Once upon a time, I looked at love through rose-tinted glasses because love is meant to conquer all, right?
However, was I just a hopeless romantic at heart, chasing the proverbial happily ever after?
Being a romance author, one may think I know what I’m doing when it comes to love. But I hate to spoil the ending for you, dear reader; love and me, we aren’t friends. And we haven’t been for quite some time.
That’s not because I don’t believe in love.
On the contrary.
And that’s the reason we are here…again.
We all have that one person.
For me, he caught me unaware, and that’s when life usually screams KEEP UP!
And most times, we can’t.
If you’ve read Love Hard, then you know how love and I were no longer on speaking terms. But I wrote something which was a sign from the heavens. Or perhaps, hell…
I’ve learned that good men are like unicorns. Everyone talks about them, but no one actually sees them.
How I’m eating my words because I’ve found my unicorn. But does that mean I’ve finally learned my lessons in love? Is your beloved narrator about to get her HEA after all?
Buckle up, bestie, things are about to get wild.
Love hits you when you least expect it…and we are never ready for the fall.
First off, read Love Hard first before even thinking about reading this one.
If you love Love Hard, you will absolutely devour Love Harder.
These books are nothing like Monica’s other works because they are both non-fiction memoirs. And what I mean by that is these stories are based on her journey through the world of dating and falling in love.
Love Harder is a diary of what happens to the FMC when Love Hard ended. It’s her chaotic walk through online dating, the interesting men she meets and all their mannerisms. Some you will like, some you will want to knee in the nuts for causing harm to our FMC.
I was completely immersed in this story and had to know how each interaction went and all the in-betweens. This story occurs over many months. Does our FMC get her HEA? You’ll have to read to find out.
Monica James spent her youth devouring the works of Anne Rice, William Shakespeare, and Emily Dickinson.
When she is not writing, Monica runs her own business, but she always finds a balance between the two. She enjoys writing twisted AF stories, hoping to terrify her readers…just a little.
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 Unicorn, and her three crazy cats. She is slightly obsessed with red lipstick, heels, and crime documentaries, and is that person who always runs late.
Tropes: Teacher x Student, he falls first, forced proximity, Doctor x Patient, Women in STEM, degradation kink, sci-fi vibes, morally grey characters, forbidden spice, stalker, dark cottage core, stalker, obsessed hero
Blurb:
Horror Romance meets science fiction in this dark and delicious gothic psychological thriller by NYT bestseller Karina Halle, perfect for fans of Gothikana, Ninth House, and Mexican Gothic.
Aspiring mycologist Sydney Denik is getting a second chance. When a dream opportunity presents itself with a prestigious foundation doing promising Alzheimer’s research, Sydney leaves the shambles of her old life to join a dozen other grad students at an isolated lodge hidden away in a remote, fog-shrouded inlet on Vancouver Island.
But the Madrona Foundation harbors more than brilliant minds. Everyone around her is hiding a terrible secret—including the resident psychologist she’s falling in love with. A student disappears, and no one but Sydney seems to care. Ghosts walk the halls. Snow falls in the middle of summer. Dead animals move like the living. The more Sydney uncovers about the foundation, the more she begins to question her own sanity. And if Sydney isn’t going mad, then the horrors in the surrounding forest are real, and the Madrona Foundation may be the biggest monster of all.
NOTE: This will be a live release on Amazon for paperback, ebook and hardcover on October 23rd 2024. The paperback and ebook cover is different from the case-laminate and dustjacket hardcovers. This is a standalone novel. Check content warnings inside the book or author’s IG closer to publication.
Content warnings: Grave Matter contains scenes of gore, body horror, animal body horror, off-page animal death, mentions of suicide, off-page suicide, graphic language and graphic scenes of a sexual nature, which include degradation and praise kink, breath play, bondage with ropes and belts, and various other mild-BDSM elements. Your mental health is important to me, and this book contains all sorts of fuckery, so please proceed with caution.
