Tag Archives: Sarah Castille

THE SOUND OF US by Sarah Castille- a review

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THE SOUND OF US by Sarah Castille-a review

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 26, 2024

Broken hearts and hidden pasts collide in a symphony of passion and redemption.

Skye Jordan thought she had it all figured out. Eighteen months ago, she was in college and dreaming of a basketball career. But in a split second her world fell apart. Now she’s back at Havencrest U, broke and desperate. She has no use for sexy, bad boy musicians who kiss her senseless. . . until she lands an internship at the radio station where he works.

DJ Dante Romano has lost every person close to his heart. All he has is his music. Consumed by guilt and driven by vengeance, he has no time for love, and yet the fiery new intern who shares his passion and feels his pain tempts him like no other. For Dante, Skye is off limits. And yet from the moment he meets her, he can’t turn away.

Soon their scorching attraction develops into something deeper. Together they could make beautiful music, but will their untold secrets force them apart?

••••••

REVIEW: THE SOUND OF US by Sarah Castille is a contemporary, new adult, erotic, romance story line focusing on journalism student Skye Jordan, and twenty-three year old, law student/ DJ Dante Romano.

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

Told from dual first person perspectives (Skye and Dante) THE SOUND OF US follows the building relationship between on journalism student Skye Jordan, and twenty-three year old, law student/ DJ Dante Romano. Approximately eighteen months ago, in an instant, Skye Jordan’s life spiralled out of control. Fast forward to present day, after a leave of absence, in the hopes of making the women’s basketball team, Skye returns to Havencrest U, where she will meet bad boy and DJ Dante Romano but all does not go according to plan, and Skye finds herself on the precipice of change, including the possibility of starting over somewhere else. At the proverbial eleventh hour, Skye is offered a journalism scholarship, an internship at the campus radio station where she will fall for a man whose own demons are dangerous and dark. As Skye begins to research a series of questionable events for her journalism assignments, our couple find themselves struggling to move on from the past.

The world building focuses on several pathways including the revelation of Dante’s demons, and Skye’s past but as Skye begins to dig deeper into a couple of stories, everything becomes personal and dangerous for the people she loves. Meanwhile, Dante is battling his father for control, a man who doesn’t like to be told no.

The relationship between Dante and Skye is one of immediate attraction based on a love of music. Their back and forth communication using song lyrics, titles and playlists was complex; their lack of communication and misunderstandings were the catalysts for many arguments and withdrawals. The $ex scenes are intimate and impassioned.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters including co-workers, friends, family, athletes, and mentors, all who play a significant role in our couple’s lives.

THE SOUND OF US is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and obsession, power and control, family and friendships, acceptance and love. The premise is dramatic, haunting, emotional and thought-provoking; the romance is spicy and seductive; the characters are animated, sassy and determined.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Follow: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Sarah Castille, graduated with a B.A Honors degree in History and an LL.B. (law degree) and practiced law on the West Coast for several years before succumbing to the lure of foreign travel. She obtained a Masters Degree in Law from the University of Edinburgh and then practiced at one of the world’s largest law firms in London, England during which time she traveled extensively, wrote moderately, and developed a taste for tea, European footwear and Greek cuisine.

She traded in her life of European glamor for the comforts of the frozen North and the excitement of home renovation, during which time she wrote extensively, never traveled, and developed a taste for beef jerky, Tim Horton’s coffee and Sorels.

After her first book, Legal Heat, won prizes in nine Romance Writers’ Association chapter contests, including the Grand Prize in the Valley of the Sun Hot Prospects Contest, Sarah decided to take a break from high heels and legal practice to write about red-hot alpha males and the women who tame them. Her second book, Against the Ropes, was named as one of Publishers Weekly’s Top Ten Picks for Romance & Erotica for fall 2013, and her third book, Unraveled, hit the New York Times Bestseller’s list. Sarah’s current release, Barely Undercover, was named as the “Must Read Erotic Romance of the Year” in the Sneak Peek Reader’s Choice Awards (2013). She hasn’t dusted off her briefcase yet!

Sarah lives with her husband, munchkins and a family of owls in the shadow of Canada’s Rocky Mountains, where she is currently working on her next novel.

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Strong Hold (Redemption #5) by Sarah Castille-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway Tour

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STRONG HOLD (Redemption #5) by Sarah Castille-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

 

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

ABOUT HE BOOK: Release Date July 3, 3018

“Shayla?”
For the longest moment Zack’s brain couldn’t process the sight in front of him.
Seven years, ten months and twenty-seven days. That was how long it had been since he’d seen her. That was how long it had been since he’d lived a life without regret.

Fight promoter Zack Grayson is on the prowl for a rising star. As the top recruiter of a prestigious MMA promotion company, he wants to take someone where he will never be able to go again: the top of the professional league. He didn’t expect that someone to be the woman he loved…and left.

Top-ranked MMA amateur fighter Shayla “Shilla the Killa” Tanner built walls around her heart when Zack left her seven years ago–and again when her husband turned violent. Now, seeing Zack is nearly enough to send those walls crumbling. But she can’t risk the exposure of the limelight, and she definitely can’t risk another heartbreak.

As Shayla and Zack grow closer, though, business turns personal. And once their passion unleashes, there’s no going back…

•••••••

REVIEW: STRONG HOLD is the fifth instalment in Sarah Castille’s contemporary, adult REDEMPTION erotic, MMA, romance series focusing on the men and women of the MMA Club Redemption. This is thirty-year old MMA fighter and promoter Zack ‘Slayer’ Grayson, and twenty-five year old, former ballerina turned MMA fighter Shayla Tanner’s story line. STRONG HOLD can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

Told from first person point of view (Shayla), and third person perspective (Zack) STRONG HOLD follows the second chance romance between MMA fighter and promoter Zack ‘Slayer’ Grayson, and former ballerina turned MMA fighter Shayla Tanner. Zack and Shayla were childhood best friends, and high school sweethearts but on the night Shayla gave Zack her most prized possession, Zack walked away without a second glance. Fast forward to present day, wherein Shayla will come face to face with the man that broke her heart, and destroyed her soul. Enter MMA fighter and promoter Zack ‘Slayer’ Grayson, and the man with whom Shayla was still in love. What ensues is the rekindling romance between Zack and Shayla, as Zack takes control of Shayla’s training, in an effort to get closer to the woman he loves.

Zack had no idea that Shayla Tanner, his Shayla Tanner, was on the amateur circuit of the MMA. Heading into Redemption to recruit possible new talent, Zack will have to face the wrath of the woman from whom he walked away but a woman who has lost and suffered more than Jake could ever have imagined. Shayla struggled in the years following Zack’s ill-timed escape but none more so than into the arms of an abusive man who all but destroyed what was left of our heroine’s life.

The relationship between Zack and Shayla is one of second chances; a rekindling romance between former best friends, and sweethearts but a romance that suffers with too many memories from the past. Zack is determined to prove himself worthy of Shayla’s trust and respect even if it means protecting her from herself. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense but, once again, I take issue with a certain four-letter word that I find unnecessary in a romance story line. Used only once, I felt it was more for shock value than descriptive narration.

Most of the previous story line couples and characters play secondary and supporting roles, some byway of mention or cameo appearance: Blade Saw, Renegade, Rampage, Torment, Homicide Hank, Fuzzy and Doctor Death (all of the nick names must be used in the arena and at the gym), as well as the only other female fighter at Redemption Sandy, and Shayla’s nemesis in the ring Carla Gordon.

STRONG HOLD is a dramatic, intense and captivating story. The premise is energetic and impassioned; the characters are dynamic and vigorous; the romance is provocative and fated. Sarah Castille writes tantalizing romances, strong heroes, and sassy heroines.

Reading Order and previous reviews
Against the Ropes
In Your Corner
Full Contact
Fighting Attraction

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

 

 

A disturbance near the door draws our attention. Zack is here. How irritating. This was supposed to be my night to get drunk and forget he ever walked back into my life. But chances are he’ll never make it to our table. Already, the crowd is three deep around him with no end in sight, and there are fangirls clinging to him like flies.
Zack’s star power keeps him occupied and away from our table for the next hour. He signs napkins, arms, cheeks, and even the curve of one woman’s ass. Before long, he is steered to the wall bearing the Protein Palace logo to pose for pictures with his fans. I don’t want to watch him, but I do. I’ve never loved anyone the way I loved Zack. I opened myself fully to him. I gave him everything, and he filled me so completely, I never wanted more. Every time I see him, the memories come flooding back. Ten years of happiness destroyed by one night of pain.
“He’s been checking you out,” Doctor Death says, a scowl marring the perfection of his handsome face as he stares at Zack, posing with two eager fangirls.
Zack looks devastatingly gorgeous tonight in his tight, black skull-print T-shirt, stretched deliciously over his muscular chest, and a pair of well-worn jeans, snug in all the right places. From the way the fangirls have latched on to his biceps, I’m not the only one to notice.
“I heard a rumor you had a history together,” Doctor Death continues.
“We’re just friends.”
Zack catches me watching him, and in that second when our gazes connect, I remember every reason why I loved him. The way the gold flecks sparkled in his dark eyes when he was happy, the way he watched over me, his easy laughter, the feel of his body against mine, his lips on my lips, his breath on my skin, his hands—God, the things he could do with his hands—the steady beat of his heart as we lay together making dreams for a future we would never have.
After Zack finishes posing for pictures, Fred “Bulldog” Jenner, a heavyweight fighter from a rival gym and one of Sadist’s fiercest competitors, challenges Zack to an arm wrestle. Such is how fighters entertain themselves when they’re training. No fights in case of injury, no excessive drinking because of calories. But when fighters are pumped, as they usually are at this time of day, they need an outlet, and the Protein Palace has a special table set aside for the occasion.
Zack graciously accepts the challenge. Although he and Bulldog are evenly matched in height—two or three inches over six feet—Bulldog is actively training and must outweigh Zack by at least fifty pounds of solid muscle. Still, Zack clearly hasn’t let himself go as many retired fighters do. There isn’t an inch of fat on his toned body. And God, those biceps…
Not wanting to be left out, I join the crowd around their table. Although this is just for fun, there is more at stake than just a friendly arm wrestle. Zack was a big, big name in the sport, and Bulldog is shooting for the pros. A win over Zack sends a message that Bulldog is the man to beat. Out with the old and in with the new.
My heart thuds in my chest when Bulldog clasps Zack’s hand. Although it makes no sense, I want Zack to win. He started from nothing and worked hard to get to where he is, and no one knows that better than I do. Despite what happened between us, I am a secret Slayer fangirl, too.
Biceps flex. Hands grip. A hum of excitement winds its way through the crowd. Bulldog grunts, and his arm shakes. Sweat beads on his forehead. He shifts in his seat, and his chair scrapes over the tile floor. The air thickens with the primal scent of testosterone. I’m surprised I don’t suddenly grow a beard.
Someone turns up the music, and the Black Keys’ “Everlasting Light” plays through the speakers. Zack’s lips turn up at the corners. He lifts his gaze and smiles at me.
Because this was our song. We had both loved this band with its steady beats, old-time sound, and meaningful lyrics. “Everlasting Light” was the song Zack had strummed on his bass while I practiced at the studio late into the night. It was the song he had asked the band to play when he had danced with me at my grad. It was the song he had sung softly to me after we had made love. And I had believed the lyrics as if they were his words. I had believed he wanted to be my sun in the darkness and my everlasting light. They were the last words I had heard him say. They are the last words I want to hear now.
A sigh escapes my lips, and although there is no possible way he could have heard me over the music or the chant of the crowd, his face tightens, and the gold in his eyes fades to black.
Wham. Bulldog’s hand goes down. Sandy lifts Zack’s arm in a victory salute. The crowd cheers, and people surge forward to congratulate the victor.
“Who’s next?” someone shouts.
The crowd hoots and hollers, and names get bandied about. The noise makes my headache worse, and I turn back to the Redemption corner, looking for Doctor Death. Maybe I will take that ride.
A chair scrapes over the floor. And then a table. People shift to the side as if to give way.
My pulse kicks up a notch, and I know, without being able to see through the crowd, that he’s coming for me.

 

Follow: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Sarah Castille, graduated with a B.A Honors degree in History and an LL.B. (law degree) and practiced law on the West Coast for several years before succumbing to the lure of foreign travel. She obtained a Masters Degree in Law from the University of Edinburgh and then practiced at one of the world’s largest law firms in London, England during which time she traveled extensively, wrote moderately, and developed a taste for tea, European footwear and Greek cuisine.

She traded in her life of European glamor for the comforts of the frozen North and the excitement of home renovation, during which time she wrote extensively, never traveled, and developed a taste for beef jerky, Tim Horton’s coffee and Sorels.

After her first book, Legal Heat, won prizes in nine Romance Writers’ Association chapter contests, including the Grand Prize in the Valley of the Sun Hot Prospects Contest, Sarah decided to take a break from high heels and legal practice to write about red-hot alpha males and the women who tame them. Her second book, Against the Ropes, was named as one of Publishers Weekly’s Top Ten Picks for Romance & Erotica for fall 2013, and her third book, Unraveled, hit the New York Times Bestseller’s list. Sarah’s current release, Barely Undercover, was named as the “Must Read Erotic Romance of the Year” in the Sneak Peek Reader’s Choice Awards (2013). She hasn’t dusted off her briefcase yet!

Sarah lives with her husband, munchkins and a family of owls in the shadow of Canada’s Rocky Mountains, where she is currently working on her next novel.

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

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Naughty Secrets (Naughty Shorts #3) by Sarah Castille-a review

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NAUGHTY SECRETS (Naughty Shorts #3) by Sarah Castille-a review

ebook only 99¢ Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 5, 2018

I’m not going anywhere…

Natalie
Rock star. Farmer. Husband. Hero.
He was my heart, my soul, my future.
My everything.

Sam
Hot sexy teacher. Best friend. Wife.
I loved her from the moment I saw her.
My world.

Ten years ago tragedy destroyed us. I threw myself into my farm, hoping time would heal the wound. Instead, I got lost in my work and drifted away from my beautiful wife.

I thought nothing could bring Natalie back to me. Until I find out that she’s in the local bar with the town’s most eligible bachelor.

It’s now or never. My second chance.

I’ll fight to win her back. She may try to push me away but I’m not going anywhere.

I’ll do whatever it takes to remind Natalie that what we once had is only the beginning of what we can be.

And that this is forever.

Naughty Shorts from New York Times bestselling author, Sarah Castille, are quick delicious bites of dirty and sweet romance that will give you all the feels. Set in a small town, and inspired by stories about everyday couples, these sexy second chance novellas contain a little naughty, a lot of heart, and a happily after.

