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The Billionaire’s Baby Arrangement is the story of Emma, a coffee barista, and Jackson, the playboy billionaire owner of a baby supply brand. Emma works in the office building that houses Jackson’s company. They engage in flirty repartee every day when Jackson orders his coffee in her coffee shop. Over time, Jackson’s position in his company has become imperiled through his various dalliances (one-night stands). To save his company, his PR person recommends he finds a young woman to contract for marriage and a baby. In thinking about potential candidates, Jackson remembers Emma and believes she will be a great match for this opportunity. Emma agrees and their story begins.

This is the second book of Krista Lakes that I have read. For this storyline, she creates characters who you generally like. I did question why Emma would agree wholeheartedly to this agreement, especially the baby part. But it’s easy to suspend your disbelief with this story. There is chemistry between the characters, and you root for their success. I would have loved for Lakes to offer the male viewpoints more with this story and The Family Doctor’s Baby book. I always love dual perspectives. However, overall, I enjoyed this easy read.

In love and romance,

Professor A

I have recently joined an ARC team for Olivia Ryann, Vivian Wood’s pen name for her erotic stories. A few weeks ago, we received what I will call the prologue for this new series entitled Captured. That book reads like a novella providing the background details for the entirety of this series.

Yesterday, I was blessed with the second book in the series, Control, a continuation of the story of Katherine and Arsen. This series is dark erotica/romance. The story follows Katherine and Arsen, as Katherine is Arsen’s captive. From a crime family in New Orleans, Katherine is sold by her father for auction as a sex slave. Arsen, having killed most of Katherine’s family members, seeks to own her as his own sex slave as vengeance for the death of his previous whore, brought about by Katherine’s father and brothers. In order to buy her, he must attend the slave auction. Once he purchases her, he imprisons her on his compound in Columbia and proceeds to do any number of things to her, quite frankly using her as his emotional and sexual punching bag so to speak. This book is left on a cliffhanger to be resumed with the next book, Covet.

In terms of the characters, Arsen is fairly despicable, so much so that Katherine (whose name has been changed by Arsen to Fiore) calls him Monster. Whether they argue or find themselves in the throes of some sexual act, Katherine calls him by this name. He has no scruples. He will kill anyone to meet his own ends. At times, Ryann offers us a glimpse of humanity in him, but overall, those moments are fleeting.

As a female character, Katherine is fairly submissive. She is clearly traumatized by the actions of her own family and the unyielding and volatile presence of Arsen. She shows moments of strength, but, like Arsen’s moments of humanity, they are fleeting. There is a part of me hoping that she will humanize Arsen more, but I am not sure if this is the type of story Ryann is writing.

While a series can excite or frustrate, given its pace, I am curious to see the end of this relationship. With other dark erotica/romance stories, the male protagonist begins evil or vile and slowly develops romantic, loving feelings for his prey. Slowly, he becomes more noble or anti-heroic, humanized in his love for his female counterpart. Thus far, I don’t see the humanity in Arsen or his brothers. It’s unclear if Katherine/Fiore will change him in the end. And there is something quite thrilling in that. Time will only tell Arsen and Katherine’s fate through the rest of the books in this series.

Overall: 4 star read

In love and romance,

Professor A

Vi Keeland is consistently one of my top 10 favorite authors. If she writes it, I’ll read it. If she writes it with a partner, I will read that too. In fact, I gobble her books up like manna from heaven. Like manna, it nourishes my romance-loving soul, and I cannot get enough.

I had The Naked Truth sitting in my Kindle library. It kept calling to me, but I was wrapped up in reading ARCs for other books with review deadlines, that I had to wait until yesterday to start it. And like the other books I’ve read by her, this one did not disappoint.

“I remembered, ‘I said you were the rainbow of my life. You cleared the way for the rain to stop.'”

