Swallow Cove Book 2: Pretty Buoy by DJ Jamison

 

Swallow Cove Book 2

I fell in love with the wrong man, and it changed me. Where I was once confident, I'm skittish. Where I once trusted with my whole heart, I'm guarded.

After leaving my toxic boyfriend, I flee to my family vacation home in Swallow Cove. Which takes me directly into the brooding path of bar manager Brooks Riggins.

He's large and intimidating, but with a protective streak that I didn't see coming. When my ex gives me trouble, Brooks tells him to take a hike. Not only that, he also claims to be my new man.

Brooks is as straight as they come, but he's ready to step up and play the part. In fact, it may not just be pretend, judging by the way Brooks looks at me. Especially when he catches sight of me in the lingerie I sometimes wear. My ex said the lingerie made me too feminine. Too weak.

Just a pretty boy. But as Brooks hands me all the power I need to heal and be intimate again, I can finally see the truth. I am pretty boy, and doesn't make me weak at all.

In fact, I never have to be weak again. But can I be strong enough to trust another man with my heart? Pretty Buoy is Book 2 of Swallow Cove. It can be read as a standalone, but it may be more enjoyable to read Book 1 for an introduction to all the characters in the series. Trigger past abuse, toxic ex-boyfriend.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/211662908-pretty-buoy

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

I’ve been so excited to read Skylar and Brooks’s story since meeting them in Dock Tease! Skylar has fled to Swallow Cove to escape his toxic ex-boyfriend. He needs time to be on his own and try to build himself back up after being torn so badly. Coming to Swallow Cove also meant doing some work with for his dad which means checking in on one of the businesses he owns. Which leads him to Brooks. The surly bar manager who doesn’t seem all that excited Skylar is there. Brooks doesn’t mean to scare Skylar, especially when he sees the glimpse of fear in his eyes when Skylar catches a grumpy Brooks. The last thing he would ever do is hurt someone. He also can’t let Skylar know that he is crashing in the storeroom at the bar. In order to afford care for his grandma he works a lot of hours and has to save every penny he has. But things start to shift between Skylar and Brooks the longer Skylar sticks around. And for the first time Brooks has a crush on a guy. A surprise but not unwelcome. Especially when he gets to know Skylar. And when Skylar’s ex finally tracks him down, Brooks has no problem stepping in to pretend to be Skylar’s new boyfriend. And it’s an act that doesn’t feel like one the more they get to know one another. But Brooks knows it will take time to earn Skylar’s trust and heart after what he has been through. And though he fears Skylar will leave, he knows Skylar is worth that risk. I loved Skylar and Brooks! They were so great together. Brooks may want to protect Skylar but he also knows he has to give Skylar his space and time to find his confidence again. He’ll be there by his side rather than just his protector. And I loved Skylar’s journey to find himself again. After his ex beating down who he was, Skylar takes his life back into his own hand to be exactly who he is meant to be. These two were so sweet as they fell in love. Skylar may be worried about trusting someone again and Brooks is afraid of being left behind, but yet when it comes to one another, they don’t give up so easily. Such a fun series so far! There are several people I want books for and with word on the next one, I cannot wait to see how it plays out!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fated to Darkness Book 1: The King of Frost and Shadows by Jen L. Grey

 

Fated to Darkness Book 1

A vengeful King.

A lost princess. 

And the revenge he’s desperate for. 

For the last twelve years, Tavish, the King of the Unseelie Fae, focused on finding the key for taking back his rightful lands from the Seelie fae after they killed his parents.

There was one problem that stood in his way—locating the Seelie Princess hidden on Earth.

After years of haunting her dreams, he finally locates her and drags her back to their realm.

She’s forgotten her fae life and wants to escape. He doesn’t care. He merely needs her blood in order to free his people.

But she’s more than he remembers, and a spark ignites between them every time they touch.

None of that matters though. His goal is set—to drain her blood once her magic activates once again.

He must take back what is rightfully his, no matter the cost.

But if he does, the price might be what’s left of his heart.

