Monthly Archives: November 2024

Firethorne: A Dark, Gothic Romance by Nikki J Summers-review

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Firethorne: A Dark, Gothic Romance by Nikki J Summers -review tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 30, 2024

They told me Firethorne would be my salvation. But all I found were sinners hiding inside those walls.

Firethorne is a place best viewed from afar. Strangers aren’t welcome in the dark, gothic mansion. A mansion steeped in twisted myths and urban legends. No one really knows the truth about Firethorne or its elusive family. If they did, they’d realise the reality is far worse than any of the secrets they’ve heard whispered in the town.

When Maya Cole’s father falls on hard times, everything seems hopeless, until the day he’s given a lifeline. A live-in post at the Firethorne estate…

For him and his daughter. He thinks all their prayers have been answered. But Maya is no fool. She knows to be careful what you wish for.

And after meeting the Firethornes, she learns that wishes sometimes turn into nightmares. Devilishly beguiling and wickedly corrupt, they try to pull her into their games of lies and deceit. But with Maya, they soon learn, what they can’t have, they can’t resist. Which only makes the chase even sweeter.

But they’re not the only ones chasing her. Someone else is lurking in the shadows.

Watching…

Waiting…

Biding their time…

Ready to show her that the devil you know isn’t always the one you should trust.

•••••••••

REVIEW: Where do I start?

With a list as long as a shopping list of warnings first I think. There are many, and I’d advise you to look at them first, they are on the authors web page.

And with that done, let’s get to the story….

I must admit, I read the blurb/cover wrong! I thought it was a college/university story. But it’s not! It’s set in a creepy mansion! “Gothic vibes” already.

But once I realised my mistake, and stopped looking for students I got right in 😝

Maya and her father are on their way to a new life…. Becoming destitute after a few bad choices with investments, (dad was a financial advisor) the pair are given a chance at a new start! But Maya didn’t want to come, her life was back home, her studies were going great. But after losing her mother and nearly losing her father, Maya decided that caring for her father was more important!

Miranda/Lysander/Damien live at Firethorne mansion. Rich kids with nothing to do all day but make plans on how to ruin lives! So when Maya and her dad come to stay… A new game is invented! 😦 except that Damien doesn’t want to play! He’s bored with silly games!

There are some scary moments (check your triggers). There are a few light hearted moments. The sass that Maya has did make me think she wouldn’t be that easy of a target. (Although I did want to shake her a few times!)

Yes it’s a slow burn romance, nothing happens till nearly 1/3 of the way into the book. But once it does 🥵 🥵 🥵 all bets are off 😜

I loved the premise of the book. Definitely “cruel intentions” vibe. People playing with others emotions. Who do you trust?

Daddy Firethorne is just a nasty man. He’s got a hold over them all, always one step ahead. And warping the next generation of Firethorne’s! (Or so he thinks 😮)

Damien is definitely interested in Maya, but doesn’t want to show to show his family any weakness! He’s tried to warn Maya away. And when that doesn’t work he decides to make her his!! 🥵

But no one wants her here, someone is making her life a misery! And can she really trust Damien?

I won’t give the rest of the plot away (I didn’t expect it to go that way if I’m being honest, and it was a BIG surprise!) I don’t want HEA’s for Lysander/Miranda (they really are worth redeeming!)

It’s not a soldier of anarchy or a Sandland story. This baby is a whole different world (but I think him and Adam would have been friends 😜)

After devouring this book in one sitting, I need a cold shower, a bar of chocolate and a blanket for snuggles 🥰

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Julie B 🦋

About Nikki J. Summers:

Nikki J. Summers is a romance addict who loves to write about strong, feisty heroines and dark, brooding alphas.

When she isn’t locked away in her writing cave, she’s teaching primary school children, or lost in her kindle. She currently lives in Staffordshire in the U.K with her husband and two children.

Connect with Nikki:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikkijsummersauthor
Facebook group: https://bit.ly/2J1Hbwy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkijsummersauthor
TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeJ7DdMQ/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BooksSummers
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/nikki-j-summers

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SAVAGE RULE (The Seven Deadly Sinacores 6) by Aidee Jaimes-review

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SAVAGE RULE (The Seven Deadly Sinacores 6) by Aidee Jaimes-review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 17, 2024

He’s my favorite enemy. The one that makes me burn hotter with every fight. My adrenaline rush.

As The Ferryman’s hit woman, it’s my job to take out each of the men that form the Sinacore Alliance. All worthy opponents. But it’s Gunn Sinclair that gets me hot and bothered.

Huge and sexy as hell, with dimples almost as deadly as the knives he wields, I find myself looking forward to our encounters.

