Monica James spent her youth devouring the works of Anne Rice, William Shakespeare, and Emily Dickinson.
When she is not writing, Monica is busy running her own business, but she always finds a balance between the two. She enjoys writing honest, heartfelt, and turbulent stories, hoping to leave an imprint on her readers. She draws her inspiration from life.
She is a bestselling author in the U.S.A., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, and the U.K.
Monica James resides in Melbourne, Australia, with her wonderful family, and menagerie of animals. She is slightly obsessed with cats, chucks, and lip gloss, and secretly wishes she was a ninja on the weekends.
And I’ve kept this secret hidden since I was eight years old. But I’ll no longer allow my past to define me.
A fateful decision has left me a fugitive on the run. I should be afraid, yet I’ve never felt more alive.
My name is Mia Lee, but that person died the night I spilled blood and didn’t feel a thing.
I’m on a Greyhound bus, ready to start a new life. A life that includes finding my mother, who left without a word when I was three.
But I end up meeting four people who change my life forever. And one person, in particular, shakes things up beyond repair.
Quinn Berkeley.
He’s just as damaged as I am. And harbors secrets just as dark as mine. But he gives me hope that living a normal life is within reach.
However, the blood on my hands has forever stained my soul.
No one can outrun their past.
Especially one filled with bitter memories that refuse to remain…dead.
Something like Normal: Book One
Genre: Dark New Adult Romance
Cover Model: Lochie Carey @lochie_carey
Photographer: Michelle Lancaster @lanefotograf
Cover Designer: Lori Jackson Design @lorilovesbookjackson
Release date: August 14th 2023
**SOMETHING LIKE NORMAL was first published in 2014. It’s been revamped, re-edited, and re-covered!**
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I did not read this book when it was originally released back in 2014 so I jumped at the chance to read it this go around.
Mia/Paige has definitely lived a horrific and unthinkable life since the age of 8. It has definitely hardened her and shaped her into the fierce 19-year-old she is today.
Hoping to make a new life, she stops in a town in hopes of just earning enough money to continue on her journey to her next destination. What she had not anticipated was finding people who would welcome and accept her as she is.
Monica wrote a gripping dark romance that will have readers begging for the next installment (thank goodness we don’t have long to wait). The pacing of this story was perfect as it allowed for everything to play out naturally and nothing felt forced to happen just to create more drama.
I loved everything about this book. The characters are unique – some you will love, some you will hate, but these characters will bring out strong feelings and that’s the whole point.
I loved the layers this story has and cannot wait to see what happens next.
Bio
Monica James spent her youth devouring the works of Anne Rice, William Shakespeare, and Emily Dickinson.
When she is not writing, Monica is busy running her own business, but she always finds a balance between the two. She enjoys writing honest, heartfelt, and turbulent stories, hoping to leave an imprint on her readers. She draws her inspiration from life.
She is a bestselling author in the U.S.A., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, and the U.K.
Monica James resides in Melbourne, Australia, with her wonderful family, and menagerie of animals. She is slightly obsessed with cats, chucks, and lip gloss, and secretly wishes she was a ninja on the weekends.
Defying Evil: A Dark Romantic Thriller Abbie Roads
(Blood is Thicker Than…, #1)
Publication date: October 17th 2023
Genres: Adult, Romance, Thriller
He’s the son of a serial killer.
She’s his father’s only surviving victim.
He’s obsessed with her.
She’s frightened of him.
Before it’s all over they’ll need each other to survive.
Cain Killion’s life has revolved around blood. From a childhood of torture by his father, to his gruesome ability to solve crimes. When a current case is directly connected to his past, there’s only one person with answers.
But she isn’t talking, and the bodies are stacking up. The only solution… Kidnap her.
Defying Evil is the first book in the Blood is Thicker Than Series of dark romantic thrillers. It features a man tortured by his past who never thought he was capable of love. If you devour edge of your seat thrillers and romance novels, you’ll love a series that combines both in a roller-coaster ride of mind games and tragic love.
