Book Review: The Difference Between Somehow and Someway by Aly Martinez

The Difference Between Somehow and Someway by Aly Martinez
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This review is so hard to write because I don’t want to give away anything about this book. I want you to be as blindsided as I have been by everything in these books. My advice? Please do not read any reviews that contain spoilers. Bowen and Remi’s story is best read with a clear mind.

So…

I am once again gutted by Bowen and Remi’s story. I thought that I couldn’t be deceived anymore since the first book; I thought I was smarter than that. But, I was wrong. 100% wrong. I didn’t realize I was going to be as heartbroken as Bowen and Remi were in this book. I cried over this couple. I. Literally. Shed. Tears. There were twists I didn’t see coming. There were people tangled in this web of deceit that I didn’t ever suspect. Then the cliffhanger twist? That blew my mind… completely. I cannot wait for the conclusion to this trilogy. There is so much to get resolved and I have to wonder how my mind is going to get blown next. This is probably THE trilogy of 2022!


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Book Review: De Lucci's Obsession by Victoria Paige

De Lucci's Obsession by Victoria Paige
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book had a whole lot going on. We have Ava: loyal to her Irish American family, college student, and desperate to save her family’s pub. Then we have Cesar: member of one of the mob families, mysterious, and older brother to Ava’s childhood best friend, Paulie. Ava makes a few bad decisions and finds herself in trouble where Cesar saves the day. There is chemistry between Ava and Cesar but his mysterious ways are always coming in between them. I’m all for an alpha man but the word obsession doesn’t quite describe this. Cesar makes decisions concerning Ava that I’m not sure I could tolerate if it were my relationship. But, hey, this is Ava’s story so whatever she likes is what she likes. I’m glad that she was written as a strong, fiery woman and didn’t tolerate too much of Cesar’s $hit. The story behind Cesar’s mysterious business dealings was not expected (by me anyway). Overall, it was a good story.

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Book Review: Angel by Savannah Rylan

Angel by Savannah Rylan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We got hints to Angel and Nadia’s relationship in Bender. But, this book is all about them. Nadia is put in the middle of the ongoing MC war between the Steel Scorpions and Devil’s Rage. Angel is determined to do what he has to in order to protect her no matter what. His feelings for Nadia put his spot in the MC in jeopardy when he has to go outside the club to help Nadia. There are references to the events in Bender; if you haven’t read that book, then the references may be a little confusing for you. Even though this is Angel and Nadia’s story, I wanted a little more closure between Angel and Nadia’s sister, Aria (aka the main in Bender). There is a scene where she references the sisters’ past with Angel and I wanted to see that talked through and resolved. We also are introduced to the female lead for the next book in the series and it appears to be a promising story.

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Book Review: Endless - Encore by Kaylene Winter

Endless - Encore: Ty & Zoey by Kaylene Winter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love the LTZ series so I was excited to see new content released for the series. I’d be lying if I said I loved Endless Encore as much as I loved the original Endless. I love Ty and Zoey, don’t get me wrong. But, I feel like I needed a little more from them in this book. We do learn a lot more about Ty’s past and it is heartbreaking. So heartbreaking that I wanted to reach through the pages and give him a hug. The twist towards the end, I kind of guessed but thought it was too obvious to be the right answer so I second guessed myself. It did make for some interesting ending chapters and I can’t wait to see more about it in a future book. Now, I’m curious as to what has Jace and Alex being crabby. I have some guesses but I will have to wait until their Encore comes out.

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Book Review: Country by Lila Rose

Country by Lila Rose
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

MC Romances are my guilty pleasure; have been for several years. So, when I saw that this new MC series was being released, I decided to give it a try. This series ties in with another of the author’s series that I have not read. Mentions of an incident from one of those books are in this book but not elaborated on. Without having read those books yet, I am not sure if having read them will enhance the experience of this book or not.

Country is the president of the Diamond MC. Dusty lived a life where she never wanted for anything except attention from her parents. She is fiercely independent, works two jobs to make more money and applies to be a club girl for the Diamond MC to have a place to stay. She has eyes for one member but believes they don’t stand a chance. We get some betrayal, some dark parts, and some sweet parts.

I am excited to read more about the Diamond MC and go back and read the series this is a spin off from.


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Book Review: The Devil Tainted Us by Shanjida Nusrath Ali

The Devil Tainted Us by Shanjida Nusrath Ali
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don’t even know how to write this review. This is probably the darkest book I have read. I have read many books that are classified as dark romance. But, none of them even compare to this book. The opening pages set the tone… After reading the prologue, if you don’t know how dark this book is, don’t be surprised later. There’s romance, betrayal, murder, torture, and triggers galore.