••••••••••

REVIEW: NAUGHTY SECRETS is the third instalment in Sarah Castille’s contemporary, adult NAUGHTY SHORTS erotic, romance novella series focusing on the small town of Revival Montana whose new, young dentist Dr. Aidan Steadman works his magic on the couples whose personal and sex lives are struggling to survive. This is former grade school teacher Natalie, and farmer Sam White’s story line. NAUGHTY SECRETS can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalments is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Natalie and Sam) NAUGHTY SECRETS focuses on the crumbling marriage between Natalie and Sam White. Ten years earlier, following the death of their infant son, Natalie and Sam began to pull away from one another such that neither one was aware of the other’s suffering and pain. Fast forward to present day wherein Sam sees green when his discovers his wife commiserating with Revival’s new dentist, a tall, sexy and brooding man whose own secrets are fodder for the town’s gossipers and tongues. What ensues is the rekindling love between Natalie and Sam, as they take time together to remember the past in order to move on from the present.

NAUGHTY SECRETS I a sexy and sassy quick read; a few hours in the life of Natalie and Sam White as they push past the pain of ten years of grief, moving forward together towards a new future, and a new life.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Naughty Desires
Naughty Wishes
Naughty Secrets

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Naughty Wishes (Naughty Shorts #2) by Sarah Castille-a review

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NAUGHTY WISHES (Naughty Shorts #2) by Sarah Castille-a review

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 15, 2018

This is one birthday I’ll never forget…

I thought my birthday would be the same as always, with little more than a scribbled card from my boys and a mumbled acknowledgement from my husband, Dan.

So when Dan slips a note under my pillow with an invitation for something new, I am a little shocked. And a lot interested.

While another man will never enter my heart, I am not opposed to having one join us in the bedroom. It’s one of my biggest fantasies come to life – and like nothing we’ve ever tried before.

But are we ready for the fantasy to become real? Or will we lose everything if we don’t first confess our truths about who we are, what we want and how we feel?

It’s only one night. What could possibly go wrong?


Warning: This NAUGHTY SHORTS book contains a little naughty, a lot of heart, and a happily ever after.

Naughty Shorts from New York Times bestselling author, Sarah Castille, are quick delicious bites of dirty and sweet romance that will give you all the feels. Set in a fictional small town, and inspired by stories about everyday couples, these sexy novellas are about hope, passion and second chances.

••••••

REVIEW: NAUGHTY WISHES is the second instalment and short story in Sarah Castille’s contemporary adult NAUGHTY SHORTS erotic, romance series. NAUGHTY WISHES can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

NOTE: NAUGHTY WISHES contains M/F/M sexual situations and may not be suitable for all readers.

Told from first person point of view (Kylie) NAUGHTY WISHES focuses on the rekindling romance between married couple Kylie and Dan, a romance and relationship that has stagnated after fifteen years of marriage, two children, and busy careers. On the night of her birthday Dan hands Kylie a gift that may or may not destroy their marriage-one night, three people, a ménage fantasy involving their sexy dentist Dr. Aiden Steadman. What ensues is a night of pleasure that allows Dan and Kylie to refocus on one another.

NAUGHTY WISHES is a very quick erotic read; a sexy, sassy and steamy short story where one couple’s relationship begins anew with the help of their friendly neighbourhood dentist. The premise is titillating; the $ex scenes are intimate and hot. NAUGHTY WISHES is an intimate look at a rekindling relationship that struggles in the face of low self-esteem, and the wishes for what was and what could be, once again.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one NAUGHTY DESIRES.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Sarah Castille is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Redemption Series, Ruin & Revenge Series, Sinner’s Tribe Motorcycle Club series, Legal Heat series and the Club Excelsior series. A recovering lawyer with a fondness for dirty-talking alpha males, she now is a full-time writer, who lives on Vancouver Island. Sarah’s books have been listed as Publisher’s Weekly’s Top Ten Picks and Best Summer Reads, and Amazon’s Best Romance Books of the Year, and have won numerous reader’s choice awards including the Holt Medallion.

Connect with Sarah:

BOOKBUB | FACEBOOK | AMAZON AUTHOR | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS | PINTEREST | YOUTUBE | NEWSLETTER | WEBSITE

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Naughty Desires (Naughty Shorts #1) by Sarah Castille -a review

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NAUGHTY DESIRES (Naughty Shorts #1) by Sarah Castille – a review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 24, 2018

I’ll do anything to get her back.

Fifteen years ago she crashed into me at a bus stop. It was love at first stumble.

We fell in love quickly and wildly. It was everything that neither of us had experienced before and we got married as soon as possible.

But what happens when life changes everything? When you start feeling unworthy of your brilliant wife?

I’ve shared almost everything about myself with Lily – except my dark desires.

I can feel her slipping away from me, but I won’t let her go.

I’ve got one chance to show her who I really am, what I really want, and all the games I like to play.


Warning: This NAUGHTY SHORTS book contains a little naughty, a lot of heart, and a happily ever after.

Naughty Shorts from New York Times bestselling author, Sarah Castille, are quick delicious bites of dirty and sweet romance that will give you all the feels. Set in a small town, and inspired by stories about everyday couples, these sexy novellas are about hope, passion and second chances.