Trigger warning: Depictions of violence.
Previously published until the title Saving Mercy.
Abbie Roads is the best-selling author of the Fatal Dreams Series and the Fatal Truth Series. Her novels have been finalists in many prestigious contests including The Golden Heart, The Greater Detroit Booksellers Best, The Oklahoma National Readers’ Choice Award, The Write Touch, The Strut Your Stuff Contest, The Aspen Gold Contest, The Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, The Heart of Excellence Readers’ Choice Award, The Midnight Sun, The Kathryn Hayes Contest, The Chanticleer, The Daphne du Maurier, The National Readers’ Choice Award, The New England Readers’ Choice Contest, The Beverly Award, and The Maggie Award. Her debut novel Race the Darkness was Publishers Weekly Top 10 Pick for Fall and Never Let Me Fall is an Amazon Editor’s Pick.
By day Abbie Roads is a mental health counselor always focusing on the bright side. By night she writes on the dark side, putting her characters through the wringer before she gives them their happily-ever-after. She loves a good inspirational quote and is a fan of true crime.
Teagan’s world shatters when she uncovers the mafia ties of her friends Fallon and Luca. To ensure her silence, she’s thrust into an unwanted marriage with Christiano, the boss’ cousin—an enigmatic man who despises her for this arrangement. Christiano is a methodical killer with no time for women, much less a wife.
But as they’re forced to live together, Teagan’s vibrant presence both captivates and challenges him. Yet, their mutual distrust remains steadfast. And if the truth about their union comes to light, it has the potential to set off a full-blown mafia war, putting everyone at risk, particularly Teagan.
As their marriage blurs the line between love and hate, Christiano finds himself torn between his growing attraction to Teagan and the dangerous organization he’s sworn to protect.
If he falters, the very existence of the Syndicate will be erased.
A standalone novel from the Chicago Syndicate world.
Soraya Naomi is the author of the Chicago Syndicate Mafia series. She writes provocative novels with a sinfully seductive blend of romance, suspense & men who love hard and at all costs. The Chicago Syndicate series – #1 Amazon Organized Crime series – has been translated into several languages.
Soraya has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Arts & Culture from Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Apart from indulging in chocolate pastries much too often, Soraya Naomi is also an avid reader. She has a passionate obsession with the written word and reads many genres but favors intense, seductive, and provocative novels where the male character loves fiercely, without remorse or boundaries. She adores Dark Romances, Romantic Suspense, Historical Romances, New Adult, and PNR.
Her debut novel For Fallon (Chicago Syndicate, #1) was released on July 26, 2014. She’s honored that For Fallon won “Best Breakout Novel 2014” in the Novel Grounds Semi Annual Literary Awards.
Monica James spent her youth devouring the works of Anne Rice, William Shakespeare, and Emily Dickinson.
When she is not writing, Monica is busy running her own business, but she always finds a balance between the two. She enjoys writing honest, heartfelt, and turbulent stories, hoping to leave an imprint on her readers. She draws her inspiration from life.
She is a bestselling author in the U.S.A., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, and the U.K.
Monica James resides in Melbourne, Australia, with her wonderful family, and menagerie of animals. She is slightly obsessed with cats, chucks, and lip gloss, and secretly wishes she was a ninja on the weekends.
Cover Designer: Lori Jackson Design @lorilovesbookjackson
All I want is revenge.
But I’m afraid it will destroy me because I’m not a monster.
Or maybe I am.
And that’s thanks to Doctor Alanna Norton.
She’s tortured me.
She’s made me forget who I am.
And she’s done all this in the name of love.
But the love I feel for my son, who was stolen from me, will triumph. I won’t accept any other outcome.
There is another love which I will fight for—Dutch Atwood.
But what I find…the sting of betrayal lingers. I look at Dutch through new eyes; he doesn’t trust me, and I don’t trust him.
I’m faced with so many scenarios—I wish I knew how this story ends so I can make the right choice.
