Review: The Has-Been

Title -  The Has-Been 

Author - Wren Riley 

Series - Delleth College Series 

Genre -  Hockey Romance, Second Chance, Found Family 

Format - eArc

From - Rattle the Stars PR 

Grab your copy

Add to yourTBR 

Synopsis 

Same campus. Same memories. Same unfinished story.

The only thing Aubrey Vaughn ever wanted was Liam Anderson. At least, that’s what she used to believe.

Now, she’s back on campus for her final year at Delleth, determined to make the most of the time she has left—rooming with her cousins and focusing on the career she’s building in athletic training. But her plans to make this year different quickly crumble when she has to face the one athlete she knows best: her ex-boyfriend, Liam.

Liam was the star center of Delleth’s hockey team until a shattered leg and one mistake took everything from him. After a year away, the only goals he’s intent on scoring are completing his degree and putting his past behind him. That is, until he finds himself in the same clinical rotation as Aubrey, the only girl he’s ever loved.

Determined to protect her, Liam does his best to push her away, but they’ve never been good at staying apart. Their lingering attraction, that magnetic pull, drags them back together. Both are keeping dark secrets, trying to outrun the past, but when it finally catches up with them, Liam and Aubrey must decide if love is enough to survive the truth.

The Has-Been is the first book in the interconnected Delleth College series, which explores the lives of the vastly different Vaughn cousins. If you love the idea of a second-chance romance set on a snow-covered campus in northern Michigan, with exes-to-lovers, forced proximity, and chosen sisterhood, then look no further!

Review 

I received The Has-Been in return for an honest review from Rattle The Stars PR. 

It's Liam and Aubrey final year and if they can avoid each other they may just make it to graduation. However, sometimes fate takes a hand and tosses them into each others paths. They can't deny the attraction is still there and it looks like avoiding each other is impossible when they will be working together. Maybe a second chance is just what they needed as life has changed so much for them both. 

I love Aubrey she's a sweetheart I really felt like I was able to connect with her and Liam is such a great complement to her. They have this adorable chemistry that just works so well it's sweet and just the right amount of spice. I loved the supporting cast in the story as well and I can't wait to see more of them in the next book of the series. 

This is the author's debut book and I'm obsessed with Aubrey and Liam's story. I devoured this one in just one sitting and didn't stop till the very last page. The author has done a beautiful job creating engaging characters and a story that stole a little place in my heart. I loved every moment of the story and can't wait for the next book in the series. The author has quickly become one of my new favorite auto buy authors. Highly recommend if you enjoy sweet second chance romance. 

Book Review: To All The Guys I Killed Before

Title -  To All The Guys I Killed Before 

Author - Sara Whitney  

Series - The Right Kind of Wrong Book 1 

Genre -  Dark Romance, He Falls First, Found Family   

Format - eArc

From - Hambright PR 

Grab your copy

Add to yourTBR 

Synopsis 

Rue Bellamy thinks I'm the most boring man alive, and I intend to keep it that way.

As long as my sweet-faced neighbor never sees past my beige cardigans and passionate opinions about rose fertilizer, she won't realize I've been in love with her for every one of the 538 days I've known her.

She also won't think to look for the cameras I installed in her half of our duplex. (What can I say? Surveillance is my love language.)

Best of all, she'll never connect those impeccably staged accidents she processes as a county death investigator to the man watering the rosebushes next door.

Hugo Mohr lurks at my mailbox every single day so he can bore me to death with his small talk.

That's why it's always a relief to slip away, pull on a mask, and deliver justice where the system won't, one solitary kill at a time.

Or it was, until a rival vigilante starts turning up at my future crime scenes like he owns them (because as far as he's concerned, he does). I don't know his name or what he looks like. I just know I'm taking risks I shouldn't so I can see him again.

Then one of our murder-dates goes spectacularly wrong, and I discover that my nerdy psychologist neighbor and the seasoned killer I'm falling for are the same guy.

A vigilante situationship hits different when you share a wall—and that's before I find out Hugo's got even more secrets than I do.

To All the Guys I Killed Before is a delightfully unhinged mashup of Mr. and Mrs. Smith's secret double lives, Lights Out's morally gray golden retriever hero, and Butcher & Blackbird's blood-slicked banter. Book 1 in the Right Kind of Wrong series is funny, spicy, ridiculously romantic, and genuinely dark, with a killer found family and enough OMG WHAT??? moments to fill several unmarked graves. Books 2 and 3—How to Slay a Guy in Ten Days and He's Just Not That Into Stalking You—are coming for you soon.