The Naked Truth is the story of Gray and Layla. Gray and Layla meet in prison, when Gray, serving a brief sentence for a crime he didn’t commit, and Layla, a lawyer completing a community service requirement, work together in a prison class. They spend Saturdays talking about their lives and falling gradually for each other. Eventually, Layla accidentally finds out that Gray is married, and she cuts ties with him. Fast forward one year, and Gray is the new client with Layla’s firm. Working together forces them to engage in the truth of their relationship, and they begin to fall in love again when suddenly another life situation strikes, threatening their relationship. Will they survive this new challenge?

Characters: 💙💙💙💙💙

One of the things that Keeland does so well is writing characters. She does an exceptional job of writing male heroes who are seemingly a%$holes at the outset of the story, but their true character becomes apparent fairly quickly in the story. They border alpha types, but they usually do not overpower their female counterpart because Keeland writes strong women to balance the power dynamic.

This is definitely the case in The Naked Truth. At the beginning of the story, I wasn’t sure if I would like the character of Gray. He seemed like a domineering playboy. Again, that was my assumption. Fairly quickly, we find that Gray is multi-layered. He’s intelligent, compassionate, and sacrifices his own happiness for those around him. He’s noble in his pursuits. As his feminine foil, Layla is strong, albeit flawed. No, we shouldn’t blame her for not allowing Gray to explain his story, but she makes assumptions about him without allowing him to offer his truth. This occurs throughout the story setting up the conflicts in the story. The “push-pull” of their relationship makes the story for the reader.

Story: 💙💙💙💙💙

As is the case with most of Keeland’s stories, the male and female characters meet, struggle against each other, fall for each other, encounter a difficult situation, split for some time, and finally find each other again. The moments when the man and woman are separated are felt strongly, and the reader worries for a “happily-ever-after.” However, Keeland never betrays the trust of her readers, and her male and female protagonists find each other in the end. In this book, the story follows her standard narrative, but the scenarios that separate Gray and Layla are significant, and it’s understandable why they keep them apart. But in the end, the two of them find each other again because as Gray tells Layla, “I love you. I’ve never been surer of anything in my life. I fucking love you, Layla. We are meant to be together. We both knew it from the very first day. Loving you is like breathing; I can’t stop.”

Sexiness Quotient: 💙💙💙

When I measure the sexiness quotient of a book, I am measuring it by the levels of sex and sexual acts found in the story. There is clear sexual chemistry between Gray and Layla, and the promises of sex are pretty dirty (in a good way). However, the actual sexual acts offered to the reader are pretty tame for some of the sexual acts found in other books. Again, it’s still a sexy book, but it is fairly typical of a contemporary romance.

Style: 💙💙💙💙💙

I believe I’ve decided that a writer’s style should allow for the movement of the story without an overabundance of words to say something simply. The style isn’t stilted; it flows for the reader. This is always the case with Keeland’s writing. Once I begin one of her books, I’m captured in her prose and sent along the way of the story with the ease of her words. She does this well in The Naked Truth. There are moments of interesting strings of words: “But when our eyes locked, we began to make love. Real, true, raw, painfully beautiful love. Like nothing I’d ever experienced.” The words grab you and throw you through the turmoil, the sexy, and the best moments of the story.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It’s impossible to decide my favorite Vi Keeland book. The Naked Truth comes close to being my favorite because Gray as a male character holds the characteristics I love in a man: nobility, compassion, and loyalty. Even though we perceive him at the outset of the story as a fleeting playboy, his love for Layla is clear and breaks down her barriers heroically. Any woman would feel blessed to have a Gray in their life who isn’t willing to let her go when times become difficult. To me, their relationship is the beauty of this book: “Before I met Layla, I hadn’t even realized something was missing. Yet now, without her, I felt totally incomplete.”

In love and romance,

Professor A

 

I was curious when I received an ARC for this book. According to publication information, this book was originally published in 2015, and there are reviews on Amazon, so, unless this is a re-release, it seems odd that they are requesting more reviews.