But there is no right in the hand I was dealt.
Alanna wants love so badly, so I intend to show her what true love looks like, because the only thing that matters is getting out of here…but not before I take from Alanna what she took from me.
Her heart.
YES! YES! YES!
Cue all the accolades and applause for Monica!!
HOT DAMN!! Monica, you have blown me away with this duet.
Love Sick is the continuation of Heart Sick and conclusion to this duet. And god damn, it was worth the wild and chaotic ride.
This duet is like nothing I have read before and Monica’s delivery of this story is superb. I was enraptured from the start and no matter how disturbing the scene became, I was all in!!
“In every book, every reader wants to know why… why did the villain do what they did? They want to know their backstory to know why they’re the bad guy”
GAH!! This book, this duet, was insane in the best ways. I could not get enough of it.
Luna and Dutch’s story is heartbreakingly beautiful.
Just go read it but heed the trigger warnings if you are sensitive to certain things.
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READ HEART SICK BOOK ONE IN KU NOW!
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Bio
Monica James spent her youth devouring the works of Anne Rice, William Shakespeare, and Emily
Dickinson.
When she is not writing, Monica is busy running her own business, but she always finds a balance between the two. She enjoys writing honest, heartfelt, and turbulent stories, hoping to leave an imprint on her readers. She draws her inspiration from life.
She is a bestselling author in the U.S.A., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, and the U.K.
Monica James resides in Melbourne, Australia, with her wonderful family, and menagerie of animals. She is slightly obsessed with cats, chucks, and lip gloss, and secretly wishes she was a ninja on the weekends.
What did I just read?! Why has no one told me about B.B. before?!?!
I literally inhaled this book in a day. One day. And it’s no small book either.
I don’t even know what to say except, “Holy Shit, that was a wild ride.”
Atlas and Rowdy’s story in one hell of rollercoaster. Their chemistry burns the pages yet at the same time you will be going WTF!?
Gah, I want to say so much but I have no idea how. And I don’t want to spoil anything.
Just go read this book, but be warned there are some uncomfortable scenes that will not be for everyone.
Meet B.B.
B.B. Reid is the author of several novels including the hit enemies-to-lovers, Fear Me. She grew up the only daughter and middle child in a small town in North Carolina. After graduating with a Bachelors in Finance, she started her career at an investment research firm while continuing to serve in the National Guard. She currently resides in Charlotte with her moody cat and enjoys collecting Chuck Taylors and binge-eating chocolate.
This was my place. My business. Easter Lanes. Then a guy comes in, trying to rob me, daring to take it away from me. My home. My life. Hell no. I won’t let my livelihood be threatened. No one knows what I’ve done to build this life for myself. Except he might. Ashton Walden, a man I remember from when we were kids. Even back then I could tell how dangerous he would be one day. He’s now the head of the Walden mafia family, and my father is so in debt to them that they practically own him. My dad and I are estranged and I want nothing to do with him or his debt, but the day after the attempted robbery, I don’t wake up in the hospital. I wake up in Ashton Walden’s home. And he drops a bomb on me. If I want my livelihood back, I need to earn it back. And thus begins our cruel arrangement.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
Tijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing after college and once she started, she was hooked. She’s written multi-bestsellers including the Fallen Crest series, Ryan’s Bed, Enemies and others. She is currently writing many new books and series with an English Cocker she adores.
A Cruel Arrangement is the second book in Tijan’s Kings of New York and just as fantastic as the first.
Tijan is a magician with her words. She knows exactly how to grip her readers right from the start and keep them entertained through the end. However, she also knows how to weave a story that is completely different even though it’s within the same series. Molly and Ashton’s story is completely different than Trace and Jess’s.
Molly may come across as this timid rabbit but she was pretty much raised on the streets. Her interactions with her Father, Shorty, only added to her difficulty upbringing and molded her into who she is today.
