. A place where people were willing to help me hide. It was as if I had walked into my own perfect daydream.

King
“Don’t believe every pretty face you meet, sweets. You should know by now that’s a terrible f----g idea.”
She was my job. I was to make her feel safe and do whatever I had to in order to make sure she didn’t run. Underneath the abused and broken exterior, there was a fighter. It was in her eyes. I lived for the moments when she let me see that spark.
I had been headed straight to Hell years before I met Rumor, but letting her fall in love with me was going to reserve me a room in the darkest pit available. One day soon, she was going to find out I was the monster she was running from and the family she had come to trust was the mafia that had killed her husband.

*Please be advised that this is book one in a duet and is a standalone in the Georgia Smoke Series.

AMAZON | B&N 

🍷🍷🍷🍷 #Review of Resonance Surge by Nalini Singh

Title: Resonance Surge

Series: Psy-Changeling Trinity #7

Author: Nalini Singh

Format: 384 pages, Kindle Edition

Published: July 18, 2023 by Berkley

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 

Source: NetGalley

Reviewer: Crystal

Rating:  🍷🍷🍷🍷 / 🌶️  

Where are the broken? A propulsive question that unleashes a world of secrets in New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh’s Resonance Surge . . .

StoneWater bears Pavel and Yakov Stepyrev have been a unit since birth, but now Pavel’s life is veering in a new direction, his heart held in the hands of Arwen Mercant, a Psy empath—and the only man who has ever brought Pavel to his knees.

This is it. A point of irrevocable change. For Pavel . . . for Arwen . . . for Yakov . . . and for another pair of twins whose bond has a far darker history.

A low-gradient Psy, Theodora Marshall is considered worthless by everyone but her violently powerful twin, Pax. She is the sole person he trusts in their venomous family to investigate a hidden and terrible part of their family history—an unregistered rehabilitation center established by their grandfather.

Places of unimaginable pain designed to psychically wipe minds, leaving the victims shells of their former selves, the Centers are an ugly vestige of the Psy race’s Silent past. But this Center was worse. Far, far worse. And now Theo must uncover the awful truth—in the company of a scowling bear named Yakov who isn’t about to take a Marshall at face value . . . especially a Marshall who has turned his dreams into chilling nightmares.

Because Yakov is the great-grandson of a foreseer . . . and he has seen Theo die in an unstoppable surge of blood. Night after night after night . . .

Crystal's Thoughts:

Resonance Surge was a beary good read!

🍷🍷🍷.5 #Review of The Ever Queen by L.J. Andrews

Title: The Ever Queen
Series: The Ever Seas #2

Author: L.J. Andrews

Format: 452 pages, Kindle Edition

Published: January 26, 2024 by Victorious
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 
Source: eARC from Author 
Reviewer: Crystal
Rating:  🍷🍷🍷.5 / 🌶️🌶️ 

The Songbird:

Captive. Challenger. Queen.

Enemies took her from the man who holds her heart. They might see her as weak, as a pawn in wicked games, but they’re no match for the first Ever Queen.

Let them think they’ve won. Her heart belongs to a beautiful monster, and she will never stop fighting until she’s back in his arms.

The Serpent:

Captor. Villain. King.

His enemies stole the woman who claimed his soul. They betrayed him out of greed and desire for the crown, but they won't die for that betrayal. No.

They’ll die for touching her.

His heart belongs to a stunning little bird. He will never stop searching for her light across the skies. Not until the blood of his enemies spills at her feet, and his queen wears their bones around her neck.

Welcome back to the world of the Ever Kingdom where pirates collide with Vikings in passionate romance, brutal battles, and an unforgettable dark fantasy world. This book concludes the love story between Erik and Livia, but new, standalone romances with other favorite characters will continue to build the world. Readers are encouraged to check the TW inside the book for their reading comfort.

Crystal's Thoughts:

"...She is more than my queen. She is my every thought, my every breath..."

Happy #BookBirthday to Man Spread by Vanessa Vale

In Hunter Valley, it's always open season on men.
Man Spread by Vanessa Vale is now live! 

About the Book

Man Spread
On a Manhunt #7
by Vanessa Vale
380 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication March 21, 2024

I'm a famous TV star—how hard can it be to pretend that real love is fake?

To women around the world, I’m Dr. Dark and Dangerous, sexiest bachelor alive.
I meet the only one who has no idea who I am. To single mom Aspen, I’m just the guy who rocked her world one night. Nothing more.
With the tabloids out to destroy my career and a movie deal on the line, I need help. I need a girlfriend to improve my image. Since the only one I want won’t do a real relationship, she agrees to be my fake girlfriend. Except the more time we’re together, the more we blur the lines between what's real and what’s fake.
Because how I feel for her isn’t pretend at all.

AMAZON | B&N 

🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷 #Review of Gleam by Raven Kennedy

Title: Gleam
Series: The Plated Prisoner #3

Author: Raven Kennedy
Format: 613 pages, Kindle Edition

Published: May 31, 2021 by Raven Kennedy

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 
Source: Kindle Unlimited 
Reviewer: Crystal
Rating:  🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷 / 🌶️🌶️ 

King Midas made me the woman I am today. Notorious. Unattainable. His.

The thing about being confined is that you believe it’s to keep the bad out... Until you realize it’s about keeping you in.

I’m now in a strange kingdom surrounded by liars, with no allies of my own, but I won’t sit idly by and let myself wither. No, there’s something that’s bloomed from the pit of my repression. Something dark. Something angry.

But the last thing I expected was for my anger to call out to him. King Ravinger.

He’s sinister and powerful and entirely too seductive. I’ve learned my lesson with trusting manipulative kings, so why does my chest constrict every time he’s near? I need to tread carefully, or I’m at risk of losing much more than just my freedom.

Regret and revenge war inside of me, and I need to figure out a plan fast before I get tangled up in the schemes of kings and queens.

Because I won’t be caught in a cage again. No, this time, It’ll be me setting the trap... I just hope my heart comes out of this unscathed.

Crystal's Thoughts: