A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (Blood and Ash #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout (non spoiler review)

Date Started: October 23rd 2021
Date Finished: October 27th 2021

Characters: Poppy & Casteel

Rating: 5 🌟s

Synopsis:

A Betrayal…

Everything Poppy has ever believed in is a lie, including the man she was falling in love with. Thrust among those who see her as a symbol of a monstrous kingdom, she barely knows who she is without the veil of the Maiden. But what she does know is that nothing is as dangerous to her as him. The Dark One. The Prince of Atlantia. He wants her to fight him, and that’s one order she’s more than happy to obey. He may have taken her, but he will never have her.

A Choice…

Casteel Da’Neer is known by many names and many faces. His lies are as seductive as his touch. His truths as sensual as his bite. Poppy knows better than to trust him. He needs her alive, healthy, and whole to achieve his goals. But he’s the only way for her to get what she wants—to find her brother Ian and see for herself if he has become a soulless Ascended. Working with Casteel instead of against him presents its own risks. He still tempts her with every breath, offering up all she’s ever wanted. Casteel has plans for her. Ones that could expose her to unimaginable pleasure and unfathomable pain. Plans that will force her to look beyond everything she thought she knew about herself—about him. Plans that could bind their lives together in unexpected ways that neither kingdom is prepared for. And she’s far too reckless, too hungry, to resist the temptation.

A Secret…

But unrest has grown in Atlantia as they await the return of their Prince. Whispers of war have become stronger, and Poppy is at the very heart of it all. The King wants to use her to send a message. The Descenters want her dead. The wolven are growing more unpredictable. And as her abilities to feel pain and emotion begin to grow and strengthen, the Atlantians start to fear her. Dark secrets are at play, ones steeped in the blood-drenched sins of two kingdoms that would do anything to keep the truth hidden. But when the earth begins to shake, and the skies start to bleed, it may already be too late.

Review: This book was if not better than the first book, From Blood and Ash. This one was more laughable, emotional, steamier and more action packed than the first book. And the ending ends on a cliffhanger that has me already ready to read the third book, A Crown of Gilded Bones. So stay tuned for that. Also this may be my first fantasy series, but I’m loving it so much than I thought I would. Highly recommend the series so start reading it now..

Happy Reading Everyone 💙

Blood and Ash series (must read in order in order to understand it):

1: From Blood and Ash
2: A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire
3: A Crown of Gilded Bones

From Blood and Ash (blood and Ash #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout (non spoiler review)

Date Started: March 19th 2021
Date Finished: October 23rd 2021

Characters: Poppy & Hawke

Rating: 5 🌟s

Synopsis:

A Maiden…

Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary. Never to be touched. Never to be looked upon. Never to be spoken to. Never to experience pleasure. Waiting for the day of her Ascension, she would rather be with the guards, fighting back the evil that took her family, than preparing to be found worthy by the gods. But the choice has never been hers.

A Duty…

The entire kingdom’s future rests on Poppy’s shoulders, something she’s not even quite sure she wants for herself. Because a Maiden has a heart. And a soul. And longing. And when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard honor bound to ensure her Ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden.

A Kingdom…

Forsaken by the gods and feared by mortals, a fallen kingdom is rising once more, determined to take back what they believe is theirs through violence and vengeance. And as the shadow of those cursed draws closer, the line between what is forbidden and what is right becomes blurred. Poppy is not only on the verge of losing her heart and being found unworthy by the gods, but also her life when every blood-soaked thread that holds her world together begins to unravel.

Review: This was my first fantasy book and I got to say it didn’t disappoint in the slightest. This story had me intrigued from beginning to end and not to mention twist that I didn’t see coming from all sides. So in order to know what I mean, you have to start this book and keep reading until you reach the end because it’s just that good. So now on to the second book which continues where this first book leaves off….

  Happy Reading Everyone 💙

The Closer by Kristy Marie (non spoiler review)

Date Started: October 13th 2021
Date Finished: October 14th 2021

Characters: McKinley & Cooper

Rating: 5🌟s

Synopsis:
What happens when you strike a deal with baseball’s most talented pitcher? You slip a plastic ring on his finger and say, “I do.” 
Quirky meets broody in this laugh-out-loud, romantic comedy from bestselling author, Kristy Marie.