Ashton has no qualms about getting his hands dirty. He doesn’t even flinch at any violence; he pretty much wears it like armor. He’s a man of action and has no remorse for it. He purposely has kept a wall up and doesn’t allow himself to have any weaknesses for others to use against him. Until Molly.
I love how this story played out. Tijan kept these characters true to who they are and yet they evolved too. The banter between them all was perfection and I loved that Molly kept Ashton on his toes. He never knew what to expect from her and that helped bond them even more.
I highly recommend this series so much! You will not regret it.
After watching my mother succumb to a mysterious illness, I promised myself two things. I’d find the cure for what ravaged her. And leave the godforsaken city where she abandoned me.
Four years later, I receive an acceptance letter from Dracadia University, one of the oldest, most prestigious schools in the country. Nestled on a secluded island off the coast of Maine, it’s rumored to be haunted by the souls of the mental patients exiled there centuries before. Those whose bones are said to make up the island’s white sandy shores.
And restless ghosts aren’t even its most daunting peculiarity.
Devryck Bramwell, known on campus as Doctor Death, is a brilliant pathologist in charge of the midnight lab. He’s also my devastatingly handsome professor, who seems to loathe tenacious first-years, like me. Except, his dark and enigmatic gaze tells me all the ways he’d devour me if given the chance, and his stolen kisses burn my lips with forbidden jealousy.
I crave his authority.
He aches for redemption.
Together, we’re toxic. Delicious fodder for the prying eyes hellbent on exhuming the rotted skeletons of our pasts.
For the dead have much to teach, and it’s only a matter of time before Dracadia’s most depraved secret is resurrected.
Keri Lake is a dark romance writer who specializes in demon wrangling, vengeance dealing and wicked twists. Her stories are gritty, with antiheroes that walk the line of good and bad, and feisty heroines who bring them to their knees. When not penning books, she enjoys spending time with her husband, daughters, and their rebellious Labrador (who doesn’t retrieve a damn thing). She runs on strong coffee and alternative music, loves a good red wine, and has a slight addiction to dark chocolate.
I have been a huge fan of Keri’s since I read her book, Somnium waaay back in 2011. And I have read every book since has published since then, without fail. To say she has grown exponentially since then, is an understatement.
Keri’s writing style is rare and extremely unique. She doesn’t fit into one genre and I love that she allows her characters to tell the stories. She doesn’t write to sell, she writes to tell stories that will stick with her readers for years to come. And they do.
Nocticadia left me speechless. Not only was I given the opportunity to BETA read this one, but Keri pushed herself to write a story that is like nothing I have read before. And I feel like I say that with every book she writes, but it is so true. Not one of her stories is ever the same but they are also so incredibly distinct in books in general. She’s like my Steven King in gothic, dark, fantasy writing.
I am not going to tell you what happens in this story because you, as a reader, need to experience this story firsthand yourself.
Keri delivers a story with characters that have depth and a plot that has many layers to it. Nocticadia is a slow burn, forbidden romance that has the best eerily vibe attached to it. I could not stop reading this book once I started.
Another smashing hit for Keri and I love that she continues to keep readers on their toes and guessing what will happen next.
“Go on, Puppet. Let’s see if those sexy legs can run as fast as they can spread…”
Boneyard Tides, a dark why choose romance from USA Today & Wallstreet Journal Bestselling author Amo Jones is now available on Kindle Unlimited!
“This is book one in another sexy, tantalizing, thriller of a story from Amo Jones, the lady of dark herself, has outdone herself! I am so enthralled by the beauty of this place and the twisted web of its characters! I feel like I’m right there with Shiloh trying to figure out who is who! Who can be trusted, whose lying, but most importantly whose pulling the strings!” ~ Patricia Rohrs
Picture this…you’re sitting by the ocean, sipping your favorite cocktail. The sun is setting over your skin, the sound of waves crashing against the sand offers the perfect background music for the mellow reggae tunes that play through the salty air. Life is good. You have a best friend who seems to be a better friend to you than he is a boyfriend to his girl, your mom is calling your phone to ask what time you’ll be home for dinner, and your current “plaything” is too busy flirting with another girl in a desperate attempt to see if you care. Pathetic. But you don’t care because the sand is between your toes, your surfboard is freshly waxed, and you are one hundred percent sure that your life is perfect.
