Dark Prince's Mate by Anna Zaires and Charmaine Pauls

Dark Prince's Mate is the conclusion to Aruan and Elsie's story. This was an excellent sequel that not only captivated my attention—due to all of my burning questions, but Anna Zaires and Charmaine Paul also gave us some incredibly spicy and heartfelt scenes for their journey's end. I want to note that this book picks up immediately after Dark Prince’s Captive so I recommend reading that first before picking up this one. Although Aruan and Elsie still had their issues in the first half of the book, the way they were able to resolve it and come to terms with their growing feelings for each other made for a satisfying conclusion to their story. However, it was still frustrating to see Elsie continue to fight her feelings for Aruan but he was also at fault for being too uncompromising when it came to her safety. Their unwillingness to talk to each other made me want to shake them both. Thankfully, I was relieved when Aruan began to slowly change his ways and make concessions for Elsie's happiness.

“The man cradling me in his arms has a terrifying, godlike power, yet I’m not afraid of him. I see him for what he is: dangerous and beautiful, violent and imperfect. And mine. Above all, mine.”

In the end, Aruan made compromises that ultimately won him Elsie's heart. I thoroughly enjoyed their super steamy moments and seeing them "make up" after an argument. The love scenes were spicy and plentiful—which I appreciated because Aruan and Elsie's first time left them and readers disappointed. Prior to the completion of their bond, Aruan was extremely overprotective, overbearing, and stubborn. This clashed with Elsie's personality because she was independent, stubborn, and had modern sensibilities. Nevertheless, I was happy to see them finally talk and learn to love one another. The second half of the book was my favorite because we finally learn who the true mastermind of the kidnappings and attacks was. It made for an exciting turn of events, which also led Elsie to realize her feelings for Aruan and complete their mate bond. I highly recommend this duet to fans of Anna Zaires and Charmaine Pauls, especially if you like reading about the dark, brooding, and possessive hero and his feisty and highly independent heroine with plenty of spice as well.

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

Rating: ★★★★☆

Dark Prince's Captive by Anna Zaires and Charmaine Pauls

Anna Zaires and Charmaine Pauls have written a fantastical and exciting new world full of action, romance, and danger that will certainly captivate your attention and leave you wanting more. I found the world of Zerra, a parallel world to Earth, completely fascinating and hope the authors will provide more background information about it in the next book. Due to the short nature of this book, it did feel more like an introduction to Elsie and Aruan's story and the world of Zerra. Our heroine, Elsie, starts off on the brink of death but ends up being transported to a completely new world that's similar but unlike her own. After getting kidnapped by these strange and terrifying creatures, she is saved by a mysterious and handsome man who calls himself her mate. Bewildered and scared, Elsie has to not only navigate her confusing new feelings for Aruan but also this magical world and her growing dormant powers. I loved that this had all of the tried and true tropes we all know and love in a romantasy but with the hint of darkness and traits of Charmaine and Anna's obsessive and possessive heroes. However, Aruan has a lot of groveling and explaining to do after the events of this book—to which I look forward to reading.

“I can feel the pull of her being. It’s like a dragon’s claw has hooked itself deep into my chest, but instead of pain, there’s an ache, equal parts sweet and terrible, an exquisite longing that permeates everything I am.”

In the end, this was an incredible start to a brand new series and entry into their romantasy era from Anna Zaires and Charmaine Pauls. I want to know more about Elsie's past and who exactly sent her to Earth to die. Her newfound powers also piqued my interest and I can't wait to see what she'll do with it. On the other hand, Aruan was a very intense, powerful, and dominant character. Although there were times where I felt like he was too high-handed when it came to Elsie, I appreciated that he was already completely obsessed and possessive of her. I'm hoping that the authors will further flesh out Aruan and Elsie's characters and build more on their relationship that currently consists more of lust than love right now. Their consummation was incredibly sexy but frustrating at the same time because of what happened after. Another point that I found interesting was Aruan as the prophesied crown prince who will destroy the world because of his mate. How did this prophecy even come about and what will this mean for Elsie? Is Aruan's mother the villain of this book or someone else? I'm also curious about Aruan's siblings—Gaia, especially Kian who left an impression on me, and Vitai—and hope they will getting their own books. I highly recommend reading Dark Prince's Mate immediately after because this one does end in a heartbreaking cliffhanger due to a miscommunication between Aruan and Elsie.