Review 

I received To All The Guys I Killed Before in return for an honest review from Hambright PR. 

Rue and Hugo are neighbors they share a duplex as well as secrets that they hide from each other. Hugo is in love with Rue and has been since she moved in and she thinks he's a boring man who likes to ramble. When a masked encounter leaves them flirting with each other they start in a game of meeting up however neither has forgotten about their neighbor. 

I love Rue and Hugo they are so much alike as they flip from the normal boring life into the masked world. Plus they just have so much chemistry as they learn more about each other you can't help cheering them on. We have a great supporting cast that is great addition to the story plus a new puppy that moves into their lives. 

This is a fast paced dark romance that captured my attention right from the start and kept me hooked till the very last page. I ended up devouring the book in one afternoon as I had to know how it would all end. I laughed and giggled throughout the story and I loved every moment of it. This is my first book by the author and I'm obsessed with her storytelling and need to read all her backlist. If you like a dark romance with characters to fall in love with I highly recommend. 

Book Tour & Review: Inheriting a Rodeo Cowboy

 Title - Inheriting a Rodeo Cowboy 

Author - Michele Dunaway 

Series - Book 2 in Legacy Canyon 

Genre -  Cowboy Romance  

Format - Physical Copy

From - Part of the tour hosted by Kate Rock Book Tour 

Grab your copy

Add to yourTBR 

Synopsis 

Her grandfather left her a ranch…

And a rodeo cowboy!

Kristen Larrabee is surprised when she inherits her grandfather’s ranch, but she’s even more stunned when she learns the conditions: She has to stay on the ranch for a year…and she has to run it with Lucas Thomas. Reeling from her recent divorce, Kristen and Lucas shared a steamy night on her last trip home. But the bigger problem is that the rodeo rider is a member of the family that’s been feuding with her family for years. Kristen can’t deny that the cowboy is good at his job and oh-so-tempting to lean on. But can she trust him with her family’s ranch…or her heart?

From Harlequin Special Edition: Believe in love. Overcome obstacles. Find happiness.

Legacy Canyon

Book 1: A Texas-Sized Fake Out

Book 2: Inheriting a Rodeo Cowboy

Review 

I received Inheriting a Rodeo Cowboy in return for an honest review from the author and tour hosted by Kate Rock Book Tours. 

Kristen has returned to Legacy Canyon for her brothers wedding but she's not staying long and plans to return to Chicago as soon as she can. She didn't expect to be swept off her feet by Lucas but her time at home is short lived as she needs to return to her life in Chicago. When she finds herself return home a year later the cowboy is still around and she can't deny her attraction. When fate forces her to give up her life in Chicago it may just be what she needs to start a new life. 

Kristen is such a great character I really felt that I was able to connect with and she's just such a great character. I loved Kristen and Lucas they are adorable and have this sweet undeniable chemistry. Lucas has been in love with Kristen since high school and now he has the chance. It's just sweet and he's exactly what she needs now that she's starting her life over after a messy divorce. Kristen is a vet who finally has the chance to follow her dream

I loved this one so much and devoured it in just a few short hours I couldn't put it down till the last page. This is my first book by the author and i'm obsessed with her writing style.The story is beautifully written with characters to fall in love with and story that kept me hooked till the last page. I'm planing on diving into Wyatt's story next because I did read them out of order. I also have my fingers crossed for Caleb's story next. In the meantime the author has a long backlist and I'm looking forward to reading them all. 

Happy Release & Review: Secret Seduction

Title - Secret Seduction 

Author - Nikki Ash 

Series - Book 4 Tempting Love 

Genre -  Dark Mafia Romance 

Format - Physical Copy

From - Author 

Grab your copy

Add to yourTBR 

Synopsis 

She’s too young. Too reckless. And now she’s my wife.

Vanessa Baker is a temptation with a body made for seduction and secrets swirling in her violet eyes.

There’s no denying that she’s a stunning woman, but she’s a wild card.

Irresistible, unpredictable, and unexpected.

Exactly the kind of trouble I’ve vowed to stay away from.

So, imagine my shock when I wake up in the Bahamas with a ring on my finger and Vanessa in my bed—with no memory of how either got there.

She swears she had no choice. That marrying me was the only way to save herself from a dangerous deal she’d never agreed to.

And now I’m torn between protecting her and resenting her … doing the right thing and wishing I’d never met her.

I don’t trust easily. Not with my heart. Not with my son. And I definitely don’t trust her.

But I bring her home anyway—because her life is at risk. And even though she doesn’t deserve my protection, she has it.

Every day she’s here, charming my son, slipping past my walls, she reminds me of what love is supposed to feel like.