It was all perfect, right? Except Hades Hollow would never be perfect. This was a town built on old stories that were planted, grew, and eventually rotted here. It was a vicious cycle of rebirth. The stories would never die…not at least until the real one had been told. It all started with a game. The kind of trickery that poisons your heart because it knows the mind is weak.
One was my nemesis, a genre-meddling musician.
One was as scary as he was charming.
And one was a billionaire.
I mean, I knew that, right. I knew who they were…
I was about to find out the hard way that I didn’t know anything at all.
I’m Shiloh St. Claire. A daughter, a friend…and a liar.
AMO!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!!
Boneyard Tides is the first book in Amo’s Aphotic Waters and let me tell you – no matter what reviewers tell you, you will be not be prepared enough for Amo delivers. Hades Hollow will put you under its spell immediately.
“Diavoli dell’oceano”
Amo delivers a unique take on a dark, gothic folklore story in a reverse harem way. Oh, and she brings her authentic twists and WTF writing style that gives you a story unlike anything she (or anyone) has written before. I enjoyed all the elements that Amo brings and I absolutely enjoyed how she tied the folklore of Hades Hollow into a very suspenseful and chilling game for these characters.
“Not at all something I would expect to see any of them in, but since I’m not only drinking their Kool-aid, but I’m fucking shooting it through an IV, I ignore the red flags.”
This story is told from multiple POV’s (Shiloh, Sparrow, Dion and Malyk) and each time you will be left trying to figure out what is going and who can really be trusted. Shiloh is a strong heroine and I love her fierceness and how she never bends as easily as people think she will.
GAHHHHH!! I want to say so much but can’t.
Boneyard Tides is twisted tale that you want to jump into immediately.
Cruel Beginnings, an all-new dark academia, enemies-to-lovers romance and first book in the action-packed Cruel World Series from USA Today bestselling author Lili St Germain & Lyra Parish is available now!
I’m not a girl who expects to be saved.
I gave up on fairytales a long time ago.
So when my knight in shining Armani stalks into town and delivers me from my tragic fate, I’m grateful.
Darius Prince shouldn’t be in the seedy strip club where I’m paying off my mother’s debts, one piece of my soul at a time. And he definitely shouldn’t be the one who claims me in exchange for a suitcase full of trust fund cash and a deal inked in blood.
His dark eyes shine with a hatred so deadly, I wonder why he wants me at all.
Especially when I find out he thinks I’m somehow connected to his twin sister’s disappearance.
Darius doesn’t rescue me.
Instead, he drags me into his web of tragic secrets and forbidden desires.
He binds me so tight, I can’t find my way out of his grasp.
I rub my fingers across my chin as I size up Rafe Marin. Videos are horrifyingly easy to doctor. He could be making this whole thing up.
‘What do you want?” I ask finally. “Why are you showing me this?”
“I don’t want anything—other than your assurance we never had this discussion.”
“What discussion?” I reply quickly.
Rafe’s a smart guy, he catches my drift. “Exactly.”
“You didn’t tell me why you’re showing me this. If it’s legit, you know I’m going to have to find out who those guys are. Especially the one she arrived with. That could fuck with your family’s business dealings. So why risk it?”
Rafe nods, taking the phone and sliding it into his jacket pocket. “Because if my sister went missing and someone knew something, I’d want to be told.”
Huh. “That’s interesting.”
“What? That I care about my sister?”
“Oh please, we both know how much you care for your sister. Almost as much as your father cares for her, right?”I knew Rafe and Faye had some twisted thing going the moment I met them both, and my suspicions were only amplified when I had the misfortune of meeting their father at the beginning of our business relationship. That family is beyond weird. “But that’s not what’s interesting. What’s interesting is that you referred to my sister as missing. Most people refer to her as dead. Including the coroner, who issued her death certificate.”