I am going to need a minute or two or a bazillion to gather my thoughts on this one.
Karina has outdone herself once again with an amazing story.
I don’t know where to start, what to say without babbling too much, or how to even put my rambling thoughts into words that can perfectly express this book.
If you love dark, gothic stories, add in some science fiction with romantic vibes thrown in – this book is for you. There are so many twists and turns that I did not see coming. I lost sleep because of this book.
Charlie It was supposed to be a regular day out. Three couples celebrating the last days of summer. When tragedy struck. I thought I was going to marry her. Instead, I was burying her. I blamed the world for my pain. I buried it all. I became a man I didn’t even recognize.
Autumn In a blink of an eye, everything changed. My best friend was gone, and I was responsible for it. I may not have been driving the truck, but I didn’t stop it. Escaping the town was the only thing I could do to survive the guilt. I thought I was strong enough to go back. I was wrong. One look from him and I knew I wasn’t welcome. But this is my home, and I wanted to come back. One night turned into more. But at the end of the day, I know he’ll never love me. Besides, we all have shattered dreams.
Nothing like starting a new series off with a book that will tear your heart apart and have you feeling everything.
Charlie and Autumn both suffered a loss years ago that drastically changed both their lives.
Autumn moved away and has only returned now because of her father’s health. She’ll do everything she can to avoid Charlie but we all know fate is fickle one.
My heart broke for Autumn – I literally wanted to reach through my kindle and hug this woman. But watching her grow and finally finding her strength again was so amazing.
Charlie – I wanted to continue hating this man til the end. But seeing him realize so many things, he redeemed himself in many ways.
Natasha wrote this story beautifully and truly does not leave readers disappointed at all.
From the author of Before I’m Gone comes an intensely affecting romance about love, loss, and second chances, sure to elicit a good ugly cry.
Grayson Caballero sees the glass half-empty. Born with a life-threatening heart defect, he’s been living on borrowed time. The uncertainty of tomorrow makes him push people away, helping Grayson to avoid any real commitment.
Then he meets Reid Sullivan and falls madly in love. The two work together at the Wold Collective, Grayson as a project manager and Reid in HR. They even live in the same apartment complex. But Grayson continues to keep his distance, despite their obvious attraction. And Reid’s not interested in waiting around.
When Grayson collapses at a basketball game, Reid learns he’s been keeping secrets from her. Now his life hangs in the balance…and a stranger from Boston holds the key to his survival.
Nadia Karlsson makes a life-changing decision after her husband, Rafe, is involved in a tragic accident near Harvard Square. Her choice will unwittingly alter the course of Grayson’s future—and tie his fate unexpectedly to her own.
“Are you going to win?” She placed her hands on his cheek and scratched her nails against his scruff.
“No,” he told her, despite wanting to. He figured if he won, she’d be over-the-moon happy for him. And if he didn’t, she’d still be proud, and he wouldn’t have let her down. “There are way better runners than me.”
“Next year,” she said. “You can practice more better.”
Rafe didn’t bother correcting her, even though he knew he should. He pulled his youngest closer and held her to his chest, kissed her forehead, and then moved her to his hip. He’d carry her as long as she’d let him.
Rafe couldn’t have scripted his morning any better.
Excerpt From Heartbreak Hill (Uncorrected Proof) by Heidi McLaughlin This material may be protected by copyright.
Heidi McLaughlin is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of The Beaumont Series, The Boys of Summer, and The Archers. Originally, from the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in picturesque Vermont, with her husband, two daughters, and their three dogs. In 2012, Heidi turned her passion for reading into a full-fledged literary career, writing over twenty novels, including the acclaimed Forever My Girl. Heidi’s first novel, Forever My Girl, has been adapted into a motion picture with LD Entertainment and Roadside Attractions, starring Alex Roe and Jessica Rothe, and opened in theaters on January 19, 2018, and is now available on DVD & Digital. To stay connected with Heidi visit www.facebook.com/authorheidimclaughlin or heidimclaughlin.com
Thank you Bella Matthews for putting my emotions through the ringer with a sports romance!!