But when he follows me to New Orleans on a mission to take me out, all hell breaks loose between us and the flames rage out of control.

With the lines between enemies and lovers obliterated , we are left with a choice to make. …kiss or kill.

••••••

REVIEW: SAVAGE RULE is the sixth instalment in Aidee Jaimes’ contemporary, adult THE SEVEN DEADLY SINACORES dark, erotic, crime world series. This is Alliance member Gunner ‘Gunn’ Sinclair, and assassin Scarlet Black’s story line. SAVAGE RULE can be read as a stand alone but for back story and cohesion, I recommend reading the series in order as there is an ongoing premise throughout.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers including knife play.

SOME BACKGROUND: All is not well in the criminal underworld, several of the men in charge of the most powerful families in America have been murdered, and there is a connection for all to a murder from the past. The survivors, headed by Luca Sinacore, have formed a group known as the Sinacore Alliance, in an effort to take down the person(s) responsible for the death and destruction of family and friends.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Gunn and Scarlet ) SAVAGE RULE focuses on the building but forbidden relationship between our story line couple. Scarlet Black is an assassin who, on orders from a person known as The Ferryman, is methodically killing anyone with a connection to the man in charge but Scarlett’s latest assignment has our heroine struggling with orders in the face of questionable validation, and the appearance of the man with whom Scarlet will fall in love. Enter Gunner Sinclair, a member of the Sinacore Alliance, and a man who is determined to protect Scarlett with his life. Sentenced to death by the Alliance, Scarlet finds herself facing her executioner, the man who stirs something inside Scarlet she long thought dead and gone. In hiding, our couple find themselves reconsidering the future in the face of their own betrayal of the people in charge.

The world building follows the forbidden relationship between our story line couple. For months, an assassin, working on behalf of the man known as The Ferryman , has been systematically killing anyone with connections to the Ferryman’s past, a past mired in death and destruction of someone he loved. Scarlet Black owes her life to The Ferryman but in the wake of some ambiguous targets, Scarlet begins to questions The Ferryman’s decisions. Gunner Sinclair, Luca’s right hand man and best friend, knows that to stop the killings he must stop the woman known as Scarlet Black but Gunner sees something beneath the cold façade of a contracted killer, a woman who is hurting for sins of the past.

The relationship between Gunn and Scarlet is one of the forbidden. Scarlett is Gunner Sinclair’s target, and Gunner is Scarlet Black’s mark but their mutual objectives find themselves re-evaluating their option, their futures in the face of their own demise. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate.

The secondary and supporting characters are limited. We see the return of Lucan Sinacore, his wife Carina; The Ferryman aka Gideon Black, and Maise Cameron.

SAVAGE RULE is a story of betrayal and hurt, power and control, family and relationships, forgiveness and love. The premise is intriguing, emotional and haunting; the characters are animated, determined and desperate; the romance is thought provoking and spirted. SAVAGE RULE ends on a bit of a cliff hanger-you have been warned.

Previous reviews and Reading Order
Merciless Vows
Ruthless Heir
Cruel Prince
Vicious Captor
Wicked Empire

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Tender Temptation (Charming Irish 1) by Kaylene Winter-review

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Tender Temptation (Cillian & Ivy: Charming Irish 1) by Kaylene Winter-review & giveaway

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Google Play / Chapters Indigo /

RELEASE DATE: October 22, 2024

Tender Temptation is a scorching tale of age-gap, insta-forbidden-love, hidden identities, coming of age, and second chances.

I’m a master at rebuilding structures, yet my own life is a constant work in progress. As the middle brother in a family of superstars, I’ve battled alcohol addiction and shoulder the hefty challenge of taking over the family business.

My world makes a seismic shift when I fall hard for Ivy Bright, a vibrant, enigmatic firecracker whose captivating energy makes me feel invincible.

Ivy is more than just a spark in my shadowed world—she’s a blaze. Her luminous presence ignites a clandestine desire in me that I can’t resist. But Ivy harbors deep secrets and a tragic past that keeps her trapped in a life she never chose. Despite our undeniable chemistry, her decision to conceal her age and identity backfires spectacularly, threatening to unravel both our hearts.

Years later, will our rekindled passion withstand buried secrets that come to light, or will the truths of our past push us apart forever?

••••••

REVIEW: What a fantastic new author! Tender Temptation is the first installment in the Charming Irish series. This author is new to me, and I was hooked from the get go.

