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Wednesday, December 25, 2024

Praise Me: President by Jessa Kane

Praise Me: President (Praise Me Daily)Jessa Kane returns with another stellar release featuring a super cute and sexy romance with a splash of politics mixed into it. I found it super funny at times because I wish we had someone young like Pierce McAlister as president. But alas, that isn't reality. In any case, this was definitely a fun read and I had a blast reading it! Pierce and Eloise had incredibly chemistry and the unexpected dirty talk was A+ from me. I liked that they were both so equally obsessed with each other. Eloise thought Pierce hung the moon and was inspired by him to enter politics. As for Pierce, it was lust/love at first sight for him. He struggled to accept his attraction to her at first because of their professional relationship, but ultimately lost the battle against it.

“I’m just a man. Not some god to be served. A real man is man enough to serve his woman. Don’t ever forget that.”

In the end, I thoroughly enjoyed this release and can't wait for Jessa Kane's next book, Praise Me: Princess. It looks like this will be another excellent series to look forward to. This book wasn't as unhinged as we're typically used to from Jessa Kane, but I still loved it nonetheless.

Rating: ★★★★★

Monday, December 16, 2024

Release Blitz: Coerced Queen by Charmaine Pauls



Title: Coerced Queen
Series: New York Underworld #3
Author: Charmaine Pauls
Genre: Dark Mafia Romance
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers/Touch Her and Die
Fake Relationship/Forced Proximity
Release Date: December 16, 2024

BLURB

My husband will never love me, but I’m in this now until death do us part.

The man who threatened to carry me over his shoulder down the aisle and marry me at knifepoint is both my captor and my liberator. He makes me weak and strong at the same time.
Before, he didn’t give me an option. Now, there’s a choice. But he’s determined to push me away.
If I’m wise, I’ll take that freedom and run for my life. Because the heart of the man who captured and saved me will always belong to the woman who broke it. The man who calls himself my husband will never be mine.
Only, there is no choice for me any longer. It’s way too late to walk away.

I’m in this war now … until death do us part.



PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU


EXCERPT

He turns, facing me squarely. “Everything I do and everything I’ve done are for selfish reasons. If I’m watching out for you or taking care of you, it’s because I like the way you make me feel. You have an effect on me no other woman has. You make my cock hard every fucking time I look at you, even when I’ve just come the hardest in my life and it should be physically impossible. So when I tell you that I’m doing it for me, I’m not lying.” 
His words hurt, slicing right through me like he almost did with the blade of his knife. Yet that’s not the truth I see when I look at his actions. That’s not the hope I hold on to when I close my eyes at night and shed lonely tears with him right beside me in bed. 
Swallowing back those tears that burn at the back of my eyes, I lift my chin. “You’re wrong, Sav. A man who does everything with his own self-interest in mind won’t give his life to save me and my baby.” 
The statement pierces him like a sword. I see it in the way he winces as he’s forced to face the simplest of truths when all his arguments are exhausted and only his considerate behavior is left to speak for itself. 
We face each other like pieces on a chess table. It’s a checkmate move. It’s playing dirty. I admit that. Pushing him into a corner to confess something I desperately need to hear isn’t honorable. But I don’t know how else to open his eyes to something he won’t allow himself to believe. Maybe he thinks it will be a betrayal of his love for Rachele. But people can love more than one person. They can get hurt and trampled and find happiness again. He lost his first love, but he’s my first love. If he gives us a chance, we can be so much more than lust and sex. 
He turns away with that wounded look on his face, running away from the future we could’ve had. And I’m still thoroughly and utterly ruined, a silly, opportunistic woman who put her heart on the line in a gamble she lost.
ALSO AVAILABLE


AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU


AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU


AUTHOR BIO


Charmaine loves to write dark and edgy romance that will melt both your e-reader and your heart. She's a mom of two teenagers, an adorable dog, and a dominant cat. Her country of birth is South Africa where many of her stories play off. Her French husband kidnapped her to the south of France where she currently lives with her family. When she's not writing, you'll find her in the kitchen baking cakes or in the gym lifting weights (because ... all those cakes!).