Phew, that’s literally what I said and how I felt after finishing Caitlin and Callen’s story. These two were off-the-charts blazing with chemistry.
Caitlin and Callen have grown up together, been around one another all their lives. However, neither act upon their feelings – hell one of them kept those feelings hidden, til now.
I absolutely love and adore these two. Caitlin is very head-strong and steadfast in her opinion. Being the only daughter of a mafia don, she knows how to hold her own, but also that stubbornness can be her downfall too.
Callen – this man surprised me so much. This man has always known what he wanted and this time he was not going down without fighting for it. And willing to go up against his best friend’s family to prove his worthiness – wow.
Bella Matthews knows how to write emotionally charged stories so well. The story solely focuses on Caitlin and Callen and yet she perfectly blends in the other family members and all the inner-workings to show how tight they all are. I absolutely love it.
Redeeming just might be my new favorite from Bella so far. And that is say something because I didn’t think she could top Ares Wilder.
Go read this one. You won’t regret it.
Meet Bella
Bella Matthews is a USA Today & Amazon Top 5 Bestselling author. She is married to her very own Alpha Male and raising three little ones. You can typically find her running from one sporting event to another. When she is home, she is usually hiding in her home office with the only other female in her house, her rescue dog Tinker Bell by her side. She likes to write swoon-worthy heroes and sassy, smart heroines. Sarcasm is her love language and big family dynamics are her favorite thing to add to each story.
A small-town, forbidden, standalone, new adult romance with Footloose meets A Star is Born vibes from USA Today & Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Jewel E. Ann
Her boyfriend’s older brother should be off-limits, but he’s a sinful temptation.
Sarah is a preacher’s daughter and a people pleaser. She’s also on the verge of graduating high school and following her dream of singing in Nashville. The only thing standing in her way is that the entire town of Devil’s Head, Missouri, thinks she will marry Matt, the son of the town’s richest rancher.
But Sarah’s not sure he’s her future husband, especially when his older brother, Isaac, returns home after serving six years in the Army. He has tattoos on his arms and bad habits that are not “father-approved.”
When he’s not working on the ranch or roping at the rodeo, Isaac hangs out in the barn, playing his guitar. He’s trouble, but Sarah’s music-loving heart gravitates toward him.
Isaac loves consuming Sarah’s mind, crawling under her skin, backing her into corners, and whispering inappropriate things in her innocent ears.
After weeks of playful banter and guitar lessons blurring the line between right and wrong, Issac makes Sarah a proposition she can’t refuse.
But when the unthinkable happens, and everything she knows is destroyed, will Sarah make the right choice?
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I went into this book completely blind. There has not been a book that I have not read by Jewel that I have not thoroughly loved and I doubt there ever will be.
Sunday Morning is emotionally beautiful with a good amount of angst and tension that keeps this story very lively.
Sarah is a people pleaser because she is the oldest child of a preacher; there’s certain expectations of her. But what happens when what she truly wants does not align with what everyone expects from her.
Jewel weaves this age-gap romance wonderfully. I love how naturally everything plays out and the story line just keeps you engaged the whole time. Definitely a highly recommend read.
Meet Jewel E. Ann
Jewel is a Wall Street Journal & USA Today bestselling author with a quirky sense of humor. When she’s not saving the planet one tree at a time, you can find her role modeling questionable behavior to her three boys, binge-watching Netflix with her husband, and writing mind-bending romance.
House of Heathens: The Complete Trilogy by Alta Hensley is now live!
A villain is made. A monster is hidden. A viper who is forbidden. Together, they are the Gods Among Men.
Welcome to the House of Heathens. Within these walls, you are captive to a world of decadence and sin. Where dangerous secrets hide in the shadows. And a family tree with roots so twisted, they bind and strangle each unlucky generation. Be forewarned, there is no escape from the dark obsessions of the powerful. Once you are trapped in the House of Heathens, there is no way out.