That being said, I am THANKFUL that this landed in my email for review. The Endgame is the story of Marc, Lisa, and Grayson. Marc and Lisa are a couple invited to Grayson’s house for a dinner party. Marc has told nothing to Lisa about Grayson and his friend, Isabel, but Lisa is nervous as Grayson and Isabel are social elites. At the dinner party, it becomes apparent that this dinner is a secondary activity. Marc has decided to share Lisa with Grayson, while he engages in sex with Isabel. As an innocent, Lisa is shocked, but her relationship with Marc is fraught with abuse, so she endeavors to follow Marc’s plan, even to the detriment of herself. Sensing that Lisa did not understand the intent of the evening, Grayson pulls back and befriends Lisa instead. After this night, Lisa works harder to escape her relationship with Marc by engaging in a sexual relationship with Grayson for money. During the course of this relationship, Lisa and Grayson become enamored with each other.  Warning. This book does not end with an apparent HEA. However, James wrote a second book in this duo, Playing by Heart. If you leave the book feeling unfulfilled, then read the second book. That story will remedy the questions of the first story.

I loved this book. Cleary creates characters who are complex, and she writes about the truth of an abusive relationship. We see the devastation in Lisa’s life brought about by Marc, and we feel her desolation. We feel her pain when she is left with Marc, and his cruelty towards Lisa pains the reader. For me, feeling that pain is key to a great romance book. Grayson becomes Lisa’s emotional savior, as well as the impetus for leaving Marc. He is chivalrous, and it becomes easy to love him.

If you like an emotional read, this book is for you. My stomach was tied in knots throughout the story, and I was thankful for its ending, so I could finally breathe a deep breath again at its resolution.

Overall:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In love and romance,

Professor A

“He was my match. We’d always been meant to be. This was fate. It was how things were supposed to be.”

Family Doctor’s Baby, probably one of the most unoriginal titles I’ve read to date, follows Jacob Taggert and Hannah O’leary. Jacob and Hannah grew up and attended school in a small town in Iowa. In high school, Jacob was the “bad boy” of the town, the son of the mayor and the police chief. Threatened with failing biology, Hannah tutors Jacob through biology, helping him succeed and subsequently graduate. At graduation, Jacob kisses Hannah and leaves town, supposedly never to see Hannah again. Hannah also leaves, attends college, and eventually becomes a nurse, working in Chicago. Now, Hannah’s father is gravely ill, and she returns home to care for her dad. She is hired as a nurse in the town’s doctor’s office. And who is the doctor in the town? The former “bad boy” Jacob Taggert. Standing in her professionalism, Hannah is the best nurse the town has ever had. However, she still carries her crush on Jacob. One night, adrenaline pumping from an emergency at the clinic, Jacob and Hannah share a passionate sexual experience. From there, a relationship progresses, but this is “small town USA” with gossips who determine the social relationships of the town. And Jacob and Hannah are fighting a battle against the gossips. Will they survive?

Now, while I enjoyed reading this book, I’m not sure that it brings anything new to the romantic trope of doctor and nurse and baby. After reading the summary of the book, I thought Jacob would be more “bad boy” than he actually was in the story. He’s chivalrous and sexy, but I thought he’d be more of a foil to Hannah. Also, the responses of the town to their relationship seemed a bit absurd. The strength of this book lies in the romance between the characters and its HEA. I would recommend reading it as an easy, uncomplicated romance. It isn’t necessarily doing anything different in the genre.

Overall:⭐️⭐️⭐️

In love and romance,

Professor A

From time to time, I will offer a more abbreviated review of an ARC (advanced reader copy) I’ve received for an honest review. This is one of those reviews.

Not Over You is a second chance at love romance. Cade and Fiona met in early teenhood. Every summer at Fiona’s grandparents’ house, Cade and Fiona became each other’s best friend. Eventually, they fell in love, but life separated them. Ten years later, Fiona and Cade are summoned to her grandparents’ country house again because Fiona’s grandmother has fallen and needs care. Much as changed in their lives, and Fiona’s heart has never healed from Cade’s heart-break. Can they remember who they were to each other in past? Will they ever move past it?

