Jhen

I was lucky enough to get an ARC and I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! There were times I definitely wanted to beat our hero and heroine over the head but their shy and awkward love story made me beam with happiness at the end.

Ezra and Candace are both people who were unable to get their sh*t together for a long time (like so many of us are) and I appreciated how real they both were. I also loved the side characters in this and their genuine and patient coaxing to help Canzra/Ezdace (no? Okay) flourish and come into their own.

Their emotions and struggles were clearly put on the page and as much as I wanted to hurry them along, I'm glad the book progressed the way it did and had them genuinely confronting their misconceptions and feelings to ultimately have the best new year.

P.S. The declaration speeches were swoon worthy! 10/10

I've read almost all the books in this series and so was happy to receive a galley of this one.
The book gives you enough back story that you can read it as a stand alone so you don't have to have read the previous ones though it is best to read the entire series.
The storyline was easy to follow and delivered a satisfying HEA.

I loved that the heroine was a take charge plus sized goddess and that the hero was just in awe of her.
Her desire to use her powers to fix him and their attraction meant that every time they were on the page together, they sizzled.
They had a lot of chemistry!
Graven's back story is pretty complex but Niva's only desire is to help him overcome these difficulties and heal the broken parts of him.

There is something that I did not like about it and that was how the romance changed Niva's lifestyle significantly from polyamorous to monogamous.
Niva brags about loving her polyamorous lifestyle in the beginning of the book, even saying to her father that she doesn't understand how humans can be monogamous but somehow by the end of the book she only wants to be monogamous with Graven and I think that is a hard pill for me to swallow.
I mean I guess their relationship could be considered “monogamish” buuut honestly it didn't really appear that way. Her powers evolving to the point that she doesn't need to have sex with other people just seems like a convenient plot point.

Overall it was a light fun read that i enjoyed except for that one bit.

Received an E-ARC from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this collection.
Of course, I have my favourites and so I will discuss my top 3.

Katrina Jackson is an amazing erotic storyteller and so I was very pleased that she was included in this volume. “Easy Ride” was excellent.
I also loved Elia Winters contribution to this. Her f/f pairing in “Sweater Weather” was the only one in this book and I do hope that the next volume will include more queer pairings.
Brit Ingram's story “Cooling Off” did the exact opposite which was the intention.

Special mention also to Alexis Wilder's “The Instruction Manual”, Mia Hopkins' “The Eighth Wonder”, Abuja Varghese's “The Conference” and Margot Pierce's “Calyx”

Almost all the stories appealed to me in some way but i love truly loved the first three I mentioned and there was only ONE that really did nothing for me.

All in all it was a hot pleasant read.

4.5⭐️
Was lucky enough to get an ARC and so imma do my review thing.
Let's start at the beginning - the cover! So lovely. All for it.
I loved the dedication and the fact that content warnings were included at the beginning. Very necessary
For the purposes of this review I'll be mostly talking about the following: death of a romantic partner & discussions surrounding it, cheating (not really a content warning but yeah) & the BDSM sex scenes.

This book rocked my world, honestly.
I love a polyam romance and this delivered in the best way.
Brooklyn finds out her fiancé has been cheating on her and was murdered with his lover in a hotel room. YIKES!
That lover was in a kinky polyam relationship with 2 fine ass men, Vaughn and Shaw, and so really they have all been betrayed and left to deal with their grief, etc alone in the world while their dead partners cannot offer any insight or answers to their questions.

I loved the very relatable emotions that all of the main characters work through in this. There is dealing with the grief from having your partner die and also having to navigate that with the betrayal? Woof.
Brooklyn, Vaughn and Shaw each have different things to work out surrounding that and I loved how they grew and changed throughout the story together and apart.
I love how open and honest the conversations they had with each other were and it really helped me to fall in love with the characters even more.

When they finally take their trauma bonding to the next level and start banging?
HOT DAMN! These sex scenes are FIRE

I was able to be approved for an ARC on NetGalley.

This is a very basic introduction to the history of the witches and witchcraft and gives some basic understanding on how witchcraft has progressed through the centuries.
It also gives little tidbits about witches past and about sacred numbers, herbs, amulets, etc.

It was easy to read and informative.
Appropriate for young people and also for older people who are just interested in the topic.

