July's Review Recap

Sweet Perdition (Four Horsemen MC#1) by Cynthia Rayne  
4 Stars
Librarian Elizabeth Williams is drinking her cares away at Perdition, a notorious biker bar in her hometown of Hell, TX. She meets Ryker, a member of the Four Horsemen MC and they start a fun, sexual fling. Ryker finds himself falling for Elizabeth, but an outlaw has no business with a “good girl”. Hell, he’s not even sure he’d be worthy of one. Meanwhile, Elizabeth is being stalked by her ex and Carl’s behavior is becoming more and more erratic. Can Ryker protect Elizabeth without losing his heart?




Kelly Hill by Laura Gibson
4 Stars
Rachel is standing on the brink of a world about to change. 
Battling a dysfunctional family life and still trying to cover up her involvement in a scandal two years prior, Rachel can't seem to think straight anymore. She's just living day to day, trying not to succumb to the stress she covers up with a polite smile. When Kelly Hill saunters back in her life, Rachel feels her carefully crafted lies begin to crack apart around her. Rachel had made a deal with the devil and now Kelly’s presence is causing her to go back on her word, bringing secrets boiling to the surface where they don’t belong. 
But when a body is discovered on the grounds of Phillips Academy, Rachel knows she can't keep running from the truth forever.




Fighting Destiny (The Fae Chronicles #1) by Amelia Hutchins
5 Stars
Have you ever heard of the old Celtic legends of the Fae - beautiful, magical, deadly and a love of messing with humans just for kicks and giggles? Welcome to my world. What started out as a strange assignment, leads to one of the most gruesome murder mysteries of our times and my friends and I are set and determined to find out who is killing off Fae and Witches alike. Couple of problems in the way – I hate the Fae and the Prince of the Dark Fae is bound and determined that I work for him. He’s a rude, overbearing egotistical ass with a compulsive need to possess, dominate and control me. Oh – did I mention that he is absolutely sex-on-a-stick gorgeous and he makes me feel things that I never ever wanted to feel for a Fae…every time he touches me or looks at me with those golden eyes seems to pull me further in under his spell, despite my better judgment. My friends and I can’t trust anyone and nothing is as it seems on the surface – not even me. 

Warning: Mature content and language not intended for anyone under the age of eighteen. 



His Secrets (Inside Out #3.1) by Lisa Renee Jones
4 Stars
An Inside Out story, Chris's POV

In a world where my only escape has been my art, Sara has been the light in my darkness. And there is darkness, the kind of inky black that can bleed from my life to hers.

She doesn't see it. She doesn't understand what I've shown her. And my biggest fear is that soon...she will.




Tur (The Elsker Saga #0.5) by ST Bende
4 Stars
Inga Andersson is the envy of every girl in Asgard. On the surface she has it all -- great friends, a job as Odin’s personal fight choreographer, and a happy ever after with her realm’s hottest assassin. But when evil invades Asgard, her perfect world comes crashing down. Someone is planning to kill off the gods, and Inga’s best friend Ull is first on their list. With the Norse apocalypse a nanosecond away, Inga has to decide how she’ll spend her final moments of freedom. Because from the moment this battle begins, Inga’s happily ever after will be nothing more than a memory. Some things are worth fighting for.


Ride (Bayonet Scars #1) by JC Emery
2 Stars
Death comes in Armani. Salvation comes in leather. Principessa to the Mancuso crime family, Alexandra knows a thing or two about living outside the bounds of the law. Suffocated by the future her father has laid out for her, she makes a choice she can't take back, changing the entire trajectory of her life. Thrust into the dark and dangerous world of the Forsaken Motorcycle Club for her own protection, Alex finds herself faced with the last thing she needs right now: the man of her dreams. He’s sex in leather, the devil incarnate, and one hell of a kisser. But he’s also off-limits. Ryan Stone can be her friend, but he’s forbidden to be her lover. Third-generation Forsaken, Ryan knows nothing other than life on two wheels, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. He enjoys the many privileges that come with the patch, and the only laws he recognizes are the ones set-forth by his club. That is, until who he wants more than anything isn’t allowed on the back of his bike —or in his bed. Balancing his desire for her body, and need to keep her safe, Ryan tries to keep Alex at a distance. Finally having made a choice for herself, she’s done hearing the word “no” and will push boundaries even Ryan himself doesn’t dare cross. Love is never more tempting than when it’s forbidden.