This complete trilogy includes: Villains Are Made, Monsters Are Hidden, Vipers Are Forbidden
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I have never devoured a trilogy so quickly as I did this one.
As someone who has not read any of Alta’s stories (except ones she has co-written under the pen name Blake Hensley with Zoe Blake), I was extremely impressed with this trilogy and how each book is not only amazing on it’s own, but connects wonderfully to other stories.
House of Heathens are the stories of Apollo, Phoenix and Athena – the children of the Godwin’s.
I don’t even know where to start or what to say. These stories became more addictive as read each one. Apollo we meet in the first book. We get to know Phoenix and his mysterious ways and then Athena – she is so much more than people realize.
Each story was riddle with suspense, twists and turns and lots of spice. I love that each story held it’s own appeal and kept me captivated throughout each one. But I loved how I got the overall vibe as I was able to read these stories as a whole and not have to stop in between.
Alta has quickly become a favorite of mine with her detailed writing and her intriguing characters with entertaining story lines that keep readers captive the entire time.
Meet Alta
Alta Hensley is a USA TODAY bestselling author of hot, dark and dirty romance. She is also an Amazon Top 10 bestselling author. Being a multi-published author in the romance genre, Alta is known for her dark, gritty alpha heroes, sometimes sweet love stories, hot eroticism, and engaging tales of the constant struggle between dominance and submission.
She lives in Astoria, Oregon with her husband, two daughters, and an Australian Shepherd. When she isn’t walking the coastline, and drinking beer in her favorite breweries, she is writing about villains who always get their love story and happily ever after.
My life as a queen bee was always traced for me. I’m rich, I come from an influential family, and I constructed my personality to become the girl everyone wants to be. I rule Silver Falls University with bright smiles and the pretense of being everyone’s friend.
𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐱𝐢𝐜 𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐧𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞. Especially when my family loses its power and someone threatens to spill all my secrets. In the blink of an eye, my life as I knew it crumbles, and to save the people I love, I’m forced to initiate into the one place I thought I’d never be—the same Secret Society who betrayed my family.
Powerless, I’m thrown into a world of men who want nothing but to use and break me, and only one person can save me.
My ex.
He wants to take care of me even though I hate him. He wants to protect me when he’s not allowed. And he wants to make me his even if it puts us both at risk.
I have no hope of surviving a secret society.
But if Christopher Murray makes me his…𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐦.
Consider me a new Lola King fan. This was my first book by Lola and definitely won’t be my last.
Where do I even start with this review?! Ok – I will do quick what did not work for me and why this isn’t a full five star book. This is a spin-off series and if you have not read anything by Lola (like myself) or did not read the series this is spun off from, you can definitely tell. There are some nuances that are glazed over that, for me, needed to be touched on a bit more to understand the background and history of who these people are. Did it hurt the overall story, no. But it did hurt the flow for me when I hit those parts in the book.
With that being said, overall, this book was really great. I enjoyed the characters, their characteristics and mannerisms and how they all interacted. Lola does a great job of not sugarcoating who they are and stays true to them throughout the entire story.
Ella is Queen Bee and has this image to maintain, all the while, behind closed doors she is anything but she portrays. She’s a complicated FMC with her own demons. She’s been pushed around but at the same time, knows when to hold her own.
Chris is her ex, but also her brother’s best friend, who never knows they dated. To everyone, he’s the perfect gentleman. But Ella knows better than that, or at least she thought she knew him. She comes to learn, that with her, there are zero boundaries he is willing to cross.
Loving the Liar is a dark academia romance with secret society vibes meshed in to deliver one suspenseful story. A story I highly recommend.
Meet Lola
ᴠɪʟʟᴀɪɴs, ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙʀᴇᴀᴋs, ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴀᴘᴘɪʟʏ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴀғᴛᴇʀs
Lola King is a dark, steamy romance author who loves giving happily ever afters to antiheroes. She writes about flawed and deeply broken characters and the women who bring them to their knees. Her books are sometimes cute, sometimes angsty but always sexy! Lola lives in London and if she isn’t writing, she is most likely keeping her mind busy putting together a play or making music.
