Downfall by Willow Aster is coming October 17th!!!
I was naïve to think my marriage to Luka Catano might work.
I was infatuated with him from afar…Until I met him. He loved the challenge of his next conquest, anyone would do…Except me.
A wife was never something he wanted. Torturous was not a strong enough word to describe how I felt when I was in a room with Luka. Besides hating nearly every word that came out of his mouth, I also drowned with lust every time I looked at him.
At times I thought he might feel the same.
But nothing prepared me for what his family would make me become.
PREORDER TODAY!
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UK: http://bit.ly/Downfall-UK
Amazon CA: http://bit.ly/Downfall-CA
Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/Downfall-AU
Add to your TBR: Goodreads: http://bit.ly/Downfall-WillowAster
Sweet Retribution is the final book of the Abby and Kai travail. Siobhan Davis has promised Jackson, Sawyer, and Charlie’s stories, so the Rydeville Elite group will be back. And Siobhan Davis didn’t disappoint with this final book.
I’ve been along for the Rydeville Elite ride, and it has been a bumpy one. Don’t get me wrong. I love a bully romance. The way in which the bully falls hard for his victim is the epitome of a love that transforms. However, Siobhan Davis’s bully romance is downright abusive at times. These books do come with a trigger warning, and you should heed it because abuse is rampant in this book. Rydeville is a hard world. The Elite run the town, and the men of the Elite are some of the worst human beings you will read in romance. They traffick women, abuse young girls and boys, and kill and maim people at will. If these are difficult topics for you, you will want to think twice about this book.
Of the three books, Sweet Retribution is my favorite. In this book, the strife over Kai and Abby is resolved. Yes, they struggle to be together, but Kai’s bullish ways of the first two books and Abby’s constant pushing back against Kai are a thing of the past. These two will have their happily-ever-after together, but they will need to endure the abusive nature of the elite first, specifically Abby’s father, before they get there.
This book has so many twists and turns that you’ll want to buckle yourself in. Davis easily guides us through them, but she definitely throws everything at Abby and Kai in this story. Generally, everyone except their small group is working against them, and it’s a rush against the clock to beat Michael Hearst and the Elite. It will make your heart pound, and you’ll worry that their plan will be found out. That’s the point here: to get your blood moving whether by the tense action of the story or Kai and Abby’s bedroom antics.
Additionally, Davis saves a big surprise for this book. I’m sure some readers will figure it out, but it’s simply another layer that Davis adds to this romance.
Ultimately, if you have been following this trilogy, you will be happy in the end. Everything works out as it should, and Abby and Kai get their happily-ever-after. I’m thankful that, after all of the abuse heaped on Abby, she finds healing in the arms of Kai. She is one character who has endured some of the worst moments in these stories, and Siobhan Davis rewards her well.
If you are a glutton for a story that tears at your heart, then you’ll want to read Siobhan Davis’s trilogy, but especially Sweet Retribution. I still think this could have been written into a duet, but again, I’m not a novel writer. Davis clearly intended to make a statement of love overcoming hate. And she did that gloriously.
Teddy King excels at many things.
Playing hockey. Check. Scoring on and off the ice. Check. Being
stupidly attractive … Double check.
Despite his demanding schedule, he
still finds time to annoy me. I knew him way back when. Before he was the guy
everyone wanted a piece of, he was just a rebellious college co-ed and one of
my more energetic study partners.
But secrets have a way of getting
out, and a steamy encounter from our college days (that we probably shouldn’t
have filmed) is about to cause a major scandal. Unless we can work together to
stop it.
Teddy’s no stranger to hard work …
but the thing he wants most?
Is me.
Note: This high-heat
standalone is chock-full of scorching banter and steamy good times. He’s a
testosterone-dripping hockey player who wants a second chance. She’s a tough as
nails attorney intent on making partner. Frienemies to lovers. No cliffhanger.
Enjoy!