•••••••••

REVIEW: NAUGHTY DESIRES is the first instalment in Sarah Castille’s contemporary, adult Naughty Shorts erotic romance series of novellas and short stories.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Chris and Lily) NAUGHTY DESIRES focuses on married couple Lily and Chris Taylor,and the gradual breakdown of their marriage. One year earlier Chris Taylor lost his job, and in the ensuing time the emotional fall-out has affected his relationship with the woman he loves. When the sexy Dr. Aiden Steadman, DDS offers Lily a surprise gift, our heroine hopes to revive her marriage with the contents within. What ensues is the rekindling romance and relationship between Lily and Chris, and the potential fall-out as past demons continue to haunt our story line hero.

NAUGHTY DESIRES is a quick, erotic read; a short story of one man’s failure to see beyond the past, and one woman’s struggle to save the marriage and the man she continues to love. The premise is steamy, naughty and hot; the romance is a rekindling relationship; the characters struggle in the face of past demons and the fragile male ego.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Sarah Castille is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Redemption Series, Ruin & Revenge Series, Sinner’s Tribe Motorcycle Club series, Legal Heat series and the Club Excelsior series. A recovering lawyer with a fondness for dirty-talking alpha males, she now is a full-time writer, who lives on Vancouver Island. Sarah’s books have been listed as Publisher’s Weekly’s Top Ten Picks and Best Summer Reads, and Amazon’s Best Romance Books of the Year, and have won numerous reader’s choice awards including the Holt Medallion.

Connect with Sarah:

BOOKBUB | FACEBOOK | AMAZON AUTHOR | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS | PINTEREST | YOUTUBE | NEWSLETTER | WEBSITE

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Rocco (Ruin and Revenge #3) by Sarah Castille- a review

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ROCCO (Ruin and Revenge #3) by Sarah Castille-a review

Rocco

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

About the book: January 2, 2018

Mafia enforcer, Rocco De Lucchi is the best in the business.

Cold, hard and utterly ruthless, Rocco is the most dangerous of men. Feelings are a luxury he cannot afford—until a chance encounter brings him face to face with the only woman who found her way into his heart and touched his soul.

Grace Mantini has spent her whole life running from the mob. Daughter of the boss’s right hand man, she is both a prize and a target. When Rocco walks back into her life, she wants nothing to do with the man who betrayed her and broke her heart. But only Rocco can protect her from the dangerous forces that seek to destroy her family. Can they escape the hands of fate closing around them? Or will love be the kiss of death for them both?

••••••••••

REVIEW: ROCCO is the third instalment in Sarah Castille’s contemporary adult RUIN AND REVENGE erotic, mafia romance series set in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is mafia enforcer Rocco De Lucchi, of the De Lucchi crew, and psychologist/jazz singer Grace Mantini’s story line. ROCCO can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Grace and Rocco) ROCCO follows the second chance romance between mafia enforcer Rocco De Lucchi, and Grace Mantini, the daughter of the New York underboss, and a woman whose has spent most of her adult life running from the mob. A recent funeral for a mutual acquaintance finds Grace pulled back into the lifestyle she wants desperately to forget, but a lifestyle that has cruelly imbedded itself upon the man that she loves. A crime-family divided will pit blood against blood, and family against friends forcing Rocco to choose between his heart and the mob. What ensues is the rebuilding relationship between Rocco and Grace as Grace and her family are targeted by an unknown source, and the potential fall out when Grace discovers the truth behind Rocco’s re-appearance in her life.

Six years earlier Grace’s life was all but destroyed by retribution and retaliation against the man that she loves. Unable to fulfill his duty to the man that destroyed his life Rocco watched as Grace became the victim of his father’s cruelty and pain. Running from New York Grace thought she found the solace and freedom from the lifestyle she had grown to hate but Vegas was now home to the man who stole her heart.

All of her life Grace has been sheltered from her father’s lifestyle, a lifestyle that has caused so much pain including the death of her mother, and the physical and emotional scars our heroine hides from the world including the man that she loves. Rocco De Lucchi’s life has been harder than most as the adopted son of one of the most feared and reviled mafia families. Broken and battered, Rocco needs the physical pain to control the beast that formed by years of misery and abuse. An anti-hero at best, Rocco is a man feared for his cold, calculating ability to kill but a man whose softer side has only been seen by the woman he loves. A true apha with issues of control, Rocco is not the usual romantic hero. An order from his father forces Rocco to disobey- a decision that could affect the New York and Las Vegas crime families and their power to control.

The relationship between Grace and Rocco is one of second chances; a rekindling romance originally destroyed by power and greed, and a man who isn’t afraid to take what doesn’t belong. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense but I dislike the use of a certain four letter word that I find unacceptable in a romance storyline. There is a limited S/M scene involving our story line (anti) hero that may be troubling for more sensitive readers.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including several members of various mafia families. We are reintroduced to Nico and Mia (Nico #1), Luca and Gabrielle (Luca #2); Grace’s father Nunzio Mantini, and her brother Tom ; self-appointed crime boss Tony Toscani; Rocco’s most trusted soldier and former MMA fighter Mike; Rocco’s father Cesare De Lucchi, the head of a group of professional enforcers; and Tiffany, a woman with secrets of her own.