Prove to the Seattle Serpents I’m not a complete screwup.
Stay away from the nanny.
I’m hardly able to keep myself out of trouble, let alone a seven-year-old, but when my estranged brother gets a life sentence, I have no choice but to clean up my act and take the kid in.
It’s all going according to plan…until I’m forced to hire Quinn Benson.
She’s everything I need to avoid—flighty, messy, creating chaos everywhere she goes. But she makes my niece happy, so I hire her anyway, keeping our interactions as brief as possible, even when she moves in with me.
Thing is, the more she’s around, the more I want her around—and not just as a nanny. I can’t seem to stop falling into bed with her even when I know I shouldn’t. Quinn goes against everything I’m trying to accomplish, but I can’t stay away.
This might be one delayed penalty I don’t mind serving…
DELAYED PENALTY is a standalone hockey romance novel. There’s a single guardian a bit on the grumpy side, a sunshine nanny who doesn’t take any crap from him, an adorable little girl you’ll want to hug and keep safe, ridiculous teammates who make way too crude jokes, plenty of steam, and a happy ending.
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HAYES!!!! I have been waiting for this man’s story for what feels like a lifetime and Teagan did not disappoint me with this one.
Delayed Penalty started off on the right foot with hilarity I have always come to love from Teagan and just gets better from there. Teagan gives readers two characters who are more than relatable in so many ways. But I love that these two compliment one another too.
Hayes and Quinn find themselves charting new territory they never anticipated and when Hayes needs Quinn and Quinn unknowingly needs Hayes help – these two find themselves tangled up in more ways than one.
I loved this story and how it all unfolded. Teagan always deliver the right amount of humor at the right times and it blends wonderfully with the romance. The banter between the characters helps keeps thing from getting too serious, but doesn’t take away from anything either.
Delayed Penalty is a great addition to the Seattle Serpents series.
Meet Teagan
TEAGAN HUNTER writes steamy romantic comedies with lots of sarcasm and a side of heart. She loves pizza, hockey, and romance novels, though not in that order. When not writing, you can find her watching entirely too many hours of Supernatural, One Tree Hill, or New Girl. She’s mildly obsessed with Halloween and prefers cooler weather. She married her high school sweetheart, and they currently live in the PNW.
From internationally bestselling author K.A. Tucker comes the fourth and final novel in her Fate and Flame series, an adult fantasy story that should be read in series order.
“Prophecy always finds a way.”
The will of the fates has come to pass. Monsters swarm from the depths, while dragons soar overhead. And the throne of Islor lies vacant… but not for long.
Fleeing the merciless sirens, Tyree and Annika find themselves stranded on a distant shore. Forced together to survive, they find old magics and terrifying new enemies.
For Romeria and Zander, the long-held secrets of the casters’ magic reveal a chance to finally master the power that has held all their lives in the balance for too long.
But with power comes betrayal. And sacrifices must be made.
The final book in the captivating Fate & Flame series.
Download today on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and Kobo!
Ms. Tucker has saved the best for last!!! Wow, this book definitely blew me away and all my expectations.
This is the final book in her Fate and Flame series and it was so worth all the turmoil and suspense we have been put through. And do not let the 700+ pages scare you or deter you – you will fly through these pages and be all caught up in everything that transpires
This is told from different POV’s and that helps keeps this story moving and allows readers to truly see all the ins and outs of each character. The overall plot still surrounds Romeria but the additional and new things (I am trying to be as vague as possible) are perfection as it all ties together wonderfully and gives us readers what we want.
Ms. Tucker definitely gave her all in this book and even leaves a few things unsettled which has me wondering will we get a spin-off in the near future!?!?
Absolutely read this series; it’s now complete so you have zero reasons to not start now!
A Fate of Wrath & Flame is now on sale for just 99¢ in US & CA stores!