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

Rating: ★★★★☆

Titan's Addiction by Anna Zaires

Anna Zaires' Wall Street Titan duet was such a whirlwind of a read because it left me feeling partly nostalgic but it was also an incredibly sexy and romantic story between two opposite individuals who were never supposed to meet but found love in each other instead. Marcus Carelli did everything in his power to possess Emma Walsh but what he didn't count on was falling head over heels in love with her—even going so far as to stalk, obtain information, and manipulate events in her life. I admired his determination but I was also waiting for the moment Emma would find out about his deception because it was going to break her heart. Despite so many secrets and deception between them, Emma and Marcus' relationship captured my attention and heart.

"You're my addiction, my obsession, my reason for existing—and there's nothing I won't do to earn your love."

Titan's Addiction continues where Wall Street Titan left off—Marcus broke Emma's heart when he ghosted her for a week only to follow her grandparent's home in Florida after realizing that he desperately needed her in his life. What I loved most about this story was that despite their differences, Marcus never lost sight of his desire and love for Emma. She was his everything and he wanted to share his life with her. Emma was a much harder nut to crack because of her money issues and attempts at pushing Marcus away. I immensely enjoyed their push and pull relationship as Marcus doggedly pursues Emma without any hesitation. It was hilarious seeing him be jealous and possessive over Emma, a self-proclaimed cat lady who didn't think much about herself.

"I know that for him, I'll always be a prize worth fighting for—worth crossing any line for. And I wouldn't have it any other way."

In the end, I loved this duet series and I'm sad that we might never get Kendall and Austin's story. Nevertheless, Marcus and Emma's love had everything I wanted and more—a determined and possessive hero who only has eyes for his beloved and an incredibly relatable and humble heroine who doesn't think she is good enough for him. In addition to being romantic and sweet, their relationship was all-consuming and steamy as well. When I say that Marcus was obsessed with Emma, I really mean it. She was it for him. Although they certainly took their time to confess their love for each other, it was worth it in the end. I highly recommend this series to those who like billionaire romances, especially with a morally gray hero who is aware that he his stalking his heroine but can't help it because she's the one and a cat-loving heroine who has doubts and insecurities about herself but finds love and self-confidence in the end.

Rating: ★★★★★

Midnight Days by Anna Zaires and Charmaine Pauls

Midnight Days is the stunning conclusion to the White Nights duet series by Anna Zaires and Charmaine Pauls. As always, these two authors continue to captivate me with their writing, characters, and steamy love scenes. Katherine and Alex's story was angsty, frustrating at times, sexy as sin, and action-packed. This book was much "darker" in comparison to White Nights because Alex's obsession and desire to possess his Katerina is magnified and much more intense. The story takes place immediately after the events of the first book and it broke my heart to see how confused and betrayed Kate felt over Alex's actions. Kate is extremely independent and self-reliant so it was interesting to see how she dealt with her loss of freedom. On the flip side, we also get to see Alex's own confusion, frustration, determination and his need to protect Kate at all costs—even if she might hate him for clipping her wings.

“I want to bury myself so deep inside her that there will be no question as to whom she belongs.”

I loved the push and pull between Kate and Alex, even when it also frustrated me because I wanted them to communicate with each other better. Alex's actions in the first book had consequences and it left Kate feeling lost and powerless. There is no denying that there was a significant shift in the power dynamic of their relationship and Alex now had all of the control. He was extremely overprotective of Kate because she was his weakness and love of his life. I understood where they were both coming from because both of their lives were in danger and he was taking extreme measures for their safety. Although I wasn't as invested in the "action" or revenge part of the book, I was still surprised by the outcome because it freed Alex from his past. Kate also made some mistakes that almost cost them everything but her decision to forgive and love Alex also freed her as well.

“You make me forget where I am… You have that effect on me. Always have, since the first night.”

In the end, the White Night duet series was everything I wanted and more. I loved reading Alex and Kate's rollercoaster of a love story and was sad to see it end. Alex and Kate shared similar characteristics to some of my past favorite characters from Anna Zaires and Charmaine Pauls. I could see a little bit of Nikolai Molotv from Devil’s Lair and Maxime from Diamonds in the Dust in Alex Volkov. Kate Morrell also reminded me of Chloe Emmons, who is Nikolai's lady love, and Cassandra Joubert from Stolen Lust. There was a scene in the end that brought tears to my eyes because Alex finally showed Kate his white nights or midnight days. Alex fell in love with Kate because of her dedication and need to protect and save others—she was his angel. Fans of Anna Zaires and Charmaine Pauls will absolutely love this series, especially if you like reading about heroes who are extremely possessive and obsessive over their heroines and the opposites attract trope.