The King of Frost and Shadow is a slow-burn, royal fae romantasy that includes betrayal, morally gray characters, enemies-to-lovers, villain gets the girl, a gauntlet tournament, political intrigue, who did this to you, and touch her and unalive. One-click this story today.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213782560-the-king-of-frost-and-shadows?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=JQyrMUq1Jz&rank=1

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

Lira doesn’t remember her life from before she was ten years old. But despite that, she has had a good life with he adopted parents and sister. But everything changes when she is snatched and brought to the fae realm by a man who sparks something inside her she has never felt before. But this King of the Unseelie is not her friend. Not anymore. Tavish tells her that she is the Seelie princess and that her memories and magic will return to her and when her magic returns, he will have to kill her. It’s the only way to save his people. But even Tavish can’t control his feelings for the girl he thought he would marry when they were younger. And it becomes harder and harder to keep his promise to his people when everything in him wants to keep her safe. But things get complicated when Tavish has no choice but to put Lira in the gauntlet tournament. It will take everything Lira has to survive. Things are definitely getting interesting in this new series! And oh man what a cliffhanger ending! There is a lot going on in this story and I have so many questions. I love Lira and Tavish. Lira is a strong character determined to do right no matter what. She won’t lose herself in this world despite being born from it. Tavish has lost so much and he is just trying to do right by his people but that gets harder when he begins to wonder if what he is doing is right. Really can’t wait for book two!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Franklin U 2 Book 6: Tongue-Tied by Christina Lee

 

Franklin U 2 Book 6

Confessing feelings for your best friend takes being tongue-tied to a whole new level. 

AUSTIN

Dex has always been my best friend, so it’s no surprise that we attend Franklin U together. We’re complete opposites. Dex is charismatic and outgoing. Me? Let’s just say I wish I could infuse some of his confidence into my veins. Making friends is hard enough, but trying to meet guys, even with Dex’s help? I’m useless. Maybe it’s because Dex is all about hooking up, but I want my first time to be straight out of the pages of the romance novels I read.

DEX

After a string of mishaps, I swore off helping Austin land guys. But when he asks me to show him the ropes with practice sessions, I get the feeling he’s desperate. Our dates are pretend, so why am I getting so into them? I want to make Austin happy, but the line between friendship and something more is getting really damned blurry. The fluttery feeling, that electric energy every time we touch…it’s addicting. I’m getting overprotective, not only of my time with Austin, but with douchebags who might break his heart.

Eventually, the pretending has to end so Austin can strike out on his own. But how do I tell him I’m not ready to let him go, when every attempt at confessing leaves me tongue-tied?

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/208920591-tongue-tied

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

Austin and Dex have been friends since they were kids. The two of them are inseparable. But they are also pretty different. Austin believes in romance and loves being able to curl up with his romance novels. But when it comes to real life, he can’t help but be tongue-tied at every turn. While Dex has no problem getting hook ups. Though Dex is jaded when it comes to love and relationships after his parents’ divorce and the way his mom constantly tells him she has found the one just to heartbroken. But things are changing. Austin is tired of struggling when it comes to dating and flirting and Dex can’t help but want to help his best friend out. His best friend is the best and deserves to find someone who appreciates him. So they’ll go on some fake dates so Dex can help Austin relax and out of his own head. But the more they approach their friendship in a new way, the more feelings change. What I really loved about their story is that it was really best friends to lovers in a slow burn way. It wasn’t how one was always in love with the other and never said anything. It was a slow to realize that this friendship between them could be so much more if they mixed in romantic love with it. I loved watching these two slowly shift their friendship into something more as they see one another for the first time in a different light. These two were just so adorable! Especially when it comes to one another. Loved their story! 

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When We Meet Again by Hayden Hall

 

Rafael owns my heart. He stole it with the first clumsy bump in a Parisian bookstore, and I never asked him to return it.

He gifted me a night to remember, a night that shaped the person I would become. And then, I lost him. I lost every trace that could have helped me find him. Until fate meddled again and put Rafael and me on the same cross-European train through the Alps.

But if I hoped that some divine hand guided us to one another, I was terribly mistaken.

Our second encounter sparked a decade of failed attempts and missed chances. For years, I yearned to be with him, and for years, something took him away. Our lives are so intertwined that we will never be free of one another. And yet, each time I see him, my dream of a happy ending fades a little more.

Is stealing moments with Rafael enough to live on? Can I survive on glimmers of hope? I don’t think so.