K.A. Tucker writes captivating stories with an edge.
She is the internationally bestselling author of over thirty books, including Ten Tiny Breaths, The Simple Wild, and the Fate & Flame series, Until It Fades, Say You Still Love Me, and Keep Her Safe. Her books have been featured in national publications including USA Today, Globe & Mail, Suspense Magazine, Publisher’s Weekly, Oprah Mag, and First for Women.
From the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of 44 Chapters About 4 Men (inspiration for the hit series Sex/Life on Netflix) comes the highly anticipated sequel to her dark Irish mafia romance, Devil of Dublin.
Growing up, I spent every night tucked under my mother’s arm, dreamily listening to tales from her favorite book series—Legend Has It by Darby Donovan, a collection of spooky folklore about a town called Glenshire and the lonely, gray-eyed fairy prince who haunted the woods there. I knew they were just stories, but when my mother died and left me in the care of my cold, abusive father, that fictional fairy prince suddenly became very, very real to me. It was as if he was always there, hiding in the shadows, offering me his silent comfort. I turned him into an imaginary friend when I needed one most.
And thirteen years later, I’m doing it again.
When my coastal Irish town is bombed by the new Russian president, a Bratva leader seeking revenge on the United Irish Brotherhood, those missiles destroy everything I’ve ever known—my home, my family, and evidently my sanity—because when I pull an injured Russian Navy officer out of the sea, a man who led the charge against my town, I can’t bring myself to let him die.
Secluded together in my secret hiding spot, we’re safe from the Mafia war raging outside, but the overwhelming connection I feel to this stranger is a battle I fight every single day. I hate him with everything that I am, but when he looks at me with those smoky gray eyes, all I see is my friend. When he touches me, all I feel is desire. And when he wraps his lips around the sustenance I offer him, all I want is to feel them pressed against mine, loving me, putting me back together.
But no one can live in a fantasy world forever, and when reality finally finds us, the truth about him is worse than anything I could have imagined.
The man I rescued is no fairy prince.
He’s the goddamn Devil himself.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: The Devil Himself is a continuation of Devil of Dublin and is not intended to be read as a standalone. It contains the same dark themes, graphic violence, and explicit content as Book 1, but if you have questions about specific subject matter, a comprehensive content warning can be found on my website. Thank you, and enjoy!
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We are back in Ireland and B.B. immediately takes our breath away in the first chapter.
I am not going to give you any details about this book. The blurb is all you need if you need to know what you are getting yourself into.
B.B. takes readers on another fast-paced, action-packed, suspenseful story. But it’s also so much more than that – it’s a journey for Clover and Damien that is filled with sorrow but hope. It’s definitely a rough journey, but it’s one that in the end will leaving feeling so happy.
That’s all I am saying. This story was so much more than I expected and I loved it even more because of that. Definitely a highly recommend read, but please review TW if you have any.
Meet BB Easton
BB Easton is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of 44 CHAPTERS ABOUT 4 MEN, the hilarious, steamy, tell-all memoir that inspired the Netflix Original Series, SEX/LIFE. Within the first month, SEX/LIFE was viewed by 67 million households worldwide, making it the 3rd Most Watched Netflix Original Series of all time.
BB was a stressed-out school psychologist and mother of two when the inspiration to write 44 CHAPTERS ABOUT 4 MEN struck. Through that process, she rediscovered her passion for writing, became dangerously sleep-deprived, and finally mustered enough courage to quit her job and become a full-time author.
BB went on to publish four more wickedly funny, shockingly steamy, and heartwarmingly autobiographical books in the 44 CHAPTERS series: SKIN, SPEED, STAR, and SUIT. Since then, she’s been hard at work, writing fictional stories that appeal to her love for us-against-the-world romance, including a dystopian trilogy (BAD BOYS DON’T DIE), a psychologist-client romantic comedy (GROUP THERAPY), and a dark Mafia romance series (DEVIL OF DUBLIN).
Meet Lola