R.S. Lively’s story focuses mostly on the development of Cade and Fiona’s stories, in the present and the past. The book is written from the two viewpoints, and every few chapters, we learn more about the circumstances of the past. As a reader, you root for these two. Fiona’s grandmother plays the comic entertainment in the story alleviating the seriousness of the characters’ stories.

I will admit that I struggled with Cade and Fiona in the beginning. They seemed incredibly immature. It is understandable that Fiona would continue to hold a grudge against Cade, but their behaviors, especially Cade’s actions in the shower, did not represent mature adults. Additionally, while I appreciated the story, I found myself wondering the focus of this story. Was it Cade and Fiona’s relationship, Fiona’s grandmother’s story, Cade’s billionaire status, or the attempted assault of Fiona and Cade’s subsequent saving of her? There seemed to be a lot of variables at play in this story that sometimes muddled the overall romance.

That being said, I enjoyed the story and the characters and would recommend it.

Overall:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In love and romance,

Professor A

In my pursuit of finding new romance authors, I’ve joined various author groups on Facebook. Several months ago, one of the groups had a giveaway for a Devney Perry book, Tattered, the story of Logan and Thea. I bought it and read it, rather gobbled it up, and fell in love with her. Perry’s story and the journey of these two characters grabbed me and pulled me into her book. After reading it, I knew I would read anything she wrote.  Immediately on finishing Tattered, I pre-ordered Timid and set my Goodbooks to “want to read” in anticipation. Impatient for the next book in the Lark Cove series, this reader was ecstatic when Timid hit her Kindle.

Timid follows the story of Jackson and Willa. Jackson’s connection to Perry’s book, Tattered, lies in his friendship with Thea. He plays a large role in Thea’s life as a surrogate uncle to Thea’s daughter, Charlie. Timid introduces more of his story. For years, Willa has endured an unrequited crush on Jackson. In fact, until Chapter One of this book, Jackson has never really “seen” or noticed Willa. One night, drunk and high, Jackson encounters Willa on a playground, walks her home, and kisses her, her first kiss. Unfortunately, the next day, it’s forgotten, and Willa decides to move on and forget Jackson. However, Jackson can’t seem to shake a vague understanding of a connection with her. Eventually, he realizes his connection, and he endeavors to make recompense for their forgotten kiss. Eventually, he wins her over, and Willa’s dream comes true when they become a couple. This being a Perry romance, though, nothing can be this simple. Jackson must face his past and the scars left behind from it. Will this allow Jackson and Willa to continue? Will they have an HEA? Those are the big questions of this story.

Characters: 💙💙💙💙💙

Character development is key to Perry’s romances She spends so much time providing us their history and motivations. In developing her characters, we are drawn to them like our closest friends. In Timid, Jackson is the most complex character.  I usually focus more on the female hero of a story, but, for me, Willa seemed a bit one-dimensional at times. She’s the saccharine of the story. Her power eventually comes in her devotion and love for Jackson, and this empowers him to find truth in his life. But Jackson is a bit more multi-dimensional in this story. One minute, you love him and his devotion to Willa. However, there are moments when you want to reach through the book and punch him. To me, that’s important for developing an interesting character. We should have strong feelings for a character. Jackson fulfills that in Timid. I loved him, I disliked him, and I felt sorrow for him too.

Story: 💙💙💙💙

I have to admit that the story of Tattered intrigued me a bit more than the one in Timid. For me, strife is important in a more serious romance, and the strife seemed a bit deeper in the first book than this one. However, this book isn’t without those moments that punch you in the gut. This happens several times in the story, and you cross your fingers and hope the characters can come back from those moments. Beyond that, the story seems fairly common for a romance: guy and girl meet, girl pines, guy realizes her worth, guy and girl come together, life happens and threatens their relationship, and everything resolves the way it should.

Sexiness Quotient: 💙💙💙

There is definitely sexual chemistry between Jackson and Willa, but, unlike other romance books, this relationship doesn’t offer too much different than most romance novels. It’s pretty typical, and I don’t believe it is the focus of this story. The sexiness is enough to satiate the appetites of most romance readers, but the storyline and characters are the meat and depth of this book.