Agatha is sent to an asylum by her evil brother in law. Eryx, one of the “priests” at the Magdalene Asylum falls for Agatha. But, he has his own secrets and demons. Can they survive the curse of Mery Heights?

This book just left me floored. When I thought it couldn’t get any darker, it shows me that it surely can. There were times my eyes got wide and I threw my hand over my mouth in utter shock. Is all of that a bad thing? Absolutely not. Shanjida Nusrath Ali can write 50 more books like this one and I’d be there for it!

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Book Review: Because of the Dark by Danah Logan

Because of the Dark by Danah Logan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Because of the Dark is Book 4 in the The Dark series but can be read as a standalone. I have not read the first 3 (but they are now on my TBR List) so I went into this blind.

Wes Sheats is living in Montana and plays football for a local university. He’s there to piece together his life after being betrayed by his high school best friend (you get a basic background of this which was in the previous books). Kingsley “King” Monroe is running from her past. She is supposed to keep moving but hesitates when she first sees Wes. Her childhood best friend, “Kiwi” came to live in Montana as well; Mags takes her in and becomes another close friend. They are both best friend goals.

Wes and King’s pasts collide and they both have choices to make. King gets help from an unlikely source as we learn all about King’s secrets.


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Book Review: Secrets & Lies Boxed Set by M.M. Koenig

The Secrets and Lies Box Set by M.M. Koenig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the boxed set containing all 3 books of the Secret and Lies trilogy. This trilogy focuses on the story of Ethan Fitzgerald and Mia Ryan. I am going to do this review on the series as a whole rather than each individual book. I never read these books before the boxed set so I am unsure of what deleted scenes had been added.

It took me a while to get into the book. It also took me a while to get into Ethan and Mia’s story. To be honest, there were still times I silently shouted to Mia to run as far away from Ethan as possible. There were times I got a little bored with “filler scenes”. I feel like most of this trilogy could’ve been reduced to a duet. With all that being said, the majority of the story was good. Mia’s past was mind blowing. The supporting characters were amazing and really brought more understanding to the story.


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Book Review: Ranger Danger by L.A. Wayward

Ranger Danger by L.A. Wayward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a novella so the story itself is fast paced. Rafe and Storm are forced to spend some time together by reasons out of their control. The insta lust/love is there simply because this is a stand alone novella. There’s secrets, tear jerking back stories, misunderstandings and lots and lots of spice. I honestly would have enjoyed this just as much if it were a full length novel with more drawn out story – which would be more drama and spice. Novellas are always good when you want a quick read; I 100% recommend this one.


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Book Review: Mall You Need Is Love by Sarah Robinson

Mall You Need is Love by Sarah Robinson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was contacted to consider reviewing this book. The blurb sounded interesting so I agreed. I then checked the reviews online and saw so many discouraging ones. I was a little scared the book would be a bust.

But, it wasn’t! I don’t understand all the low reviews. It is a novella so naturally the story would be fast paced. But, it was a good fast paced.

Amara and Valentino own neighboring businesses in the local mall. After a crime is committed in the mall, the two work together as a mall patrol unit. Amara doesn’t believe in the whole “love is grand” thing while Valentino believes in the magic of love. The banter between these two is funny and left me chuckling at times. There are also some heartwarming and touching moments as the two discover that there is more to the other than it appeared.

Will Valentino break down Amara’s walls? Or will she continue to remain shut off? This is a short, sweet, and romantic read.


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Book Review: A Little Red by Bethany Maines

A Little Red by Bethany Maines
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don’t usually read much paranormal much less shifter stories. But, I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and decided to give this one a try. This is also a “new to me” author. A story with shapeshifting wolves, fae, witches, warlocks, and vampires? If mermaids were included it’d be the perfect occult recipe.

I actually enjoyed this story much more than I thought I would. Liam and Scarlet were great characters and you could instantly root for them… even though they were both keeping secrets about themselves from the other. They are both alpha outside the bedroom but it’s very obvious that Liam is the alpha in the bedroom. We are introduced to Scarlet’s siblings who are the characters for the next two in the trilogy. I definitely hope we still see Liam and Scarlet in the rest of the series as secondary characters. This is a shorter read. The only reason it got 4 stars was because some of the scenes/writing was choppy but overall the story was great.