The world building continues to focus on the violent and murderous world of the Las Vegas Italian mob. No one is safe; everyone is suspect; retribution and murder are the price for disobedience and defiance. The violence is graphic although the author does limit the virtual visibility of the blood, guts and gore.

ROCCO is an emotional story line of one woman’s struggle to move on from the past, and one man’s battle between honor and heart. The premise is gritty and raw; the characters are colorful, charismatic and tragic; the romance is passionate, seductive and rebellious.

Reading Order and Previous reviews
Nico
Luca
Rocco

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

About the Author

Sarah CastilleSarah Castille is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Redemption Series, Ruin & Revenge Series, Sinner’s Tribe Motorcycle Club series, Legal Heat series and the Club Excelsior series. A recovering lawyer with a fondness for dirty-talking alpha males, she now is a full-time writer, who lives on Vancouver Island. Sarah’s books have been listed as Publisher’s Weekly’s Top Ten Picks and Best Summer Reads, and Amazon’s Best Romance Books of the Year, and have won numerous reader’s choice awards including the Holt Medallion.

Connect with Sarah:

BOOKBUB | FACEBOOK | AMAZON AUTHOR | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS | PINTEREST | YOUTUBE | NEWSLETTER | WEBSITE

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Luca (Ruin and Revenge #2) by Sarah Castille-Review, Book Tour & Giveaway

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LUCA (Ruin and Revenge #2) by Sarah Castille-Review, Book Tour & Giveaway

Luca Banner

LUCA
Ruin and Revenge #2
by Sarah Castille
Release Date: June 27, 2017
Genre: adult ,contempporary, erotic, mafia romance

Luca 2

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 27,2017

Luca Rizzoli was nearly destroyed by a brutal betrayal that cost him his family. Now a ruthless crime boss in the city of sin, he lets nothing touch his frozen heart–until a smoldering encounter with a beautiful stranger ignites his passion. One night isn’t enough for a man who takes what he wants, but his mysterious temptress has slipped away.

For two years police detective Gabrielle Fawkes has lived for revenge. But a night of indulgence with a sexy stranger changes everything. Powerful, charming, and deliciously dangerous Luca, has his own private reasons for offering to help her pursue the drug lord who killed her husband. There’s a lot Luca isn’t telling her and the more she finds out the less she wants to know.

When Gabrielle becomes the target of the drug lord she has vowed to hunt down, she must do the unimaginable: place her life in a mobster’s hands. To save her, Luca must break his Mafia ties–or risk losing Gabrielle forever.

••••••••••

REVIEW: LUCA is the second installment in Sarah Castille’s contemporary, adult RUIN AND REVENGE erotic, mafia romance series. This is restaurateur and Toscani family Capo Luca Rizzoli, and police detective Gabrielle Fawkes’ story line. LUCA can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary. Luca was first introduced in book one-NICO.

NOTE: LUCA contains scenes of graphic violence, murder and torture, and may not be suitable for all readers.

Told from several third person points of view including Luca and Gabrielle, LUCA is a forbidden romance between police detective Gabrielle Fawkes, and mafia Capo Luca Rizzoli. Two years earlier Gabrielle’s husband was brutally murdered in a mafia-style hit and our heroine believes the local drug cartel is responsible for his death. In the ensuing time Gabrielle has put all of her efforts into taking down the drug lord she believes is responsible but an on-duty shooting finds our heroine roommates with a dark and sexy man who offers Gabrielle everything and more. Enter Luca Rizzoli, a man who is willing to risk his ties to the mob to save the woman with whom he is falling in love. Several threats against Gabrielle’s life place Luca on the receiving end of more than one attempt at his own.

Loyalty to the family is first and foremost in the world of the Italian mob but Luca’s relationship with Detective Gabrielle Fawkes places our hero in a precarious position as it pertains to his loyalties and support of the man in charge. But Luca is willing to risk his life and his position for the woman that calls to his heart. His over protective, alpha attitude makes for some contentious moments between Gabrielle and himself. Luca’s backstory is emotional.

Gabrielle is desperate for revenge against the man she believes destroyed her life. Her narrow focus, disregarding everything else, finds our heroine facing down a hierarchy at work that is no longer willing to give Gabrielle a chance at revenge. Gabrielle’s inability to let go lands her in trouble on more than one occasion.

The relationship between Gabrielle and Luca is one of immediate attraction. The sexual chemistry is palpable; the $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense. Luca likes to take control and talk dirty in the bedroom.

LUCA is an intricate and detailed novel with several subplots weaving throughout the story-some connected while others focus on secondary characters and their struggle in both their personal and professional lives. There is a twist to the story line that was easily deduced and predictable.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including many members of the Toscani mob family both by blood and by mob association. We are introduced to Gabrielle’s husband’s former best friend police detective Jeff Santos, as well as Gabrielle’s besties Nicole and Cissy. I am hoping for Nicole’s HEA .