Your favorite hot jocks
are back with an all new stand-alone novel. If you like sexy, confident men who
know how to handle a stick (on and off the ice), and smart women who are strong
enough to keep all those big egos in check, this series is perfect for you!
A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling
author of more than three dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over 3 million
books and her books have been translated into several languages in countries
around the world.
Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today
bestseller lists more than 70 times. Ryan has been featured in such
publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine.
Sweet Retribution, the stunning conclusion to the Rydeville High Elite Series from USA Today bestselling author Siobhan Davis, is available now!
The good thing about hitting rock bottom is I’ve nothing left to lose, and the only way is up.
He thinks he’s destroyed me. Broken me beyond repair.
But he always underestimates women.
All he’s done is reinforced my resolve. I won’t stop until justice prevails and he gets what’s coming to him.
Kaiden is the only light in the darkness. He gives me the strength to continue fighting for the future we both crave—a world where we are free to love one another and make our own choices.
Until then, the charade must continue.
Game on.
This concludes Abby and Kai’s romance. 106k words, full-length novel. This is a dark romance, and some scenes may be triggering. Only recommended to readers aged eighteen and older.
Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
USA Today bestselling author Siobhan Davis writes emotionally intense young adult and new adult romantic fiction with swoon-worthy romance, complex characters, and tons of unexpected plot twists and turns that will have you flipping the pages beyond bedtime! She is the author of the international bestselling Kennedy Boys, Saven, and True Calling series’.
Siobhan’s family will tell you she’s a little bit obsessive when it comes to reading and writing, and they aren’t wrong. She can rarely be found without her trusty Kindle, a paperback book, or her laptop somewhere close at hand.
Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Siobhan forged a successful corporate career in human resource management.
She resides in the Garden County of Ireland with her husband and two sons.
“But this kiss, with this woman…he couldn’t get enough.”
One of my favorite parts of being a newer romance blogger is being introduced to new authors…to me. Morgan James is one of those authors. She reached out to me through my social media accounts, introducing herself and telling me a bit about her new book, The Devil You Know. From the outset, I was intrigued, as this book is equal parts romance and suspense with a little bit of psychology thrown into the mix. There is something engaging about reading a book that leaves you guessing about the villain of the story, and Morgan James’s book does just that.
While I love reading new authors, I have read enough of them to know that it can be a bit of chance. Will I like the writer’s style? Will the story be predictable? What is this author offering that other authors aren’t? As I was reading James’s The Devil You Know, I was initially struck by her style and syntax. I’m a word lover. This may sound strange, but I need the words to flow melodically over the page, or I struggle with a book. And this is exactly what it’s like reading James’s words. I didn’t struggle. Through her words, the story moves easily along, building in intensity as the story progresses. Her images and the pacing of her story keep the reader guessing until the reveal of the book’s secret. I picked up the book in the morning and finished it later in the day because her story compelled me forward. To me, that’s the mark of a good book.
Since this is romantic suspense, there is usually some clever surprise. Sometimes, it is easy to figure out the surprise. Not with this book. She did a fantastic job of hiding the villain. In retrospect, it might be easy to determine, but James conceals the surprise fairly well, only incurring a bit of suspicion to the villain.
Even more, this story deals with trauma and its effects in a way that’s responsible. The heroine of the book, Victoria/Bekah, endures a trauma as a teenager. She changes her identity as protection from the trauma, and she seeks out counseling to help her move forward. The story jumps ahead, and Victoria is a psychologist, helping others through their psychological issues. She begins to be threatened by the perpetrator of her original trauma. These new threats bring the hero into her life as a protector. Blake, the hero of the book, is a new partner in a security firm. He is tasked with providing security for the building where Victoria works. From the outset, these two clash, but also feel a magnetic pull to each other. As the story progresses, Victoria and Blake begin to grow feelings for each other, progressing their relationship. Unfortunately, Blake was never looking for a long commitment, and Victoria’s past continues to haunt her. Even more, her life becomes more and more endangered. Will Blake protect Victoria? Will they find their happily-ever-after?