It’s time to take our happy ending away from fate’s hands. It’s time to break this cursed cycle once and for all.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213682844-when-we-meet-again

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My Review: 4/5 Stars

The moment Luke and Rafael meet is the moment that both of their lives are changed forever. They spend an afternoon together and it begins their journey of falling in love. But that is all the time they have. For fate is determined to keep them apart and bring them together once in a while. But over the next ten years, these two will find their way back to one another. At times it is for small moments, things are complicated, or maybe they have a time where it confirms that they are simply meant to be. There are times when all they have is hope and that maybe things will be different and the future they want could happen. Other times Rafael believes they are cursed when tragedy strikes. It’s a push and pull and oof, do you feel for these two. It’s such a long time for them to be together but not. And for them to finally, finally get their lives together to the point where they know that all they want is to be by one another’s side. They earned their long awaited happy ending by the end of the story. But it is quite the beautiful journey to get there. Luke and Rafael’s journey will pull at your heartstrings and you will be cheering for them the whole time to find their way back to one another so they can finally just be together and happy! Really enjoyed their story.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Black Dagger Brotherhood Book 22.5: A Bloom in Winter by JR Ward

 

Black Dagger Brotherhood Book 22.5

Another sexy, high-stakes holiday spinoff installment of the New York Times bestselling Black Dagger Brotherhood series. 

Nothing warms a cold heart like true love, and in this newest Black Dagger Brotherhood winter book, a fighter who has never been a savior finds himself falling in love—and trying to rescue—a male who’s lost all hope. With the BDB training center reopening, and the Brothers looking to add more soldiers in the war against the Lessening Society, fan favorite Callum decides to find his purpose in fighting. Apex knows what suffering the male has survived, and he joins the program just to make sure Callum doesn’t get himself killed. As the two hit the streets, and the danger gets real, Callum must decide whether he can open himself up to love or if he will give in to his inner darkness and spiral down into an abyss of hatred and death...forever.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/207299225-a-bloom-in-winter

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

So I want to start off by saying that the blurb about this book isn’t really what I read. Yes, the story is about Callum and Apex who we met in the Prison Camp series. I was super glad to get their story! But the thing about the training center and all that isn’t really accurate. I did get an ARC of this book, so part of me wondered if there was more to come when printed but at the same time, the story read as a full book and didn’t seem to be missing anything. So maybe that blurb will change? Who knows. Basically I wanted to warn everyone not to expect much with the training center.

So as I said this is a story about Apex and Callum coming back to one another. It lines up with the jumped ahead timeline and we see that these two have been apart for a while. After everything that has happened with them, healing and just getting themselves in spaces is just complicated. But their paths cross once more when Apex and Mayhem are hired to set up a security system for the person Callum is currently working for in keeping the estate in check. But of course it is more complicated than that. We get a side story with Mayhem and a female vampire who runs to that estate to get away from a forced mating that her father wants her to go through with. In addition to some Tohr pov when there is a murder that needs to be solved and a possible threat against the king. And of course, everything connects in some way. As usual, loved the BDB world. Love getting a new story especially with this wolven and vampire. Been waiting for them for a while. And of course, love getting to see how this world is developing and the new threats on the horizon. Looks like we got a lot of things coming! You definitely don’t want to miss this latest addition to the series.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Van Doren Series Book 1: Loren by Crea Reitan

 

Van Doren Book 1

I will kill to keep him.

Oakley

It’s a new start - brand new school in a completely different state. For the first time, I now have the freedom to be unapologetically me. But as my luck would have it, I have shit taste in men. The first man to pay me a compliment has so many red flags, I think I’m in a storm. Life can’t get any worse… until he turns into a stalker.

Then my stalker ends up brutally murdered, I walk blindly into a serial killer’s nest, and I catch the attention of a sociopath.

Loren

The moment I see Oakley walk into the cafe, I know he’s mine. I may be here to finish a job, but it’s impossible to concentrate on anything but him. My fascination quickly turns into an obsession, which might be fortunate for him because I think he’s trying to get himself killed.