Style: 💙💙💙💙

Perry’s style seeks to pull us through her story. Some romance authors report details plainly, some romance authors offer over-stated flowery moments, and some romance authors write with space between the details forcing the reader to fill in those spaces. Perry’s narrative flows. There are no spaces, there is no guessing, and there is no wading through too many words. It is simply enough.

Overall:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love the Lark Cove series. I have fallen in love with the characters and this community. It doesn’t matter if I’m reading about Logan and Thea in Tattered or Jackson and Willa in Timid. I just want more of Perry’s books. Her characters grab you, gut you at times, and make you fall in love with them, flaws and all. When I have more time in my reading schedule, I will definitely be reading more of her anthology because she does romance right. And I am waiting patiently for Tragic, Piper’s story. That one, I think is going to trample my heart. I hope it survives.

In love and romance,
Professor A

Lauren Blakely is my feel-good romance savior. See, I love angsty romance stories, but they get to me. Like really get to me. Thus, when I am reading one that hits me straight in the gut, and it’s a bit too much for me to take at the time (yes, I take my romance reading seriously – escapist here), I start reading something a little more light-hearted. Lauren Blakely is my usual go-to-girl for something a bit lighter.

Her new book, Once Upon a Real Good Time, does not disappoint in the light-hearted feels department. The story revolves around Mackenzie, a single mom to Kyle, and Campbell Hart, a rocker, former boy trio heartthrob Mason Hart, and single dad to Samantha. Mackenzie spies Campbell at a local bar where she is the trivia queen. Immediately, she is drawn to his good looks and his charm. They meet a few nights later at the same bar and end it between the sheets. Having an instant rapport, what is seemingly a one-night stand becomes the potential for more. Unfortunately, a few days later, Campbell unexpectedly shows up as Mackenzie’s son’s violin teacher. Being a most responsible single mom, Mackenzie decides to forgo a dating relationship with Campbell to protect the interests of her son. Then, the fun of the story begins as we realize Campbell and Mackenzie are tethered together in a steamy chemistry. What’s a mom to do in this situation? Read the story to find out.

Characters: 💙💙💙💙💙

Blakely’s characters do what I expect them to do: make me laugh out loud and feel good about romance. To me, that’s the genius with Blakely’s form of romance writing. Yes, she creates sexual chemistry between her characters, but, unless it’s an enemies-to-lovers-type of story, she creates emotional and spiritual chemistry too. For this book, I enjoyed Mackenzie and Campbell’s rapport as much as their bedroom shenanigans. These characters are believable, and you root for them from the outset of her story. Even more, you fall in love with them, so that her epilogue becomes a vital piece of story, wanting to see life after the character’s HEA.

Story: 💙💙💙💙

A story is always important to any book. I wear Blakely’s stories like a warm blanket. Like I wrote earlier, I sometimes need relief from heavier romance stories. Blakely’s stories provide that break. This isn’t to say that her stories aren’t without angst, but she doesn’t prolong it as some authors do. In the story of this book, there are moments of doubt and worry and sadness, but Blakely deftly allows us to feel it and move forward. We aren’t left to torture our souls by the trials of the main characters. I gave her story four stars because there is a familiarity to her story with other romance stories, but creating a focus on single parenthood gives it a slant that is different from the typical rocker and girl/woman trope.

Sexiness Quotient: 💙💙💙💙💙

Ummm…Campbell is sexy. Like really, really sexy. He loves to talk dirty, and it raises the temperature of the book, along with his sexual chemistry with Mackenzie. No surface is off limits for sex in this story: kitchen, bedroom, back office of a local coffee shop…Yep, anywhere is game for these two characters.

Style: 💙💙💙💙

Blakely’s stories are meant to connect you easily to the characters and stories. She doesn’t draw out comparisons, and she keeps it light. The rom-com variety is her speed, and it works.

Overall:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Humor, wit, and a balance between a little strife and an HEA are Lauren Blakely’s wheel-house in the romance world. And I am thankful for a writer like her who provides the much-needed shade in the sunshine and heat of more serious, angsty romances. This book was the right amount of shade for this reader. I can’t wait for the next book in this series: Once Upon a Sure Thing. More Hart men to go around.