As Victoria’s story progresses, James shows us the importance of healing from trauma without hiding one’s self away. Victoria’s life is structured to the point that any changes bring about anxiety. She has carefully constructed this new life as a response to her earlier trauma, but it causes her to be closed off to Blake. It makes it difficult to trust him. Even as he changes his thoughts about relationships, Blake struggles against Victoria’s anxieties. However, he works hard to help her feel safe and protected, while also challenging her for her future. Their chemistry is clear, and you cannot help but root for them to succeed.
What I struggled a bit with is really related to character development. I would have liked for Victoria and Blake to develop their feelings for each other more slowly in the beginning. When Blake believes Victoria is the “one” early on, I wanted to question how he knew this. I think sitting with attraction for a bit makes the story truer to life. I would have preferred for him to know her persona more before letting physicality determine his need for her. Additionally, Kate, Victoria’s friend, plays a major part in her life. Yet, when she struggles with her feelings for Blake mid-way through the story, she becomes silent in the story. I would have expected her to return to the storytelling sooner than she does.
Beyond that, Morgan James’s The Devil You Know drew me in quickly and captured me. Blake and Victoria offer us a story that reminds us that to live we have to move past our comfort zone, that we need to let the past remain in the past, and that we can find safety in a love that is whole. Morgan James has quickly become an author I want more from. The Devil You Know has everything you love in a good romantic suspense: characters with chemistry, a surprise twist, and a story that keeps you glued to your chair.
“She wanted to stare into his eyes every day for the rest of her life. This was what she’d waited her whole life for. She’d been waiting for him.“
What does it mean to be a strong, independent woman in a world dominated by males? How does said woman show vulnerability without losing her presence in that world? These questions are the essence of Victoria Blue’s newest book, Misadventures at City Hall. It’s an important message in a #metoo world, and it strives to show that strength and vulnerability can exist together.
Skye is the assistant to the city manager who aspires to a long political career. With her current plan, she has plans to run for city manager, then city council, then mayor, and political positions beyond. Her plan becomes complicated when Los Angeles City Hall is gutted by scandal. Her aim becomes muddled as she is uncertain about her next step. Kyle Armstrong is a special advisor to the Grand Jury for Los Angeles. One night, Kyle and Skye connect in a bar. They know each other from law school at UCLA, and Skye is not a fan of Kyle’s. She believes him to be arrogant and too self-assured. Unfortunately, she is attracted to him physically, complicating her interactions with him as it is clear that he desires Skye.
With the encouragement of a colleague, Skye decides to run for city council, a step beyond the first step of her “plan.” Following that encouragement, Skye enters the race. What she soon finds out is Kyle has entered the race too. Their chemistry and his persistence in pursuing her begin to complicate her campaign. Trying to avoid Kyle while wanting him physically leads her to make decisions that threaten her future. Will Skye fulfill her goals? Will she be able to stand against the men of this political realm? Can she be vulnerable with Kyle and still sustain her strength? These are the complicated questions of Blue’s story.
As a woman who struggles with showing vulnerability as a way to remain strong, Skye’s struggles resonated with me. Blue’s depiction of Skye hit all of my emotional triggers about vulnerability. As Skye self-sabotages her relationship with Kyle throughout the story, I felt her pain and frustration. Blue makes it palpable and real for her reader that, at one moment, you want to reach through the book and hit Skye upside the head, and the next moment, you want to pull her into a hug because you understand her pain. That is Blue’s strength in this story.
Even more, when we first meet Kyle, we believe he is a player, a man who cannot be trusted with Skye. What we find out very quickly is Kyle’s strength of character allows Skye to be vulnerable. Blue shows us that trusting someone is made easier when love is sacrificial. Kyle could have easily been a misogynist. He’s arrogant and self-serving at first. As the story progresses, however, he sees Skye’s struggles, and he makes changes to become the man she needs in order to be more vulnerable. He becomes an exemplification of the “woke” modern male.