Asking for Trouble (Line of Duty #4) by Tessa Bailey
4 Stars
Brent Mason and Hayden Winstead can't stand each other. She plans exclusive parties for her rich familys charities. He's a rough and tumble cop who rigs explosives for a living. Could two people be any less suited for conversation? They think not and prefer to keep it that way. 

Unfortunately, their two best friends are deeply, disgustingly in love. Forced together, the mutual attraction simmering beneath the surface of Brent and Hayden's non-relationship grows with every argument until it explodes into a scintillating night of mind-blowing sex. And it wont be the last, as far as Brent's concerned. 

Hayden has a secret, though. Her father's company is relying on a merger to save them from financial ruin, and only Hayden's marriage to the CEOs wealthy son can secure the deal. If she's to protect her family, she'll have to forget Brent. And he has no intention of being forgotten. 

Calla Lily (Gilded Flower #2) by Vivian Winslow
3.5 Stars
Having experienced a profound personal and sexual awakening during her solo honeymoon to Brazil, New York socialite Lily Baron rushes back to New York upon hearing the news that her father has fallen ill. Now, Lily must take the helm of the Baron Media empire and fend off a high-stakes hostile takeover attempt. With the fate of the company hanging in the balance, will Lily be able to resist the advances of the luring, unwanted suitor in the boardroom as well as the bedroom? Things get steamy in this highly anticipated sequel to Gilded Lily.



Tiger Lily (Gilded Flower #3) by Vivian Winslow
3 Stars
Weary from battling a hostile takeover attempt of her family’s company, Lily seeks a distraction in Todd, an erstwhile bartender with a large trust fund and magical tongue. Meanwhile, a connection seems to be developing between Lily and Alejandro, a wealthy and gorgeous Cuban-American, whose brother, Rodrigo, is dating Lily’s twin sister, Dahlia. When Alejandro unexpectedly rebuffs Lily one night, she is deeply dismayed. But, after seeing Alejandro’s picture with a gorgeous Latina model in the gossip pages, Lily thinks it wasn’t just a misunderstanding. When the sisters and brothers reunite in Aspen for a ski weekend, will Lily’s heart remain frozen or will the fire between her and Alejandro rekindle and melt away the ice?

Fallen Angel (Part I) by Tracie Podger
4 Stars
On the first day of her holiday to Washington, DC, Brooke Stiles meets Robert Stone. Dark eyed, damaged and dangerous - Stone has never had a normal relationship for fear of his past being exposed. Not knowing how to respect nor love, he struggles with his feelings for a woman who makes him question everything that he is.

Brooke falls in love with him and as their relationship grows she learns who he really is. Her future is set. She is to heal her man and mend his broken soul. But can she do the one thing that he asks?

This is a story of an ordinary woman who falls in love with an extraordinary man and has to discover whether she is strong enough to forgive him his past.

Fallen Angel (Part II) by Tracie Podger
4 Stars
When Brooke Stiles had said, “It was in a small room in an office block in Washington, DC, that my life changed, forever,” she had no idea of the enormity of that statement.

Just a few short months ago, Brooke, had lived a quiet suburban life in the UK. She now owns a closet of clothes she could only dream about and has been swept off her feet by trouble with a capital T.

Once Robert Stone came to terms with the fact that he was in love with Brooke, he knew he could never let her go. Not letting her go means introducing her to his life, past and present. 

However, when Robert’s past and present collide, Brooke does the one thing that Robert begs her not to. Does it change her? Has that light that he sees in her eyes been extinguished? 

This is a story of an ordinary girl who finds the strength to become the extraordinary woman, and keeps her promise to the man she owes her existence to.

The Nightlife: New York (The Nightlife #1) by Travis Luedke
3.5 Stars
Aaron Pilan’s life is forever changed when he’s shot trying to rescue a drop-dead gorgeous woman on the streets of New York. Aaron is thrust into the shocking world of vampiric slavery when Michelle shares her blood to save his life.

Michelle's existence as a solitary vampire is also altered when she accepts this naive young man into her life. Bound by her blood, Aaron is subject to her authority. He walks a tightrope of strictly controlled feeding regiments and intense sexual adventures while catering to the neurotic control-freak tendencies of his new master. She vows to eliminate him if he proves too difficult to control.

This story is bold and evocative, infusing blood, sex, love and turmoil in an urban drama about two vampires battling evil outside and within themselves.

Away From Him by Kaelyn Swan
 3.5 Stars
Is true love worth the risk of getting burnt by its flame?