I was lucky enough to get an E-ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

This was a wonderful follow up to the first book in the series.
Kerrigan Byrne has done is yet again!

I truly love how the Red Rouges have risen from the trauma of their childhood with the kind guidance of Jean-Yves and have gone on to continue to be their accomplished.
In book 1 we saw Alex marry her grumpy, scarred duke so it only makes sense that his large grumpy Scotsman of a brother falls for her soft yet strong friend Cecelia.

I loved the fact that we really got to delve into Ramsey's backstory and how his parents have failed him led to him being this rigid man who sees life in black and white and lives in a way to be seen as above reproach.
In contrast, Cecelia's backstory and hardships have made her even more open and loving and kind.
Sunshine + Grump = sparks.

Their conflict is as much about his perception of her and the world of vice she has inherited as it is about their complicated feelings about love, family and abandonment.

They don't spend much time apart in this book which is very necessary to propel Ramsey's personal growth. Cecelia is a fleshed out person with her own desires and direction and so as much as this story is about their love, Ramsey is the one that has to do the most of the emotional work on page to believe himself worthy of love and also that their conflicting lifestyles can mesh together.

The intimate scenes were also banging. The barely restrained passion he had coupled with her eagerness to touch and be touched by him? Explosive.

All in all, it was a wonderful read and I would definitely recommend it to a friend.

CW for book: mention of past rape, murder on page and mentioned in the past, kidnapping, mention of past suicide, mention of alcoholic parent

Received an E-ARC on #NetGalley for an honest review.

I love a fake relationship trope so I was very excited to read this book.
I am also a fan of Naima Simone's work.

This was a fun read which covered both characters needing the other to achieve their goals which I find to be not tackled enough in the fake relationship space.
It doesn't present that way exactly at first and seems to focus on the heroine, Reagan, and her need to get married to get access to her trust fund but it becomes increasingly obvious that Ezekiel has just as much, if not more to gain from this arrangement.

The sparks fly from their first meeting and continue throughout the book.
The conflict was kinda eh for me and made me want to punch Zeke in the throat but Reagan was a strong woman who carried the entire story in my opinion.

They covered some deep topics but it was handled with just enough care that I was able to not be bogged down by it.

All in all, it was a good read and I would read more by Naima Simone in this series.

Trigger Warnings for mentions of past of miscarriage, death of a former partner and emotional abuse by a parent.

3.5/5 ⭐️

It's a great follow up to the first book but not my favourite in the series so far.

If I loved someone the way Saxon & Birdie loved each other, i'd have to kill them. I'm glad it worked out for them but I honestly don't think I could have been that forgiving of someone who did to me what Saxon did. Despite them being drawn to each other and always loving each other...nah. Not for me. Saxon is a shitty person.

I loved Atlas continuing to be a great guy and I also loved the sisterhood that we see displayed. Soni really was ready to fight Saxon in a damn parking lot over how he treated Birdie and I rate her SO much for that. I like that she gave him a hard time but also backed off when Birdie made it clear that she had forgiven him and he was the one for her.
Could never be me but I liked it.

I liked the mentions of the root and Gullah traditions.

Saxon and Paula though...that mess...I just.
Okay.
I understand why Paula exists and I understand the dynamic at play there but also it was a LOT for me.
A whole ass lot.
It was difficult to read the scenes with Paula involved in them because it really just highlighted how HORRIBLE Saxon was and it was already PRETTY clear. His relationship with Paula just hammered home that he was a shitty selfish human and that made me NOT want him to win Birdie back!

Myles was great. His relationship with his wife and child were wonderful and of course helped to bring Saxon back around and redeem him in a way.
I also wish we saw a bit more resolution re: Saxon's father.
I didn't believe Saxon was at that point of the growth those lines indicated especially when he was still unable to figure out his shit with Birdie & Amara.

I liked the stuff at Kinfolks, that was good. Mr. Kemp dying was sad but necessary for the resolution at

4.5 Stars ⭐️

I received an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. It is my first time reading the work of this author and I actually enjoyed it.

Cassie and Tom have a great working relationship and there is an attraction they can never act on because Cassie is married to Michael.
This all changes however when Michael reconnects with his ex-girlfriend, Danielle, and admits to Cassie he would like to try a polyamorous relationship.