In love and romance,

Professor A

I cannot lie about this author. She has quickly become one of my top five favorite authors for many reasons, one of which is her intent in writing romance with a social conscience. The first book of hers I read was Long Shot. Oh my GOSH! I cried every other chapter, like sobbing crying. The star-crossed nature of August and Iris hurt my heart and my gut. Add in Iris’s abusive relationship, and I was gutted for the ENTIRE book until the end. I might have cried mini-tears of joy when Kennedy released a bonus epilogue later.

Then, I decided to read her Grip series. Let’s just say that I read all three books in the span of 48 hours. I could not put them down because Kennedy knows how to build characters and story in a way that connects to your primal feelings of love and hate. Once again, I found myself bawling. Reading Still pulled my heart out of my chest and rearranged it before it placed it back in. There is something about her books that alters your perception of relationships and people in a meaningful, not preachy way. I read an ARC of a #metoo novel, and I couldn’t get past the first couple of chapters because I felt chastised and the message was too heavy. Kennedy Ryan’s books take social topics and show us better ways to think about those topics through the confluence of character and story.

When she released Block Shot, I was ready and waiting to read it. Given my reading experience with Long Shot, I knew I’d love this one, especially since we peeked Jared in August’s story. Yes, Long Shot has the emotional depth consistent with Kennedy’s other stories. I don’t think Block Shot compared in emotional torment to Long Shot or the Grip series, but it definitely has all the feels of a Kennedy Ryan story.

Characters: 💙💙💙💙💙

“‘Banner is my opposite, but she’s my match.’ My equinox.” From my perspective, building characters is Kennedy Ryan’s greatest strength. She does not disappoint in this book. While seemingly a self-professed a$$hole, there is a sensitivity to Jared that humanizes him enough for Banner Morales. If he was like the characters of The Pride, he would not work with Banner. I commiserated with his self-assessment as I oftentimes think I don’t particularly like people. I have to work hard to like them at times.  This made me feel for him more than I would a typical type – A male hero.

Now, Banner is clearly the queen of this book. Banner is also Ryan’s social message. Through her, the reader confronts ideas about size/weight and society’s perception of that, cultural differences, and the power of women in the workplace. Banner is one amazing woman in this story. She is worthy of hero-praise in a romance world rife with aggressive male heroes. My only criticism of Banner is her handling of Zo. For someone so strong, as evidenced in her workshop at the Denver conference, she lost her voice for a bit. She gave it up. While I know she isn’t perfect, there were times that I needed her to more explicitly voice the reality of her situation. Again, I understood her reasons, but I thought for someone so strong that she allowed too much manipulation from Zo and her mother.

Story: 💙💙💙💙💙

Once again, Ryan gives us a story with a social dialogue basic to the story. As I stated previously, there is a social consciousness to Ryan’s stories. She wants you to be aware and thoughtful of the challenges of underrepresented communities. For Block Shot, it’s the plight of women, especially women of color like Banner. Banner must deal with living as a “double-digit woman in a single-digit world,” living as a Latina female in a sports management world dominated by generally white men, and living as a Latina in a traditional Hispanic family with assumptions of a certain level of character and integrity. The strife of the story lies in these challenges. To a certain degree, the story must also consider Jared’s challenges. Banner makes several assumptions about him as a white male that does not meet with Jared’s actual character.  These prejudgements and stereotypes push the thinking of Ryan’s readers to look beyond our own assumptions about people. These are core to her story, even more than the romantic coupling of Jared and Banner. It is also what makes Ryan’s stories special.

Sexiness Quotient: 💙💙💙💙💙

This is off the charts. Oh my goodness! There is a sexual chemistry between Jared and Banner that almost breaks her desk. I think my favorite line to describe the heat between the two is “carte blanche kisses, free rein fondling, a no-holds-barred embrace with nothing off limits.” This best describes the freedom that Jared and Banner find in each other’s bodies. Nothing is off-the-table with these two.  “I’ve said every word but love. To her and to myself. Fuck. Need. Want. Mine.” This is the basic nature of their relationship, and it ignites a fire in the readers.