Together, these two are romance dynamite. Their chemistry in and out of the bedroom is felt off the page. They clearly complement each other, reminding the reader that we don’t have to find the “perfect” fit on the page. Instead, our perfect fit might be someone we least expect.
I love the Misadventures stories because they offer simple stories with big messages. Victoria Blue’s Misadventures at City Hall is seemingly uncomplicated, but there is more to her romance. Showing our own vulnerability, acceptance, and opening our eyes to each other’s vulnerabilities makes us better people. Blue illustrates for us the power of love when we let go of our fears and allow ourselves to find safety in the arms of another.
When Saffron A. Kent began teasing her next book, Dreams of 18, I grew so excited as each month passed. Each teaser acted like catnip. I became more and more impatient, culminating in an explosion of feelings when she released the first two chapters of this book. See, Violet, the heroine of this book, seeks invisibility. She finds peace in her time alone, and society is a scary place for her. There was something about that knowledge that drew me to her as a character. It’s one of my favorite literary messages: the idea of being “seen.” It’s clear from the beginning of the book, from those two chapters that Kent gifted us, that the people in Violet’s life really don’t “see” her. And there is something powerful in that image, so powerful that my heart pounded wildly as I read those chapters.
When I finally received an ARC (for an honest review, of course), I devoured Dreams of 18. Honestly, I didn’t begin it the day I received it because I knew I wouldn’t be able to put it down. Its beginning had already called to my heart, and it was clear to me that I would fall down the rabbit hole of this story quickly. And I did. \
For those of you familiar with Kent’s books, Dreams of 18 exists in the same world as her book, Medicine Man. Violet is friends with the main heroine of that book. Like that book, the relationship of this story is forbidden, an older man and a younger woman. I imagine some might wonder if this is a “daddy” book. It has those elements, but this book isn’t that sub-genre. This book is about forbidden love like you might read in a stepbrother/stepsister or brother’s best friend’s sister kind of way. If you don’t believe that you can accept that a much older man could fall in love with a younger woman, then you should read this book. Kent makes it believable, incredibly, joyously believable.
As Kent posted teasers, she almost always offered Violet’s point of view. I kept asking her for Mr. Edwards’s point of view, yet she left him quiet. After reading Dreams of 18, I am so glad she did. I love that we didn’t know his perspective going into this book because the unveiling of his thoughts and feelings is one of the strengths of this book. His struggle to accept his connection with Violet is an important part of this story because it’s suggesting that people must decide for themselves what is best for them. Since Graham Edwards believes it is wrong to be attracted to a young woman, he punishes himself in ways that destroy him. When we meet him fully, we see the damage that this wreaks on him. Even more, Kent illustrates that maturity isn’t a number; instead, it’s a person’s ability to handle life. In all fairness, Violet and Graham are emotionally the same age. It’s this lesson in the story that pushes your brain to reconsider ideas about age and love. It’s a challenge, one we should take seriously as we so often judge others based on perception instead of true knowledge.
This leads to the other heft of this story: judgment. It is the judgment of society that forces Graham into hermithood and builds Violet’s social anxiety. This is also the genius of Kent’s story. Just as she did in Medicine Man, Kent points to the trials of mental illness. In Medicine Man, the focus was on depression. In Dreams of 18, she helps her readers understand the devastation of anxiety. For both Graham and Violet, anxiety has left them helpless, living without control. When they fully accept their attraction for the other, and start living their lives helping and strengthening each other, they bloom (like the roses in Graham’s garden – Kent’s use of the image of the rose in this story isn’t happenstance). They find the power to endure. They will never be cured; Kent is so careful in writing characters like Violet to show us that people live with the pain of mental illness every day. Instead, she shows how therapy and being supported through love help us endure it, to work through our struggles with it a bit more easily. The way that Violet and Graham love each other in this story is glorious. It makes you cry and laugh and feel all the emotions because it is real.