As someone who is polyamorous, I was very interested in seeing how this could possibly work as Cassie was obviously very resistant to this shift initially but eventually gave in in order to pursue her attraction to Tom.

I thought the author handled her thoughts and feelings and the navigation of this hierarchical polyamorous relationship honestly - complete with the awkward moments that can arise including when your partner comes home smelling like another.

All in all, the romance between Tom and Cassie and Cassie navigating her marriage with Michael was a fairly honest depiction. I did wish for a different polyamorous resolution in a sense but honestly, the characters were being their most authentic selves and I appreciated that.

The reason I didn't rate it a full 5 stars was because I felt the text was too bogged down with the technicalities of their jobs and outside characters and didn't dial in enough on Tom & Cassie's actual romance when it could have.

Received an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

NOW! I felt my blood pressure rising in this book because it reminded me how DUMB men are.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, this is book 3 in the series and while i recommend reading the other two, it wasn't stricltly necessary to enjoy the story.

Paige Mills and Andrew were setting off fireworks from the jump which is why him taking his own sweet time to level up and be the man Paige needed him to be was SO annoying.

I loved the obvious explosive chemistry between them and watching them balance their business and romantic relationships

It was a very satisfying read.

Kerrigan Byrne hits it out of the park yet again!!!

Mercy and Raphael have explosive chemistry from the first moment they are introduced to us and the BANTER!!!!!
Give me all the banter.

I truly enjoyed this work.

Let's backtrack a bit though. Raphael and his brother Gabriel are dangerous smugglers and Raphael is being accused of murder but Mercy KNOWS he didn't do it and she can prove it with a little sleuthing of her own.

Mercy and Raphael were both low key annoying to me with Raphael trying to sacrifice himself and Mercy putting her little bluestocking nose where it doesn't belong but honestly, they are quite the pair.

The romance happened a bit too fast in my opinion but when you're planning on “dying” then I can see how that would put you a bit on an accelerated timeline. It's understandable but I do feel there would have been some merits to taking it a step down.

All in all, it was an enjoyable work and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC on #NetGalley for an honest review.

MAN OH MAN!
This book blew me away,

The dystopian setting of the book allowed for some unique explorations of science, capitalism and the military, food security and the preservation of knowledge.
Interspersed in between chapters were observations from scientists about each character and their abilities and their perceived flaws and I thought that was brilliant as it helped to show how the evil overlords thinks of them.

When you look at how Nina and Knox interact with their respective teams and the environment around them, you can tell from the start that they are meant to lead together. The story just brings them closer and closer together until it is impossible to truly imagine them separately.
Their backstories, which involve both of them having lost loved ones, just helps you to understand the pressures they put on themselves to be the ones in charge and who stand strong for the people they care for, no matter what.

The richness of the characters and their relationships with each other and the community at large was also amazing. Watching the almost sibling like play between Nina, Dani & Maya vs the best friends yet almost chain of command dynamic of Knox, Gray, Conall & Rafe just emphasises how they all compliment each other and it's easy to see the characters who might be especially compatible romantically.

Did i mention that the pacing of the story was fan-freaking-tastic?
There is also the fact that every character in this story serves a purpose and every scene helps to propel the story forward and set things up for the rest of the series.

All in all, it was a wonderful book and I cannot wait to read the follow up to this.

Received an E-ARC of this book on #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐

This debut novel by Rosie Danan involves rich socialite Clara Wheaton moving across the country to be with her long time crush/friend, Everett, and him ditching her within the first couple of pages leaving her in the care of his Craiglist subletter....famous porn star Josh Darling.

This book, while pleasurable, was not quite what I expected. While it is amusing and they had good sex, the book was not as funny or sexy as I thought it would be.
I wanted a bit more sexy and romantic and funny and while some moments were delivered, I wanted more.
I'm hoping with the fact that it has been optioned to a film that they will be able to round it out on the screen.

Clara is a bit of a dud? Her character wasn't fleshed out enough to me as her own person. I didn't truly believe that she had done any real growth in this book aside from shifting her star from her non-requited romance with Everett to a sexy good time with Josh.
Josh was very interested in consent and pleasure which was very wonderful. He seemed a much more rounded out figure.
I didn't quite feel the chemistry between them though. I don't really know why Josh would want to be with her but they got together in the end so go them.