Although a well-written and exciting story line I did have an issue with Gabrielle’s inability to see, or lack of awareness as it came to Luca’s connections to the mob. For a detective she is completely oblivious to the who, what and why of the Toscani family, the mob and their dangerous lifestyle. Sadly this aspect leant to some unbelievable moments and shaking of my head.

LUCA is a dark, gritty, emotional and dramatic tale; a mafia romance of forbidden love between two people whose lives will collide in more ways than one. The premise is engaging and energetic; the characters are colorful, tragic and passionate; the romance is intoxicating and provocative.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

About The Author beige

Sarah CastilleSarah Castille is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Redemption Series, Ruin & Revenge Series, Sinner’s Tribe Motorcycle Club series, Legal Heat series and the Club Excelsior series. A recovering lawyer with a fondness for dirty-talking alpha males, she now is a full-time writer, who lives on Vancouver Island. Sarah’s books have been listed as Publisher’s Weekly’s Top Ten Picks and Best Summer Reads, and Amazon’s Best Romance Books of the Year, and have won numerous reader’s choice awards including the Holt Medallion.

Connect with Sarah:

BOOKBUB | FACEBOOK | AMAZON AUTHOR | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS | PINTEREST | YOUTUBE | NEWSLETTER | WEBSITE

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Fighting Attraction (Redemption #4) by Sarah Castille-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

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FIGHTING ATTRACTION (Redemption #4) by Sarah Castille-Review, Excerpt and Giveaway

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FIGHTING ATTRACTION
Redemption #4
by Sarah Castille
Release Date: April 4, 2017
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, romance, BDSM

Fighting Attraction

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 4, 2017

My sweet, sexy Penny has a dark side. Just like me.
I will have her. And then I will lose her, and suffer a lifetime of regret.

Rampage. Everyone loves him. He is Redemption’s top heavyweight fighter and the biggest gossip in the gym. But he isn’t the teddy bear everyone thinks he is. He’s hiding a dark secret-and he hates himself for it.

Twice a week, Rampage transforms into Master Jack, a notorious Dom only the most hard-core submissives will play with. How can he-a Southern gentleman, bred to respect and protect women-want to dominate them?

But Penny Worthington wants him. Beneath her pearls, kitten heels, and prim British exterior beats a tortured heart…Master Jack is the only one who can set her free.

•••••••••••

REVIEW: FIGHTING ATTRACTION is the fourth instalment in Sarah Castille’s contemporary, adult REDEMPTION erotic, romance series focusing on the men and women of the MMA Club Redemption. This is MMA fighter Jack ‘Rampage’ Caldwell, and PA Penny Worthington’s story line. FIGHTING ATTRACTION can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from previous story line is revealed where necessary.

NOTE: FIGHTING ATTRACTION contains graphic scenes of BDSM focusing on the sadistic and masochistic, and may not be suitable for all readers.

Told from dual first person points of view (Penny and Jack) FIGHTING ATTRACTION focuses on the atypical relationship between MMA fighter Jack ‘Rampage’ Caldwell, and PA Penny Worthington. When the firm for which Penny works serves notice to the local BDSM club to vacate the premises Penny finds herself facing down not only the man who stars in her fantasies, but the man who is able to give Penny so much more. Enter Jack Caldwell, MMA fighter and Club Sin Dom. What ensues is the building love between Penny and Jack, and the couple’s struggle to accept the who and what of their unusual relationship.

Jack is a sadist-a man who likes to inflict pain on others. Penny is a masochist-a woman who needs pain to release the demons buried deep within. Together Jack and Penny are the perfect couple until Jack believes he has gone too far and hurt the woman with whom he has fallen in love.

The relationship between Jack and Penny is based on a mutual need. Jack believes his wants and needs are deviant, and past experiences point to a self-fulfilling prophecy. Penny not only desires the pain but needs the hurt to stop the ongoing darkness that threatens to consume. The $ex scenes are erotic and intense; the BDSM scenes are not for the lighthearted.

All of the previous story line couples play secondary and supporting roles. We are re-introduced to Master Damien Stone, the owner of Club Sin as well as one of Club Sin’s submissives Kitty, and an assortment of MMA fighters and wannabes.

FIGHTING ATTRACTION deviates from Sarah’s usual MMA story line as it focuses on the S&M relationship between Jack and Penny. FIGHTING ATTRACTION reads more like an introductory story line to a new series; perhaps the author has plans for a spin off about the members of Club Sin. All of the MMA fighters are alpha, over protective, and not without some questionable means to protect the people they love. The premise is passionate and entertaining; the characters are colorful, dynamic and broken; the romance is intense and unique. FIGHTING ATTRACTION is an intimate look at two people whose relationship deviates from the norm but a relationship that is perfect for one another.