I will say that Dreams of 18, in my opinion, is Kent’s steamiest book. What Graham and Violet do in the bedroom will titillate you. It’s fiery and powerful, and it showcases their intensity. In fact, I think that’s the best word for these two: intense. When Kent brings them together on the page whether they are $exual or simply existing together, their chemistry is palpable. You want more moments of them together. The tension of their relationship sits in your stomach and heart and makes the reader connected to their story. That’s Kent’s superpower.
It took me a couple of days to find the words for this review. Quite frankly, they don’t do this book any justice. From its beginning to the end, you will feel this story palpably. Graham and Violet are people who are a little broken, a lot unseen, and one of them doesn’t have dreams. Until he chooses to dream Violet’s dream. Then, all that is beautiful about life, the colors of it, find purchase in your heart. Dreams of 18 is a beautiful tale of two people who find completeness in each other even when society tries to tell them that it is wrong. But what is wrong about a big encompassing love? As Saffron A. Kent shows us in her book, nothing at all. Love allows us to be seen and to really see others.
Morgan James is the author of contemporary and romantic suspense novels. As a young girl, she devoured books such as the Goosebumps and Shivers, as well as R.L. Stein’s Fear Street Series. When she picked up her first romance in high school, she fell in love. Her books blend nail-biting suspense with strong women and hunky alpha-males for a perfect happily ever after.
About the Book:
After escaping a killer as a teen, Dr. Victoria Carr fled her hometown and changed her name, seeking sanctuary in a small town in Texas. She has spent the last ten years trying to leave her gruesome past behind—but now the killer is back. As the police scramble to find the person responsible for the recent murder of a local woman, Victoria finds herself caught in a tumultuous love triangle between her friend and colleague, Dr. Johnathan Martin, and her new security guard, Blake Lawson. When confronted with the betrayal of the two people closest to her, Victoria must decide who to trust—and who is telling the truth.
Go-getter Skye Delaney’s sights are set on the office of LA City Manager, but when her path is blocked by a cloud of corruption at the Mayor’s office, she is forced to reevaluate her ambitious goals. A seat on the City Council is the next logical step, but as they say, politics makes for strange bedfellows. Fellows like Kyle Armstrong.
Kyle barges into Skye’s life without warning and has her yearning for more. But when she discovers he’s running for the same City Council seat she is, Skye is faced with some big decisions.
Does she give up on her political dreams for a man? Or is Kyle the man to make all her dreams come true?
*****
Misadventures is a romantic series of spicy standalone novels, each written or co-written by some of the best names in romance. The stories are scandalous, refreshing, and, of course, incredibly sexy. They’re the perfect bedside read, a ‘quick blush’ for the reader who loves a page-turning romance.
Meet The Author
Victoria Blue lives in her own portion of the galaxy known as Southern California. There she finds the love and life sustaining power of one amazing sun, two unique and awe inspiring planets and three indifferent, yet comforting moons.
Life is fantastic and challenging and everyday brings new adventures to be discovered. She looks forward to seeing what’s next!
On her eighteenth birthday, she got drunk and threw herself
at him, causing the biggest scandal of their sleepy suburban town.
Now, everyone thinks she’s a slut and he has disappeared.
Rumor has it that he’s been living up in the mountains of Colorado, all alone
and in isolation.
But Violet is going to make it right.
She’s going to find him and bring him back.
No matter how cruel and mean he is. Or how much he hurts her
with his cold-hearted and abrasive ways, she won’t give up.
And neither will she think about his tempting lips or his
sculpted muscles or his strong hands. The hands that she wants on her body,
touching her, feeling her skin…
The hands that make her want to forget everything and kiss
Graham Edwards – Mr. Edwards, actually — again.
Because you don’t go around kissing your best friend’s dad,
do you?
Saffron A. Kent is a Top 100 Amazon Bestselling author of
Contemporary and New Adult romance. More often than not, her love stories are
edgy, forbidden and passionate. Her work has been featured in Huffington Post,
New York Daily News and USA Today’s Happy Ever After.
She lives in New York
City with her nerdy and supportive husband, and a million and one books.
Professor Romance 