The ending didn't really connect with me but I was pleased that it was a resolved Happy Ending.

All in all, it was a good first novel and I look forward to seeing what else the author does.

I loved the hell out of this book.
I loved their story and how they just naturally fit together despite perceived societal differences.
Rae's real name and Zach's reaction to it were priceless.
I also loved how he was able to open up about his demisexuality
(I'm also biased cause I love everything Talia writes)

I thought the book started out strong but I was very disappointed as it got closer to the end. It was a fun read with some interesting twists and turns and just the right amount of pacing but then it took a sharp turn; It felt like there were too many plotlines that they tried to create and wrap up in too few pages.

I also wish they had explored the depth of the relationships between certain characters because for some of them, it felt like I was being forced to feel something that wasn't there and I had to make up their shared history in my own mind for it to connect.

4.5⭐️

Received an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A Sweet Mess was one of my favourite books of 2020 and so I was excited to read the sequel featuring 2 characters from the previous book.

I adored it!

Jayci Lee has the magic touch when it comes to writing light hearted romance with complex characters having to navigate their independent emotional turmoil in order to be happy together.

I love that there was not much external conflict and so we could really focus on Tara and Seth and them figuring out their feelings for each other.

A quality sequel and I can't wait to read more by this author.

DIRTY! Just the sort of quick and naughty erotica I needed today.

What happens when you meet your roommate's hot parents?
Lust.
What happens when you happen to hear them having naughty sex through the wall?
You masturbate of course.
And when you finally get to bang them??
dissolves in a puddle of cum

I LOVED IT!

The moment that Celeste meets Mr. & Mrs. Yu, her roommate's parents, she is lost in a puddle of desire and so was I.
The story of Celeste falling deeper and deeper in lust with them which is helped along by her listening to some very erotic sexual encounters and diddling her skittle at the same damn time is a good one.
The Yu's seem to tempt and tease her and I am left disappointed that they don't proceed to bang all over the house the entire time...which could be awkward for tons of reasons but you know.
The Christmas present.
THE CHRISTMAS PRESENT!!!!
Her using that toy up against the wall and moaning for them.
MY GOD!

I'm also mad it took them so long to actually bone each other but when it finally happens, it is VERY satisfying.

I wonder if they will exchange Christmas cards now?

ANYWAY!
5 Star
Brandy and her Bush sure know what she was doing when she wrote this story.

What a lovely story.
Zelda and Ash are just the most adorable little Muppets ever!
Who knew that sitting next to someone on a plane could lead to finding a new job, a new love and whole ass new life?

I was lucky enough to receive and ARC and because I love Kate's work, it was a no brainer that I had to devour it immediately.

From the second Ash somewhat drunkenly sets eyes on Zelda and she manages the shit out of him, he is hooked!
I love the weird ways they blend together and his growly possessiveness which could come off problematic just comes off hot as fuck.

When we find out over the course of the novel that she has been abused and manipulated over the course of her life, one would think his bossy ways would turn her off but she just wants to belong to someone and be kept and he just wants to keep her and I squee.

Their relationship grows in the best of ways over the short period of time and he actually uses his big brain to realise when he is being a proper dick and figures out the best way to apologies AND make amends specific to her. Pancake date anyone?

Seeing Magnolia's wedding and getting to know more about the family is a bonus.

That running joke of Zelda being Not Millie works well though it could just as easily have gone off the rails and made her insecure.
I look forward to maybe seeing them down the line in Linden's book eh?

Also can we talk about the proposal? THE PROPOSAL!!!!!
Oh my goddess. So lovely.

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book and I adored everything about it.
I literally could not put it down and read it all in one sitting because I was swept away in the romance that was Tess & Lucas.

The setting for this wonderful vacation romance was perfect and I also love how low conflict this book is.

From the second they meet through the unconventional circumstance of Tess using him as a human bra shield to stop her from indigent exposure (lol btw), the chemistry was explosive.

We get to see more of them as they tentatively and sweetly navigate their relationship and actually engage in open and honest communication.
Of course, we expect this work from our 40yo heroine but the fact that Lucas, our 26yo tennis pro, is ready to lay it all out there for love? Yep. Put it in my veins.
Mama loves self aware characters.