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Book Review: Flawless Ruin by Roxy Sloane

Flawless Ruin by Roxy Sloane
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Flawless Ruin is book 2 of the Flawless Trilogy. It begins where book 1 left off and Juliet and Caleb are dealing with the aftermath of the gala. Juliet discovers who her friends are. Caleb is hurt by Juliet’s actions but can’t seem to let go of her. The smut scenes are still just as smutty as book 1. At the end there is a raw emotion scene between Juliet and Caleb that leads us to a cliffhanger that leaves me eager to read the conclusion of the trilogy (too bad I have to wait a month…) I need the conclusion now! I need to see how the love story ends. I need to know how Caleb’s legal issues end. I need to see the truth about Olivia because I feel like her motives are more than what she’s saying. And why do I feel like there are rats within the Sterling Cross employee pool? I just need answers!

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Book review: Flawless Desire by Roxy Sloane

Flawless Desire by Roxy Sloane
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Flawless Desire is book 1 in the Flawless Trilogy. Juliet needs money and needs it fast so she applies as an assistant to Sterling Cross’s CEO. Juliet’s intentions aren’t all that it seems. Besides needing money for her mother’s care, she has an ulterior motive for applying. Everything becomes complicated for Juliet when her boss, Caleb Sterling, takes an interest in her. Caleb is acting shady and Juliet begins to wonder if he is what he says he is.

The smut scenes? They were so smutty even I felt dirty afterwards.

The mystery and intrigue kept me invested in the storyline. What is Caleb hiding? Will the truth about Juliet come out? What is going on at Sterling Cross?

This ends in a cliffhanger at a predictable moment. The cliffhanger didn’t bother me since I knew I had the next book ready to read right after.


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Book Review: Less Than Zero Box Set by Kaylene Winter

Less Than Zero Box Set by Kaylene Winter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I want to begin this review talking about the series as a whole before going into the individual books. I love how this series is written. I love that these individual novels are woven into each other and I get to see several different views of the same incidents. I love that while some events are mentioned briefly in one book, we get the bigger picture when it is some other character’s turn to have a book.

I also love the Behind The Scenes section at the end of each book. Reading these tidbits of information about each book really helps connect the dots in each story.

Book 1: Endless

In Book 1, we are introduced to Less Than Zero’s lead singer, Tyler aka Ty. Tyler comes from a troubled home and is taken under rockstar Carter’s wing (you meet Carter in the prequel). Zoey is a high school senior that is coming into young adulthood. They meet one night and their lives are set on a path of love, betrayal, and angst.

I loved Ty and Zoey’s story. Were there times I wanted to slap them into reality? Absolutely. But, reading their story made them make sense.

Book 2: Limitless

Book 2 is dedicated to the drummer, Jace and Alex, Zoey’s best friend. Because of Zoey and Alex’s friendship, we see some of the same events from Book 1 but through Jace and Alex’s eyes. This helped me to understand some of the events a little more and gave me different perspectives of the events. I was completely shocked at the ending; I did not see that coming at all!

Book 3: Fearless

Book 3 focuses on Connor and Ronni. We are introduced briefly to Ronni in previous books. Ronni’s story blew me away. It was written perfectly and I really felt for her. She is such a strong female main character. The prologue reveals the twist and the book is all about how Connor and Ronni got to the twist. In the previous books, Connor had a few hostile moments with Ty which were explained more in this book.

Book 4: Timeless

Book 4 is about Zane and Fiona. Zane is Carter’s son and Fiona is the daughter of the owner of the Mission where Carter and Lianne first met. They have been best friends since birth. This story is special because it is the history of their love for each other since childhood. This book has everything in it: childhood best friends, teen love/angst, family drama, misunderstandings, teen/young adult immaturity.


Now, my question is: Will Carter ever get a HEA or was the prequel the end of his story??


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Book Review: Ruthless Letters by M.L. Philpitt

Ruthless Letters by M.L. Philpitt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don’t even know where to begin with this review. I am usually not a fan of the bully romance trope. But, this blurb drew me in and I knew I had to read it.

This book. O.M.G. I could not stop reading it. I read it in two sittings only because I had to run errands in between. Otherwise, I would have read it from start to finish in one sitting. Even though the bully parts had me seething, I just couldn’t stop reading it. I had to know the “why” behind Ryker’s bullying. Ryker and Elena are great, well - written characters. Even though it felt wrong, I love Ryker and Elena as a couple.

The betrayal. The misunderstandings. The angst. The spice. This book has it all… and I’m there for it. I cannot wait for the rest of this series to see how everything ends.


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