“Well, there’s no body, right?” Rafe asks, completely ignoring my pointed jab at his incestuous little family. “No washed-up remains? A femur? A skull? A dismembered foot?”
I shake my head. “Nothing. Not even a single fucking strand of her hair.”
“Then she’s still missing,” Rafe states. “Especially in the world you and I live in. No remains, no proof of death.”
He regards me silently for a moment. And then, finally: “Do you think she’s dead?”
“Not for a single fucking millisecond have I ever thought she was dead,” I reply confidently. “Who’s the guy with her in the video?”
“I don’t know.”
“But you know something. What are you leaving out?”
Rafe struggles to articulate the next part. “There, ah…there might be somebody who knows who he is. She hasn’t told me, but for the right price, she might tell you.”
“She won’t tell you, and she might tell me. Sounds like a great fucking lead, Marin.”
“For the right price,” Rafe clarifies. “Question is, how much is your sister worth to you?”
It takes every bit of strength and self-control I possess not to stand and rip his larynx out of his throat with my bare hands. “She’s worth every penny I have. She’s worth the entire ocean. You understand. You have a sister you love. Maybe even more than I love mine.”
Rafe snorts, but he won’t bite. He won’t address his fucked up relationship with Faye, no matter how much shit I give him about it. Oh, well.
“This mystery woman got a name?” I ask.
Rafe smirks. “You know I can’t tell you that.”He glances at my balled fists. “I can arrange a meeting. Okay? It’ll be on the mainland, most likely, somewhere public. This woman, she’s paranoid. And rightly so, by the sounds of it. She’s got people looking for her.”
“If she’s got people looking for her, toss her on your boat and bring her to me. I’ll come unarmed, by myself, and she can name her price. If she’s worried about retribution, I’ll take her to Valmont Island and give her asylum.”
Rafe immediately looks worried. “No island. She can’t go there.”
“But I can keep her safe there!” I explode. I’m frowning so hard, trying to figure out Rafe’s reluctance, when it smashes into me like a wall of bricks.
“She’s from the island,” I whisper. “Your informant. Isn’t she?”
Rafe pales. “You shut your fucking mouth,”he jabs his finger into the table. “I find out you breathed a word of this to anyone, I’ll have your goddamn head, Prince.”
I fall back in my seat, stunned. “She’s from the fucking island.” My mind is going a million miles an hour as I try to think of who this mystery woman could be, who’s from Valmont Island who just might know the guy my sister was fucking two nights before she disappeared?
“Nobody gets away,” I whisper. “Nobody.”
“You know that’s not true,” Rafe says pointedly. “What, your father?” I reply. “He didn’t get away. He was banished.”
Rafe shrugs. “Being banished isn’t common, but it happens.”
I shake my head, my skull burning with the start of a blinding headache. “The only reason Javier’s not dead in a hole somewhere is because of his seat at the Empyrean Table. I’ve never heard of another person being granted the same. Ever. Have you?”
“Sometimes the dead don’t die,” Rafe says cryptically. “Like your sister, maybe.”
Cruel Beginnings is the first book in the Cruel World series and these two authors start this series off well.
It is very intense and riddled with lots of suspense and secrecy. There are a lot of moving parts and the authors keep readers on their toes the entire time.
Cruel Beginnings has a lot of complex characters and I will honestly say that I am still undecided on most of them. I love how we as readers are given little nuggets of infromation about each character and their role in story and it’s just enough to make you wonder about their true agenda.
I absolutely love the suspense, mystery and secrecy of the entire plot. These two authors did a wonderful job of giving readers just enough bread crumbs to keep us guessing and excited as to what comes next.
I purposely kept this review vague as I do not want to give too much away because that just ruins the overall vibe of this book and the start of this series.
I enjoyed the writing style, the flow and the multiple levels to this story. I’m anxious to see what they bring us in the next installment.