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

Rating: ★★★★★

White Nights by Anna Zaires and Charmaine Pauls

Anna Zaires and Charmaine Paul's White Nights encompasses all that I love about these two authors. Want romance that's slightly gray with a side of angst, jealousy, and possessiveness? You're definitely going to get that with this duet. In White Nights, we get to see the developing romantic relationship between Alex Volkov and Kate Morell. There is no denying that these two characters come from entirely different worlds. Alex pursues Kate relentlessly throughout the book and will stop at nothing to protect and possess Kate. At the same time, readers are also aware that he is being targeted by an unknown individual.

"In a way, he is my white nights, my everlasting day, my magic."

While reading White Nights, I couldn't help but notice a couple of things: Alex's character is enshrouded in mystery and much like Kate, we are left wondering who he really is. Not only is he charismatic, possessive, and intense but also dangerous and ruthless as well. I hope that we'll be able to read his perspective because I am dying to know what he truly thinks of Kate and their relationship. Although Kate frustrated me because of her tendency to run away from Alex, I found her character very likeable and relatable. Her doubts were understandable because Alex made some very questionable moves that would cause anyone run the other way. Besides the intense romance between Alex and Kate, their love scenes were extremely hot, sensual, and erotic.

"I would've wanted you all the same. You can be whatever you like, but you'll still be mine."

In the end, there is nothing simple about their love story and I'm excited to see what Anna and Charmaine will have in store for us in Midnight Days. That one scene where Alex explained to Kate what white nights were captured my heart because he wanted to show her what it meant to him and where he came from. White Nights has the poetic prose and vulnerable emotion of Charmaine's heroines but also the dark and mysterious element that many of Anna's heroes possess. I loved every single moment of this book and I was reluctant to finish reading it because of that. Fans of Anna Zaires and Charmaine Pauls as well as those who like edgy romance will absolutely love this book, especially if you like driven heroes who will stop at nothing to possess his heroine and treat her like a queen.

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

Rating: ★★★★★

Angel's Cage by Anna Zaires

Angel's Cage is the second book in the Molotov Obsession duet and must be read after Devil's Lair. I actually enjoyed this book! At first, I was apprehensive about this couple because I kept questioning why Nikolai was so obsessed with Chloe. What made her so special? But as I continued reading, I began to realize that they surprisingly fit well together because of their past backgrounds and personalities. Nikolai was obsessive, controlling, and dominant whereas Chloe was equally obsessed with her "captor," naive, and submissive. Both were extremely passionate towards each other. These dynamic qualities led to some super sexy and erotic scenes between the two.

"I'm the only one for you now as well. No other man will ever touch you. You're mine as much as I'm yours."

I would say that this duet toes the line between the erotic and dark romance genre because it feels much grayer and tamer compared to others that I have read. Nikolai's dark obsession with Chloe was the main focal point of this book because it portrays him as a man who is conflicted and unable to forgive himself because of his actions. I actually really liked this quality about him. He loves Chloe and wants her for himself by any means possible but he's constantly afraid of what will happen to him if he loses her and his son Slava. I didn't care much about Chloe at first because I didn't find her unique or special but she grew on me. Her love, compassion, and understanding for Nikolai saved him and that's all that matters.

"My need for her is obsessive and dark, dangerous to her and to me."

Chloe and Nikolai's story has ended but there is still so much more to come from this dark and tantalizing world that Anna Zaires has created. It sets the stage for future couples including Alexei and Alina (think Hades and Persephone vibes) and the upcoming duet between Charmaine Pauls and Anna Zaires featuring Alex Volkov and Katherine. In the end, I have enjoyed reading Chloe and Nikolai's story of forgiveness and redemption as well as love and obsession. I've only read from Anna Zaires once so I am really impressed by her writing and world building. I'm definitely looking forward to future works from her! If you love reading about obsessive and dominant heroes who will do anything to keep and protect his heroine, then I highly recommend giving this duet a try!

Rating: ★★★★☆