AUTHOR LINKS

Saturday, December 14, 2024

Coerced Queen by Charmaine Pauls

Coerced Queen (New York Underworld #3)Charmaine Pauls brings Anya and Saverio's heartbreaking and obsessive love story to a climactic finish in Coerced Queen. There was angst, unrequited love, found family, betrayal, sacrifice, redemption, as well as incredible character development from both Anya and Saverio. There were so many unforgettable moments that brought tears to my eyes—from Saverio's struggle to live on after the attack to Anya's determination to save both her husband and daughter, I loved it all. While Saverio and Anya did frustrate me at times because of their stubbornness, I was very happy with how the author resolved their conflict. They were both in love with each other, but Saverio's constant denial of it prevented him from acknowledging the truth and telling Anya. He was always in love with her. Saverio's obsessive and possessive love for Anya was still addicting to read about just like it did when he first threatened and controlled her in Coerced Kiss. And yet, there's no denying that their relationship has shifted. Anya is no longer the innocent young woman seduced by Saverio but a fierce mother and wife who would do anything for her family. Saverio's precious treasure had become a powerful queen in her own right.

“You’re more than my match in every way… You're the reason I breathe. You’re my most precious treasure.”

In the end, I loved how all of Anya and Saverio's dreams came true because they were able to find love in each other. The epilogue was so sweet and I loved seeing how happy, peaceful, and content their lives had become after everything. Raphael Morelli and Anya's mother got what they deserved. Even though Saverio was never able to reconcile with his own father, he took all of that pain and turned it into love for his family and children. It was incredible to see. I hope that Charmaine Pauls will write a series or book for Dante because that man deserves a heroine just as amazing as himself—especially after everything he had done for Saverio and Anya. I loved all of the secondary characters, especially Livy who was like the mother Anya always wanted. Fans of dark and mafia romance will absolutely love this book as it features a tortured and possessive hero who will do anything to keep his beloved heroine. The trilogy began their love story as a "cat and mouse" relationship but it eventually transformed into a "game of chess" where the queen was the most powerful piece of all. I highly recommend this trilogy to those who are looking for an emotional and steamy read!

*This ARC was generously provided by the author for an honest review*

Rating: ★★★★★

Monday, November 18, 2024

Released Blitz: Coerced Wife by Charmaine Pauls



Title: Coerced Wife
Series: New York Underworld #2
Author: Charmaine Pauls
Genre: Dark Mafia Romance
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers/Touch Her and Die
Fake Relationship/Forced Proximity
Release Date: November 18, 2024

BLURB

He offers me protection, but the bed of a killer isn’t a safe place to be.

I got myself in a predicament. Powerful people on both sides of the law want me dead. A killer needs me alive for his own selfish reasons, reasons I never could’ve imagined in my wildest dreams.
I’m not safe in the bed of a cold–blooded murderer, but I don’t have a choice. On the one hand, he offers me protection, and on the other, he tightens the noose.
I’m caught in his web of lies and deceit. Every truth that’s uncovered destroys me a little more. But he’s already injected me with his venomous seduction.

Before I know it, he’ll swallow me whole.




PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU


EXCERPT
As for the rest, desolation rips through me when I push the door open and walk through it. Every step I take is like walking on a bed of glowing red coals. 
Saverio stands on the gallery, talking to Dante. His smile slips when he sees me.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, wrapping an arm around my waist. 
I plaster a smile on my face. “Nothing.” 
The way his eyes tighten in the corners says he doesn’t believe me, but he doesn’t push the issue. 
I stand like a statue at his side while people file past in a steady row to prematurely congratulate us and to make mindless conversation. 
A short while later, Luigi asks the DJ to kill the music. He makes an announcement, but everything is like white noise in my ears. 
Saverio takes my hand and pushes a ring with a huge oval diamond over my finger. I can’t stop staring at the monstrosity that shines under the lights, the huge stone weighing down my hand. Saverio holds my gaze as he lifts my fingers to his lips and kisses the ring, something dark and deviant sparking in those eyes that resemble the color of an iced-over lake. Clapping follows and then cheers. 
Lowering his head, he claims my lips in a kiss that lasts too long to be appropriate for the occasion. This time, wolf whistling sounds. 
It all happens in a blur. The one moment I’m Anya Brennan, and in the next, I’m to become Ms. De Luca. 
“Soon,” Saverio whispers in my ear, sealing that frightening promise with a tender kiss on my neck.


ALSO AVAILABLE


AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

COMING SOON


Releasing December 16

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
 
AUTHOR BIO


Charmaine loves to write dark and edgy romance that will melt both your e-reader and your heart. She's a mom of two teenagers, an adorable dog, and a dominant cat. Her country of birth is South Africa where many of her stories play off. Her French husband kidnapped her to the south of France where she currently lives with her family. When she's not writing, you'll find her in the kitchen baking cakes or in the gym lifting weights (because ... all those cakes!).

AUTHOR LINKS

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Coerced Wife by Charmaine Pauls

Coerced Wife (New York Underworld #2)Anya and Saverio's all-consuming attraction to one another takes the center stage in Coerced Wife, the sequel to Coerced Kiss. Their captivating but also dangerous relationship develops at a rapid pace as Anya uncovers more revelations and secrets about Saverio. I liked that this book primarily focuses on their relationship and had many sexual moments between the two. Anya is falling in love with Saverio but there are many roadblocks in their relationship. What I love most about Charmaine Pauls' writing is that she captivates her readers by dialing up the tension and angst between her main characters. Anya and Saverio's relationship may be based on a "lie," but the feelings they are developing for each other are real and devastating. Although Anya doesn't believe that Saverio is capable of loving her, he believes that his insane obsession for her is beyond love—she is his treasure to keep forever and he will never let her go.

“But nothing is more important than her. It’s how she makes me feel—invincible… as if I can’t breathe when I’m without her.”

In the end, this was a fantastic and necessary continuation to Anya and Saverio's love story. I find it fascinating that the more she distances herself from him, the more insane and reactionary he becomes with his feelings for her. Saverio continues to be a contradictory character because his motives and reasoning behind everything confuses both Anya and readers. Does he love her or not? The most frustrating part about all this is their lack of communication. Instead of answering Anya's questions, Saverio often gives vague answers that allude to something more but it ends up hurting her instead. This book does end with a shocking cliffhanger where both Saverio and Anya are in danger. I fear this might push him to distance himself from Anya to keep her safe. Fans of the touch her and die trope will absolutely love this trilogy.

*This ARC was generously provided by the author for an honest review*

Rating: ★★★★★

Monday, October 21, 2024

Release Blitz: Coerced Kiss by Charmaine Pauls



Title: Coerced Kiss
Series: New York Underworld #1
Author: Charmaine Pauls
Genre: Dark Mafia Romance
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers/Touch Her and Die
Fake Relationship/Forced Proximity
Release Date: October 21, 2024

BLURB

I’m an alibi for a killer, but he demands so much more than my testimony.

I stumbled across something I wasn’t supposed to discover. I saw something I wasn’t meant to see, and now I’m an alibi for a killer.
He’s the most feared and powerful man in the New York underworld. I don’t have a choice but to do as he says.

But he commands so much more than just my testimony.




PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU


EXCERPT

A clang echoes through the alley. My heart jolts in my chest. My phone. It lies at my feet. The screen is dark. Cracked. 
Aghast, I look from the cause of the noise to the men in the alley. The man loosened his hold on Mr. Lewis. My boss lies on his side next to his briefcase, staring at me with wide, glassy eyes. 
“Fuck,” the bulky man says, snarling as he trains his gaze on me. 
Heatwaves of shock run through my body, propelling me back into action even as I lock eyes with the killer. Something passes between us—the knowledge that I’m done for. The way in which he tilts his head holds a strange kind of apology.
I don’t think. If I do, I’m dead. I spin on my heel and run. 
The stocky man’s words follow me like a demon’s promise down the dark street.
“Get her and finish her.”


COMING SOON


Releasing November 18

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU



Releasing December 16

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
 
AUTHOR BIO


Charmaine loves to write dark and edgy romance that will melt both your e-reader and your heart. She's a mom of two teenagers, an adorable dog, and a dominant cat. Her country of birth is South Africa where many of her stories play off. Her French husband kidnapped her to the south of France where she currently lives with her family. When she's not writing, you'll find her in the kitchen baking cakes or in the gym lifting weights (because ... all those cakes!).