A Yoga Teacher
Melanie has surrounded herself in peace. Her life is one cup of tea, to another, with plenty of spiritual satisfaction in between. Just when she thinks she has her inner peace pinned down, her calm and passive world is turned upside down by the fiery presence of a man she considers to be a challenge.
...and a Criminal Lawyer

Nothing about Billy Styles is peaceful. His job is a battle of wills and minds, he spends his time with criminals that most would be repulsed by. Anger has been building inside of him since he was just a boy, and when it explodes in a very public way, he is faced with the arduous task of seeking inner peace. But with the continent sized chip on his shoulder, and his skeptical nature, he's not exactly open to breathing through his anger.

 Is the connection that neither of them can ignore strong enough to overcome the forces of emotions that threaten to pull them apart? What will it take for them to get along? Is true love worth the risk of getting burnt by its flame?

Evelyn by Tracie Podger
4 Stars
Evelyn was sixteen years old when she fell in love. She fell in love with a murderer.

Rocco has been sent from Italy to live with the Morietti family in Washington, DC, for his safety, for his protection. He hadn’t banked on meeting the beautiful, but young, Evelyn, the daughter of the man who has given him refuge. He hadn’t banked on falling in love.

How hard is it to love the daughter of the man who holds your fate in his hands? And once you fall, how hard is it to keep your love a secret? Which is the greater threat to them both, to keep their secret, or to admit and fight for each other?

Evelyn and Rocco are forced to accept a life of secret meetings, lies, love and loss. Few relationships can survive it, and not every romance has a happy ending. But if there is a chance....... is it not worth a try?

This is the story of young love, of dreams and hopes for a future not possible. This is the story of Evelyn.

Cradle of Dreams by Keta Diablo
5 Stars
With visions of battle still fresh in his mind, Roane Bradfield returns home to find the woman he loves betrothed to another. He corners Kendrick Moreland at Dowager Huggins’ Grand Ball and whisks her into the secluded library. One way or the other, he will know the reason the duplicitous beauty cut him from her life when she promised to wait forever. 

Oh, Kendrick was a cool witch. She wouldn’t be when he finished with her, took her down a notch, made her suffer as he had suffered. In his mind, the battlefield surfaced—the stench of death, the acrid smoke from the howitzers, and the blood-drenched soldiers searching the ground for lost limbs. He placed his hands behind his back so she wouldn’t see the onset of tremors. The affliction would pass soon and he didn’t want her pity. He wanted her, needed to taste every inch of her delectable skin, suck the tongue from her luscious mouth and bury himself deep inside her. 

Whisper of Dreams by Keta Diablo
4 Stars
Sarah must get her son out of New Bern, North Carolina before he succumbs to an epidemic of yellow fever. Yankees have taken over the town and there is only one man capable of smuggling them out—Captain Elijah Fortune. Even though she betrayed him once, she appeals to the champion of her childhood for help. He’s more than happy to accommodate her, but the price of risking his life is steep. And the cost has nothing to do with money.




First Night (Seductive Nights) by Lauren Blakely
4 Stars
An erotic novella from the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Lauren Blakely...

It was only supposed to be one night… 

When the sinfully handsome man walks into her bar in San Francisco, Julia Bell simply wants a break from the troubles that keep chasing her. That escape comes in the form of sexy, confident and commanding Clay Nichols, who captivates her mind AND turns her inside out with pleasure. The attraction is electric and they share one scorchingly hot night together, but they also discover there is more than just off-the-charts chemistry; the connection between them runs deep. Clay never thought he’d return to New York with this woman still on his mind. But he can’t get her out of his system, and he needs more of her…He wants more than just the first night…

*This is a prequel novella to the erotic romance NIGHT AFTER NIGHT.*

Taken by the Vampire King (Vampire Warrior King #3) by Laura Kaye
3 Stars
Henrik Magnusson is supposed to be immortal, but a mysterious ailment leaves the vampire king near death, and not even the blood of the Proffered, human virgins trained to serve the elite, can sustain him. Then he rescues a beautiful young woman from his enemies, and is filled with blood lust and desire he hasn't felt for centuries. Photographer Kaira Sorenson's life takes a nightmare turn when she's attacked by blood-thirsty creatures--and saved by a vampire. She should be afraid of Henrik, but she can't deny her intense attraction to this regal, enigmatic being--nor the fact that her blood may be his only salvation. Now she must decide if she's willing to be his forever...

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