Reading Order and previous reviews
Against the Ropes
In Your Corner
Full Contact
Fighting Attraction

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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IN YOUR CORNER (Redemption #2)

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Excerpt intended for mature readers only 18+

 

“You’re so fucking soft,” he breathes. “So sweet.” He presses a kiss to my neck as his hands move over my body. I wrap my arms around his neck, pull him down for more. I want his full weight on top of me. I want to feel crushed, smothered, enveloped in hot, musky male.
Jack groans. His hips press into my stomach, his erection a delicious friction between my thighs. I part my legs wider, grind against him, seeking the delicious sensation of rough denim on my throbbing clit.
“Shh. Slow down. I want to enjoy you.” He trails kisses down my neck, over my throat. Shifting to the side, he cups and squeezes my breasts through my bra, his touch solid and strong. I writhe and wriggle, unable to stay still. He is driving me crazy with his touches, making me so wet it’s all I can do not to rip off his clothes and make him give me what I want.
His eyes darken, and he shoves my shirt up over my head, baring me to his heated gaze. “Ah, Pen.”
My hands find his back and smooth over his muscles, feeling them ripple beneath his shirt as he slides one bra strap over my shoulder. His breathing is heavy, his gaze intense as his head dips down to press a soft kiss to my bare skin.
He slides the other strap off, slowly, gently, carefully unwrapping me as if he is teasing himself. I arch my back, offer my breasts for the pleasure of his mouth. Beyond rational thought, I am lost in sensation, a seething, yearning mass of want.
Jack traces his finger along the edge of my bra, leaving a burning trail across my skin. With painful slowness, he eases the cups down, releasing my breasts from their restraint. I gasp when my burning skin comes into contact with the cool air, and my nipples bead so hard they ache.
I want his mouth on me, his lips, and his heat. But he doesn’t oblige. Instead, he traces a finger around my nipple. Around and around until I tangle my hands in his soft hair and pull him down to my breast. “Please.”
“You’re making it very difficult to go slow.” He feathers hot kisses across the curve of one breast, moving down to draw my left nipple between his teeth. I moan as he licks and sucks, nips and bites, while his other hand squeezes and caresses my right breast. My thighs fall open, inviting, and he lowers his hand to my leg and traces his finger slowly along the sensitive skin of my inner thigh.
I have never known lust like this, want so fierce I burn, need so intense I ache. He is a master of manipulation, a purveyor of pleasure. He knows just where to touch and how hard. He knows how to drive me up and take me down, when I can’t take any more and when it isn’t enough. I try not to think about where he gained all that knowledge, the countless women he’s been with, the things he has done to them in his room at the club. I pretend I am the only one he has caressed into a haze of lust, the only one he wants.
I open my eyes to see him watching me, assessing my reaction to his touch. I feel at once stripped bare and treasured by the intensity of his focus. He moves to my other breast, pulling down my bra cup, teasing and torturing my nipple with his mouth. He trails his fingers up my thigh and then cups the curve of my sex, over my wet knickers. I let out a guttural moan and in seconds he’s on top of me, as if I’ve broken his self-control. He kisses me hard, rough, grinds his hips against me as he presses me into the couch. I reach for him, and he grabs my wrists with one hand and pins them over my head. He pushes my knickers aside and strokes a thick finger along my labia while he sucks and bites my nipple until I am writhing and groaning beneath him.
“Please,” I moan. “Please. Please. Please.”
“Tell me what you want.” He buries his face in my neck, bites down on the sensitive skin at the top of my shoulder.
“Sex. I want to have sex. I want you inside me. Now. Take off my clothes.”
His hand tightens on my wrists so hard it hurts. “I don’t have normal sex,” he growls. “If I take off your clothes, I’m going to hurt you. I need your pain, darlin’. Can you give it to me?”


 

 

About The Author beige

Follow: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Sarah CastilleNew York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Sarah Castille, graduated with a B.A Honors degree in History and an LL.B. (law degree) and practiced law on the West Coast for several years before succumbing to the lure of foreign travel. She obtained a Masters Degree in Law from the University of Edinburgh and then practiced at one of the world’s largest law firms in London, England during which time she traveled extensively, wrote moderately, and developed a taste for tea, European footwear and Greek cuisine.

She traded in her life of European glamor for the comforts of the frozen North and the excitement of home renovation, during which time she wrote extensively, never traveled, and developed a taste for beef jerky, Tim Horton’s coffee and Sorels.

After her first book, Legal Heat, won prizes in nine Romance Writers’ Association chapter contests, including the Grand Prize in the Valley of the Sun Hot Prospects Contest, Sarah decided to take a break from high heels and legal practice to write about red-hot alpha males and the women who tame them. Her second book, Against the Ropes, was named as one of Publishers Weekly’s Top Ten Picks for Romance & Erotica for fall 2013, and her third book, Unraveled, hit the New York Times Bestseller’s list. Sarah’s current release, Barely Undercover, was named as the “Must Read Erotic Romance of the Year” in the Sneak Peek Reader’s Choice Awards (2013). She hasn’t dusted off her briefcase yet!

Sarah lives with her husband, munchkins and a family of owls in the shadow of Canada’s Rocky Mountains, where she is currently working on her next novel.

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