I really liked the discussion of their careers and their goals for the future too. This could have been all vacation and no real world but I think the “threat” of the real world on their relationship and the fact that it was kind of a part of their vacation the whole time was deftly done.

Can we also talk about how Belle is a bomb friend? She is the kind of person you want in your corner to push you into situations that will make you happy and also happily take with you to eviscerate an evil ex.

Definitely a hot summer pick.
Take this to your pool or the beach (if you're allowed to go) with some cocktails and enjoy.

4.5 ⭐️
received an ARC in exchange for an honest review

OKAY! Wanna take a ride on the hot tamale train? GET THIS BOOK!
Emma has been attracted to her husband's best friend, Derek, the whole time she has known him.
Derek is fine AF and Emma and Grayson are a little freaky so they decide to give Derek the gift of exploring Emma for Christmas on their annual vacation.
Derek is a bit wary but in the end agrees.
When things go from just fun to super serious...how do they navigate it? Will they be the throuple of our dreams?

I love non-monogamous romance when done right and this book scratches and itch for me.
I especially love that both men are casually and openly queer and that Emma is accepting with no awkwardness.

Emma and Grayson's relationship seems rock solid and they consider each other greatly.
They have some very wonderful conversations throughout the book that I thought were really necessary to have on the page.
It's pretty clear early on that they have more than casual sex feelings for Derek and that there is sort of an unfinished love story between Grayson and Derek that has not been explored past platonic love in their past.
The three of them seem to really consider each other and are already intimate and intertwined so this, to me, was a natural next step in their relationship since it was obvious from the beginning that they were all feeling each other.

When they separated for a bit (because they have to in order to get back together right?) I thought it was perfectly done and the romantic gesture of showing up and being honest about feelings and fears at the end? Chefs kiss!

The sex scenes were hot hot hot and honestly, I need to know where they got this lingerie for Emma to wear at the cabin.
The men were vulnerable with their emotions but free with their bodies and I was here for every single bit of it.

All in all, it was a fun read that I would definitely recommend to people who like a little 3way love an sword crossing.

“Two single dads meet at the office, where it's hate at first sight in this new series from acclaimed author Jayce Ellis.”
Received an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I loved his M/M romance with 2 Black men learning how to love each other.

I especially appreciated that there were bi and pan Black men on the page and there was no biphobia to go along with it.
I loved the queer representation overall in the book tbh.

I especially loved that you got to really see and process JaQuan & Matt's mutual malice to attraction to love story and that you got to see the relationships they had with their children and how they really differed,
Both men had to do some emotional work to be at a place to truly love and be accepted by each other.

There were some bits I did not enjoy as much, which is really personal preference rather than story/plot issues, BUT overall it was a very good story and I would recommend it.

I was very excited to read this book and was lucky to get an advanced copy from NetGalley
Historical Romance is something I enjoy and so I was happy to dive in to this book.
Starting at the cover: The colours were eye catching and it was a great choice to depict the hero's disability in the cover art.

The heroine of the book is a black West Indian woman who ends up falling for a White disabled Duke who just happens to be the guardian of her son, the child she had with her deceased husband.
I liked that the book explored race, disability issues as well as the cost of war and pain management.
I loved that there was a secret society for helping widows and that the book was centered on the experience of a West Indian woman and her struggles.

I had issues with the story itself though as it was confusing and seemed all over the place in parts.
The suspense plot and the romance plot just didn't all go together.
There was too much time devoted to the suspense and not enough nurturing the romance I believe.
They didn't have many meaningful moments/thoughts together on page or in their own heads for me to believe the romance moved at a pace to deliver the satisfying end.
There was also POV inconsistencies that made it harder for me to dive in to the story.

Overall I kinda got what the author was truing to do but it fell a bit short for me.

Received an ARC on #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is being touted as the next Red, White & Royal Blue but honestly it doesn't pull me in the same way.

It was a fun read with some comedy but I just didn't fully believe the love story and some the humor didn't land the way it seemed to be intended?

Overall it was a good book but it definitely is not my favourite.

Consider me changed!

Loved it!
Idk anything about baseball and it was good not to have to know anything technical to enjoy the story.
I love the competition elements and the heroine's easy confidence.
Our guy could get boo'd up or whatever.