Style: 💙💙💙💙💙

Besides her character and story development, Kennedy Ryan is a wordsmith. OH my gosh is she a wordsmith. I spent more time highlighting her words in this book than any other book lately. There is something transcendent about an author’s ability to put words next to each other to evoke mental images and feelings. For me, this is the additional genius of her writing. It is what constantly pulls me back to her books because I can feel and see more distinctly in her books. “My body with the release of such passions, it steals my voice. My heart, which for one devastatingly gorgeous moment, stops, pauses in my chest in reverence. And my soul stills, quieted by the presence, the possession, of its mate.” Jaw drops, goosebumps appear, my heart trills at words like this. This is one of my favorite parts of her writing because she understands what it means to connect emotionally and cerebrally with her readers.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you have never read a Kennedy Ryan book, then you need to start. She will quickly become a favorite author because her passion for writing about controversial topics is evident in her books. She doesn’t do it to preach, necessarily. She does it to bring awareness to her readers in a way that is meaningful. Sprinkle in some of the sexiest romance and a bit of angst, and you will read something close to perfection.

In love and romance,

Professor A

 

Willow Winters’s current book, Breathless, is the latest offering in her Merciless series. This is the third book in a series of four, and it doesn’t disappoint.

The third book follows the fall out from Aria’s decision to save her “family” from Carter and his brother. Carter and Aria have reached a stale-mate in their relationship, as Carter knows that once he kills Aria’s family, she cannot love him. Aria finds herself torn between her loyalty to her family and her love for Carter, which does not diminish in this book. This book ends on a cliffhanger, setting up the final book, Endless.

Characters:  💙💙💙💙

From Merciless, we were interested to the complex characters of Carter and Aria. At the start, even at odds, these two characters have a scorching chemistry. As a tortured soul, Carter seeks love. He needs it to redeem his soul. He believes he has found it in Aria, although he struggles to article his love for her. This causes Aria’s internal struggle. She feels his love, but she is never clear in it. When she chooses to save her family from Carter and his brothers, she knows she is complicating her love for him. While their chemistry still exists in book 3, the strife between the two complicates their lives. This is the main reason I offered only four hearts instead of five. At times, I grow weary of the inner dialogues of Carter and Aria as they repeat their issues over and over again. We know from the first book that either Carter will decide to forgo killing Aria’s father and Nickolai or Aria must realize that her father’s death will be the sacrifice to atone for his past sins with the Cross brothers. In Heartless, neither the characters have come to this conclusion, so they become repetitive in their responses.

Story: 💙💙💙💙

As this is the third book in a four- part series, the story continues following Aria and Carter’s story. There are some serious situations that occur in this book that hurt my heart, some deaths that were unexpected. As I mentioned above, the book ends on a cliffhanger that I can’t wait to read in Endless. I am waiting with bated breath to see how this story resolves.

Sexiness Quotient: 💙💙💙💙

As a dominant, the way Carter possesses Aria’s body is exciting. From the first book, I’ve always been suspicious of their sexual connection because he took her from her family. However, Winters knows how to write their sexual encounters to be incredibly sexy. She spares no sexual act for these two.

Style: 💙💙💙💙

There is something interesting about Winters’s writing. She puts space between her ideas wherein she doesn’t give you every detail or every thought of her characters. She allows you to fill it in for yourself. At times, this can be frustrating because you will read a sentence and wonder more about it, but she has moved on to another idea by the time she realize what she has done. I love that space between words and sentences and ideas. It is her signature.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I think the only reason I held back a star for Breathless has more to do with my want to see the ending of this series. Not that I have become tired of it. Simply, I crave the future for Carter and Aria. Carter has endured so much pain and strife in his life, as has Aria. I would like to see their happy ending, and this book moves us closer to it but still holds it at arm’s length.

In love and romance,

Professor A