AUTHOR LINKS


Sunday, October 13, 2024

Coerced Kiss by Charmaine Pauls

Coerced Kiss (New York Underworld #1)Charmaine Pauls returns with an exciting and highly anticipated brand new trilogy featuring a charismatic and ruthless killer and the wary but naive young woman who threatens his control at every turn. I was completely enthralled by Saverio and Anya's cat and mouse relationship. While this series is not as dark as the Corsican Crime Lord series, it is still very much a dark romance where the hero will try to threaten and control his heroine. Saverio is incredibly possessive towards Anya and their relationship is one that is morally gray with "touch her and die" vibes. He is keeping her alive for the sake of his "freedom" but his actions often speak louder than words. Like most of the author's heroes, Sav is a contradictory character. Although he can be a cold and cruel sociopath, he can also be incredibly sweet and caring—but only towards Anya. Like a dragon hoarding its most beloved treasure, Anya is Sav's precious treasure and he will stop at nothing to possess and keep her.

“Only she can do this to me. No one else. That’s what I always wanted. Someone who belongs to me. To me alone. A beautiful, innocent treasure to corrupt and worship.”

In the end, this was an incredible start to Saverio and Anya's story. I loved everything about their relationship and Sav's contradictory nature towards Anya was so addicting to read about. I don't think anybody can ever top Angelo Russo's type of crazy but Saverio De Luca does not play around either. I can't wait to see what Charmaine Pauls has in store for these two, especially with the mysterious key and Anya's life in constant peril. I also want to add that the story has a unique and unconventional trope where the heroine is pregnant prior to meeting the hero. It was heartwarming to read that Saverio thought nothing of it and was still obsessed and overprotective of Anya—going so far as to claiming ownership of her and the baby. Fans of Charmaine Pauls will not want to miss out on this trilogy as it features several incredible tropes such as enemies to lovers, touch her and die, MMC falls first, and fake relationship. I'm so excited to read more of this trilogy and highly recommend it! Saverio and Anya's relationship will absolutely steal your heart.

*This ARC was generously provided by the author for an honest review*

Rating: ★★★

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Royal Flush by Piper Stone

Royal Flush (Royal Players Club #2)Royal Flush is the sequel to Royal Mistake and it features Braxton Royal and Jasmine Sinclair. Piper Stone returns to the Royal Players Club series with the second Royal brother to fall in love and while I was initially excited for his story, it fell flat for me because of the overdramatic kidnappings, mafia murder side plot, and lack of communication between Braxton and Jasmine. I wanted the author to focus more of the romance between these two because they had such strong personalities and both were a force to be reckoned with. The banter and chemistry between these two had so much potential but I quickly got frustrated by their arguments and lack of trust. Neither of them wanted to compromise until it was too late. It made matters worse when Jasmine's life was in danger but she kept running away from the one person who could save her.

“He was my savior. My protector. My lover. And my everything.”

In the end, I enjoyed Braxton and Jasmine's story but it wasn't my favorite. It took me some time to read their book because I was so annoyed by the miscommunication, lack of trust, and arguments between the two. However, there is no denying that Piper Stone excels at writing the steamy scenes. The prologue was able to capture my attention and I wanted to know what happened and how Braxton and Jasmine reached that stage in their relationship. The ending did satisfy my curiosity and I was pleased to see that our main couple was able to solve their issues and be together in the end. Braxton's little nickname for Jasmine was adorable—she was his "little koala." While this book didn't work for me, it might work for other readers who love a sassy heroine who follows her own path and a dominant hero who can't help but want to keep her as his own forever.

*This ARC was generously provided by the author for an honest review*

Rating: ★★★

Monday, September 9, 2024

Cover Reveal: Coerced Queen by Charmaine Pauls



Title: Coerced Queen
Series: New York Underworld #3
Author: Charmaine Pauls
Genre: Dark Mafia Romance
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers/Touch Her and Die
Fake Relationship/Forced Proximity
Cover Design: Dark City Designs
Photographer: Wander Aguiar
Release Date: December 16, 2024

BLURB

My husband will never love me, but I’m in this now until death do us part.

The man who threatened to carry me over his shoulder down the aisle and marry me at knifepoint is both my captor and my liberator. He makes me weak and strong at the same time.
Before, he didn’t give me an option. Now, there’s a choice. But he’s determined to push me away.

If I’m wise, I’ll take that freedom and run for my life. Because the heart of the man who captured and saved me will always belong to the woman who broke it. The man who calls himself my husband will never be mine.