So, what happens when she doesn’t need me anymore … and I still want her anyway?

Please note: Secret Seduction is not a mafia romance. The book is a dark romance because of its content. Since dark romance can mean different things to different readers, please check the detailed content warnings on my website. Your mental health matters.

Review 

I received Secret Seduction in return for an honest review from the author. 

Lorenzo heads off for a wedding and little did he know that he would end up being the one coming home married. He wakes up to find that he got married and that he needs to save Vanessa from her family who's determined to use her for financial gains. Vanessa has goals and dreams to be a fashion designer till she finds out her step father is planning to sell her. So she takes a risk finding help in an unlikely place. Little did she know that she would end up finding more than she bargained for. 

This is Lorenzo's and Vanessa's story and I just loved them. I hate to admit it but they are my favorite couple in the series. Vanessa is just adorable and Lorenzo is swoon-worthy in every way. I ended up devouring this one in just a few hours hooked from the start till the very last page. This book features our prior couples and I loved having a little time with them again. 

I have loved all the books in the series each one is beautifully written with characters to fall in love with an story to steal a little piece of my heart. I'm a huge fan of the authors writing style every book is a perfect balance of romance and just the right balance of spice. This one had me crying happy tears and I'm just so much in love. This whole series has been amazing and I can't get enough of it. Highly recommend if you are a fan of darker romance that will steal your heart. 

 

Book Review: Chasing the Rush

Title - Chasing the Rush 

 Author - Lauren Rowe

Series - Book 2 in Football and Feels

Genre -  Sports Romance 

Format - Physical Copy

From - Kensington Publishing

Grab your copy

Add to yourTBR 

Synopsis 

Rudy meets Moneyball in a sexy yet warm-hearted, second-chance football romance for fans of Sarah Adams, Tessa Bailey, Monica Murphy, Kristen Callihan, and Lucy Score, as the analytical, math-nerd, type-A daughter of a tough love coach is assigned to babysit the team’s adrenaline junkie pass rusher.

Chelsea Parker, 25, knows football, thanks to growing up with a football coach for a father and two linebackers for brothers. But Chelsea’s true passion has always been math: crunching numbers to predict statistical outcomes for everything from football to stocks to romance. Chelsea dreams of merging her two passions to become the first female head of analytics for an NFL team. But for now, she’s got to convince the powers-that-be at her father’s new team, the Mastodons, the worst in the NFL, to give her that entry-level position in the front office.

Luca Maguire, 26, a pass rusher and adrenaline junkie with a famous last name, knows this upcoming training camp with his new team, the Mastodons, will likely be his last, if he can’t get out of his own way long enough to make the cut. The dire nature of his circumstances is the only reason Luca didn’t quit on the spot when Coach Parker assigned his daughter, Chelsea, a statistics-loving, spreadsheet-making math nerd, as Luca’s “personal coach” for the duration of camp. More like his babysitter, if you ask Luca.

Well, okay, Luca didn’t quit for that reason and another one: the thing that happened seven years ago between Luca and Chelsea as strangers, when Luca’s college football team stayed at the same hotel as Chelsea’s mathletes squad. Luca would never admit this to Chelsea, especially not with her being Coach’s daughter and the newly assigned bane of his existence, but the truth is Luca hasn’t stopped thinking about that cute little mathlete who ditched his ass seven years ago, right before their clothes came off, ever since.

Review 

I received Chasing the Rush in return for an honest review from Kensington Publishing. 

This is the second book in the Football and Feels series that's interconnecting standalone so the first isn't required but recommend. This is Chelsea may be all about math but she grew up with football. Now that college is over she's helping her dad with his team and the one man in college she has never stopped thinking about has just walked back into her life. Luca hasn't stopped thinking about Chelsea and even tried to find her but now she's tasked with babysitting him since his career has been a little rocky. 

I just loved Chelsea and Luca they are adorable together and this fun banter that made me giggle out loud a few times. They have this sweet yet spicy relationship that just works so well. I loved seeing the prior characters pop in because I miss them. I ended up devouring this book in just one short afternoon and loved evey moment of it. I hate to admit it but I may just love this Chelsea and Luca's story over Iris and Roman. I think both will hold a special place in my heart. 

I've read several books by the author and she never disappoints every book has just been amazing. Each story is beautiful crafted with characters to fall in love with and a story that steals a little piece of your soul. To say I'm obsessed with her writing would be an understatement. I'm hooked and she's one of my favorite romance authors. I could use several more of this series because it's one of my favorites and I'm not ready to say goodbye yet. Highly recommend if you enjoy sports romance or just love a beautiful story. 