Which is fine; I’ll protect him. It doesn’t matter how many lives I have to end to make Oakley mine.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/212703222-loren

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

I have been beyond curious about Loren since I first saw him in Lucky Shot. He made another recent sort of appearance/mention and I really wanted him to get his own book and I am so glad he finally did! Loren is a sociopath. But that is not all he is. He is protective and loyal and though he says he isn’t sure he can feel love, he shows it in his actions when it comes to his family and his friend, Noah. But even more when he meets Oakley. He knows he is different in how he feels and views the world. And knows that he is lucky to have his father and his many brothers not only with him but understand him and give him the outlets he needs to be who he is in a safe way. Because sometimes Loren needs to let out the killer in him and the way to do that is through the contracts set up through his family and have it unleashed on the bad people of the world. And it’s how he meets Oakley. 

Oakley becomes unfortunate to cross paths with an abuser that Loren is after. And the moment Loren sees Oakley, everything in him changes. Love at first sight. Possession. Obsession. Loren knows Oakley is meant to be his. And he will do anything for Oakley to make him happy and safe. Especially when trouble seems to find Oakley by accident. But he has a guardian angel (or maybe villain) watching over him. Oakley and his friends are family. They’ve looked out for one another for a very long time and have gone away for school to protect one of his friends. But there is one thing that Oakley has always wanted and that is love. He wants someone to look at him and love him and keep him. And finding Loren? The man who is different and protective and real and saves him from trouble? Well, Oakley can’t resist. Especially when he gets to know Loren and sees him for who he is and not what others judge him on. I adored this book! Like I said, I was so excited to get Loren’s story. He is such an interesting character and to see how he views the world was so unique. I loved how he cared for Oakley in his own way. And I loved all the Van Dorens. I can’t wait to get all their stories and how they are connected to Oakley and his friends. This was a great one to kick off the series and I can’t wait for more!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Giltmaker Series Book 2: Golden Touch by Sarina Bowen

 

Giltmaker Book 2

Livia

Once upon a time I spent an evening flirting with a handsome stranger in a bar. But before we could finish what we started, I lost my nerve and fled. 

Months later, I’m minding my own business at work one morning when a stranger lets himself into the empty brewery. Panicked, I call 911, and the cops show up to slap on the handcuffs. 

In my defense, I have very good reasons to be afraid. Also in my defense, I’d never met my boss’s son. 

Or so I’d thought… 

Nash

I don’t know what this chick has against me. First she ditches me, and now she wants to arrest me. 

Livia is as frustrating as she is hot. But nobody else knows the brewery better than she does. Now we’re stuck together, sharing an office and a very small house as I run the brewery for six weeks for my cranky dad. 

That’s just enough time to bring down her guard. Turns out we have a lot more in common than we thought, including a lot of smoking hot chemistry. Until Livia’s past catches up with her, and I finally figure out why she’s so jumpy. But I’ll stop at nothing to protect her, unless her ex finds her first…

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/212091551-golden-touch

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

There was a night where Livia thought she could let go and enjoy flirting with the stranger across the bar. But reality sinks in on what her life is like, so she runs. Months later, the handsome stranger shows up at her job (not that she realizes it is him) and scares her to the point where she calls the cops…who then inform her that he is the son of her boss. Opps. But Livia has every right to be paranoid. After leaving an abusive ex who is mixed up in some bad things and is on the hunt for her, she can’t help but trust no one and look over her shoulder every minute. But Nash. He makes her want to break all her new rules to protect herself. But she can’t. Not if she doesn’t want to make the same mistakes. But every moment with Nash proves to her how he is the total opposite of her ex. He’s smart and kind and actually cares for Livia. But Livia knows trouble is at her heels and how long will he want her if she could be the reason he gets hurt? Nash can’t forget about the woman from the bar. And to his greatest surprise he finds her again, just in time for her to get him almost arrested. But once everything is cleared up, he knows his gut was right. This woman is special and different from anyone he has ever met. And she is scared. And Nash hates that. He wants to help her if only she would let him. But he won’t give up. Because the more he gets to know Livia, the more he knows that she is someone worth fighting for. I adored these two! Livia and Nash had such great chemistry. I loved their banter and how they were equals with one another. Livia needed an equal and someone to show her not all men are bad. Plenty of laughs, and romance, and action in this story! It’s just another great addition to this series and to this world Sarina has created. I know when I pick up her books, I’m getting a great story!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.