Only, there is no choice for me any longer. It’s way too late to walk away.

I’m in this war now … until death do us part.




PRE-ORDER LINKS

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU


EXCERPT

He turns, facing me squarely. “Everything I do and everything I’ve done are for selfish reasons. If I’m watching out for you or taking care of you, it’s because I like the way you make me feel. You have an effect on me no other woman has. You make my cock hard every fucking time I look at you, even when I’ve just come the hardest in my life and it should be physically impossible. So when I tell you that I’m doing it for me, I’m not lying.”
His words hurt, slicing right through me like he almost did with the blade of his knife. Yet that’s not the truth I see when I look at his actions. That’s not the hope I hold on to when I close my eyes at night and shed lonely tears with him right beside me in bed. 
Swallowing back those tears that burn at the back of my eyes, I lift my chin. “You’re wrong, Sav. A man who does everything with his own self-interest in mind won’t give his life to save me and my baby.” 
The statement pierces him like a sword. I see it in the way he winces as he’s forced to face the simplest of truths when all his arguments are exhausted and only his considerate behavior is left to speak for itself. 
We face each other like pieces on a chess table. It’s a checkmate move. It’s playing dirty. I admit that. Pushing him into a corner to confess something I desperately need to hear isn’t honorable. But I don’t know how else to open his eyes to something he won’t allow himself to believe. Maybe he thinks it will be a betrayal of his love for Rachele. But people can love more than one person. They can get hurt and trampled and find happiness again. He lost his first love, but he’s my first love. If he gives us a chance, we can be so much more than lust and sex. 
He turns away with that wounded look on his face, running away from the future we could’ve had. And I’m still thoroughly and utterly ruined, a silly, opportunistic woman who put her heart on the line in a gamble she lost.
ALSO COMING SOON

Releasing October 21

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Releasing November 18

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU


AUTHOR BIO


Charmaine loves to write dark and edgy romance that will melt both your e-reader and your heart. She's a mom of two teenagers, an adorable dog, and a dominant cat. Her country of birth is South Africa where many of her stories play off. Her French husband kidnapped her to the south of France where she currently lives with her family. When she's not writing, you'll find her in the kitchen baking cakes or in the gym lifting weights (because ... all those cakes!).

AUTHOR LINKS


Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Release Blitz: Diamond Kisses by Pepper Winters

DIAMOND KISSES IS LIVE & RUBY TEARS IS FREE!

The final book in this dangerously dark romance is available to read on KU and the best part is—if you haven’t started this series yet—you can start for FREE with Ruby Tears (only for a couple of days so grab it now!)


START HERE WITH RUBY TEARS (Free!)

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9W1ZCZL

Amazon.uk: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C9W1ZCZL

Amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0C9W1ZCZL

Amazon.au: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0C9W1ZCZL



END HERE WITH DIAMOND KISSES
(Out now and no more waiting for cliffhangers!)

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9W5G2Z5

Amazon.uk: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C9W5G2Z5

Amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0C9W5G2Z5

Amazon.au: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0C9W5G2Z5

 

WANT A SIGNED SPECIAL EDITION?

(These come with all the bells and whistles and only available for 4 weeks!)

https://pepperwinters.com/product/exclusive-website-edition-the-jewelry-box-omnibus-dark-romance/

“I met a man I hoped could be the one. But he turned out to be the beast who ruins me…”

I’m the illegitimate son of a monster.
I truly have the devil inside.
I try to be good.
To ignore the deep, dark, despicable urges.
But every day, it gets harder.
To prove to myself that I’m not completely damned, I attempt to infiltrate a trafficking ring to save all those trapped within it.
Only problem is, I meet her on the night of my initiation.
I’m given a task to take her, steal her, train her.
She sparkles like diamonds, bleeds like rubies, and bruises as deep as emeralds.
She’s mine to break.
I can’t refuse.
I beg her to play along with me.
To help me stay human.
To act with me in a performance where we both might survive.
Yet the more we pretend, the more real it becomes, and I have a horrible feeling the only one who will be breaking…is me.

Triggers on every warning possible.
This is dark, explicit, and will push every boundary that exists.
Be warned....
To all those dark souls out there...welcome to The Jewelry Box