 

Book Review: Her Silence

Title - Her Silence 

Author - S.T. Ashman 

Series - Standalone   

Genre -  Thriller 

Format - Physical Copy 

From - Hambright PR  

Grab your copy

Add to your TBR 

Synopsis 

From bestselling author S. T. Ashman comes an emotional psychological thriller about a mother who refuses to let her daughter take the fall for a crime that doesn't make sense… even if the truth is worse than prison.

She survived the night. The truth didn't.

Nicole gets the call at 4 a.m. Her daughter, Lacey, was found in the woods beside her friend's dead husband. He was stabbed forty-four times. Lacey is barely alive, covered in his blood, and completely mute. She hasn't said a word since. Not to the police. Not to her husband. Not even to Nicole.

Nicole had Lacey at seventeen and swore her daughter would have a good life. Now Lacey is sitting in a jail cell, and Nicole's three grandchildren are left behind with a father who is losing it.

But Nicole knows her daughter. She isn't a cold-blooded murderer. Guilt didn't silence her. Fear did. Whatever happened in those woods scared Lacey more than prison.

So Nicole starts digging. But some secrets don't save people. They destroy them.

Her Silence hit the Top 3 Most Wanted Thriller Chart on NetGalley Worldwide and has become one of Bookstagram's favorite thrillers of the year.

Review 

I received Her Silence in return for an honest review from Hambright PR. 

Nicole get's a phone call in the middle of the night to find out that her daughter isn't speaking and she's been found with the body of her friend. Suddenly Nicole's life spirals out of control as she try's to figure out what happened. With her daughter refusing to speak she is forced to solve what really happened that night on her own.  

 I loved Nicole she a great character you can't help cheering her on as she takes on this mystery. I devoured this book in just one afternoon it grabbed me right from the start and kept me hooked till the very last page. I'm very much in my thriller era and this book was just what I needed. It was a perfect balance of story that just flows along and it was easy to get lost in the story. 

I think I've read all the authors books and may be a tad bit obsessed with her thrillers. So this one had some big shoes to fill and it doesn't disappoint. It might be my favorite so far as it kept me on my toes till the very last page. The author has done an amazing job creating a captivating thriller full of mystery. Highly recommend all her books if you are looking for a fantastic thriller. I'm addicted to her storytelling she's one of my favorite thriller authors. 

 

Book Review: By Blade, I Protect

Title - By Blade, I Protect 

Author - Penelope Sky 

Series - By Blade Book 1  

Genre -  Dark Mafia Romance 

Format - Physical Copy 

From - Over The River PR 

Grab your copy

Add to your TBR 

Synopsis 

My father runs the only arms operation in Sicily, and now that the Skull King is monopolizing the drug empire in all of Italy, we’re in hot water.

Because everyone wants to take our business for themselves—because they aren’t strong enough to handle the Skull King.

Just when things are looking bad, Wolfe shows up looking for a job. He was born to inherit the throne of Cosa Nostra, but a mysterious falling out has forced him to turn his back on the only family he’s ever known.

None of us are sure if we can trust him, so he has to start at the bottom and prove his loyalty. With a cocky smirk on his face and a twinkle in his eyes, he does what he’s told.

But the second he sets eyes on me—I become the real thing he wants. But I’m not dumb enough to get involved with one of the guys at the syndicate, no matter how insanely hot he is, so I tell him it’s never going to happen.

But this man doesn’t stop.

Review 

I received By Blade, I Protect in return for an honest review from Over The River PR. 

Francesca works with her father and helps out where she can. Her father has taken on Wolfe who's walked away from his own family to start over. They have this instant attraction that turns from a whirlwind night into a secret relationship. Wolfe has to prove himself to her father and she has to figure out how to tell her father she's fallen for him. However, being part of the mafia world danger is around every corner. 

I started this one before bed and had to put it down so that I didn't stay up all night reading and finished it first thing in the morning as I couldn't wait to see how it would end. I love Francesca she's such a sweetheart considering she's grown up in a mafia family. Wolfe is a perfect swoon-worthy morally grey guy that is perfect for her. They have this spicy connection that neither can deny and Wolfe is playing for keeps. 

I've read several of the authors books but this one may just be my favorite so far. The characters were easy to connect with and I loved their instant connection it just works. I'm still having a little book-hanger and can't wait for the next one to come out as I need to know what's going to happen next. The author has done a beautiful job creating a story with just the right amount of spice that keep me hooked till the very last page. Highly recommend if you are looking for a dark mafia romance.