Cillian is the CEO of McLoughlin Construction, he is first and foremost a workaholic. On the nights he does take a break he goes to a local pub to knock a few back and relax. One of those nights he meets birthday girl Ivy. His reaction to her is visceral, the draw he feels toward her is one he can’t explain. Ivy has a broken story that she doesn’t share with many people, but this year is the first time in nearly a decade she decides to celebrate her birthday. (There is some background to this, but I don’t want to spoil it for future readers, but it plays a big part) On this very special night Ivy and Cillian find themselves sharing a few drinks, and then something else as well.

I was really surprised with this author and the way she made real, daily problems that people experience come through the plot of the story. While Cillian and Ivy start to fall in love, they also deal with their own issues and trauma still. Ivy’s family is…difficult, and as the book processes Cillian starts to develop a (bigger) issue with alcohol. I truly am very impressed with the story and how the characters develop as they deal with the issues they have, they learn to lean on one another as more and more things come to the surface.

This story is intense, filled with a whirlwind of emotions, passion and suspense. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the Charming Irish series has in store for us.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sarah

Social Media: Amazon Author / Goodreads / Website / Facebook / Twitter (X) / Instagram /

Kaylene Winter is an Amazon best-selling author of steamy, contemporary romance.

Each character-driven novel is filled with snappy dialogue, pop-culture references and enough steam to make you fan yourself. Kaylene weaves authenticity, emotion and angst into a turbulent rollercoaster ride of love, passion and soul-searing romance always ending with a delicious HEA.

Kaylene lives in Seattle with her amazing Irish husband and gorgeous Siberian Husky. She loves creating art of all kinds.

NOTE: The Reading Cafe is NOT responsible for the rafflecopter giveaway. If you have any questions, please contact the tour provider

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A Tribute of Fire by Sariah Wilson – a Review

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A Tribute of Fire by Sariah Wilson – a Review

 

Amazon / B&N / BAM / Bookbub

 

Description:
Lia is the princess of Locris, a dying desert nation cursed centuries ago by an earth goddess—one still worshipped by the thriving and adversarial nation of Ilion. Every year, Ilion offers the goddess a sacrifice: two Locrian maidens forced to compete in a life-and-death race to reach her temple. In a millennium, no maiden has made it out of Ilion alive. This year, Lia is one of the hunted.

An education in battle gives her a fighting chance, but the challenges are greater than she feared: Lia’s beloved but untrained sister Quynh has been put in the path of danger. The winding streets of Ilion itself have been transformed into a labyrinthine maze of countless choices and dead ends. And if the risks weren’t significant enough, Lia is reluctantly drawn to the commandingly attractive Jason, an Ilionian sailor she loathes to trust and desires like no man before.

The tribute game is on. It’s up to Lia to lift the goddess’s curse, restore Locris to its former glory, and change the fate of every young woman destined to follow in her path.

 

 

Review:

A Tribute of Fire by Sariah Wilson is the first book in her new series, The Eye of the Goddess. Lia, our heroine, is the princess of Locris; a dying nation that was cursed centuries ago by an earth goddess.  Ilion is another nation that thrives, leaving Locris suffering for over 1000 years; the rival nation of Ilion annually brings food, and chooses two Locrian maidens to compete in a brutal life or death race, with men chasing the maidens. Lia is chosen as one of the maidens, and to her surprise, her younger sister, Quynh is also chosen.

On the ship before they arrive at Ilion, Lia meets a sailor, Jason, who both become attracted to each other; during the time on the ship, Lia and Jason become closer, with both able to have a connection during their dreams.  Jason was sexy, intense and romantic; and Lia was totally into him.

The moment Lia steps off the boat, she knows that they need to find the temple, as they are being chased.   Ilion men who are chasing the maidens from their enemy nation, but allow a chance at freedom and serving their goddess as a priestess. Things are hardest as Quynh is not very good running away, with Lia doing her best to force her along, until an accident causes her to fail. Lia manages to find the temple and in time she will play a large part of learning the abilities. 

I loved how Lia became close to a group of girls, who considered themselves ‘sisters’.  It was a great found family trope, as the group shared a very close connection between them; the sisters, Io, Suri, Zalira, Ahyana, Demaratus and especially Kungburu (a special pet).  Lia’s training excelled, and she did have an enemy (Artemisia), who was determined to force her out of the temple. Though she was happy at the temple, and her wonderful friends, she was still on her quest to find a way to discover the powerful relic of the goddess, and save her people.

What follows is an exciting last half of the book, that had some surprising twists and turns along the way.   A Tribute of Fire was a wonderful romantasy mythology that had me unable to put the book down.  Lia was a terrific heroine, who was captivating and determined, as had a wonderful sister’s group. A Tribute of Fire was so very well written by Sariah Wilson.  I will say that the cliffhanger was a total surprise, which leads us to hope that Sariah Wilson will us book 2 sooner than later. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

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