The tattoo down his forearm reads: My power is perfected in weakness.
It inspires bad decisions in everyone who crosses his path.
Not me though, I’ve made worse decisions before breakfast.
Marrying baseball phenom Cooper Lexington for his health insurance… doesn’t even rank Top 5.
But I can’t afford to lose this marriage by falling in love.
You see, I made a promise to myself—one I plan on keeping… even if it ruins us.

The Closer is a full-length stand-alone romantic comedy. It features crossover characters from the bestselling novel, IOU

Review:
I’ve been trying to write a review for this book ever since I read it, but all I can say is the story was uniquely written. The characters had a lot of chemistry and their banter always had me laughing. What else can I say about this book without spoiling it? Oh yeah, it also had a very inspirational message that will hopefully help others out there who needs to hear that you’re not alone and also that everyone needs a Cooper in their life whether you’re married to one, dating one or still waiting for one. So with that, I say you should definitely pick up this book because it’s one of the best written romance books out there.

Happy Reading Everyone 💙

Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert (non spoiler review)

Date Started: September 25th 2021
Date Finished: October 8th 2021

Characters: Chloe & Redford

Rating: 5 🌟 s

Synopsis:

Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her “Get a Life”, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamorous family’s mansion. The next items?

• Enjoy a drunken night out.
• Ride a motorcycle.
• Go camping.
• Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.
• Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.
• And… do something bad.

But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.

Redford ‘Red’ Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He’s also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit.

But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe’s wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior… 

Review: This was such a cute little story. Red and Chloe were so adorable as a couple even though they had their obstacles to overcome as people themselves and I gotta say, That the whole trilogy I’ve read and loved which included her book and her sisters’s books (Take A Hint, Dani Brown & Act Your Age, Eve Brown). Highly recommend the whole entire trilogy so please take a chance and get to know the Brown sisters, I promise they’re worth the read….

Happy Reading Everyone 💙

Undercover Engagement by Samanthe Beck (non spoiler review)

Date Started: June 22nd 2021
Date Finished: June 24th 2021

Characters: Eden & Marcus

Rating: 5 🌟s

Synopsis:

Buttoned-down Eden Brixton is less than thrilled when she’s partnered with smooth-talking wild card Marcus Swain in an undercover op. Both their careers hinge on convincing folks in tight-knit Bluelick, KY that he’s the love of her life. She’d sooner tase him than prance around in practically nothing, hanging all over his chiseled body like she can’t get enough.

For Swain, being partnered with the too-gorgeous-for-his-sanity Eden promises to test his well-honed control. She’s smart, she’s skilled, she’s not just by-the-book—she knows the damn book backward and forward. And she hates his guts.

When Eden absolutely nails her role as his sexy fiancée—where the hell did she learn to seduce with a single glance?—Swain is knocked right on his ass. Living with a temptation like Eden makes it hard to remember their chemistry is strictly for show. And when the heat gets too real, doing the undercover op might prove to be their undoing.

Review: This story was so phenomenal and had me turning the pages until the very end. Highly recommend.

Happy Reading Everyone 💙

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert (non spoiler review)

Date Started: September 25th 2021
Date Finished: September 25th 2021

Characters: Eve & Jacob

Rating: 5 🌟s

Synopsis:

In Act Your Age, Eve Brown the flightiest Brown sister crashes into the life of an uptight B&B owner and has him falling hard—literally.

Eve Brown is a certified hot mess. No matter how hard she strives to do right, her life always goes horribly wrong—so she’s given up trying. But when her personal brand of chaos ruins an expensive wedding (someone had to liberate those poor doves), her parents draw the line. It’s time for Eve to grow up and prove herself—even though she’s not entirely sure how…

Jacob Wayne is in control. Always. The bed and breakfast owner’s on a mission to dominate the hospitality industry—and he expects nothing less than perfection. So when a purple-haired tornado of a woman turns up out of the blue to interview for his open chef position, he tells her the brutal truth: not a chance in hell. Then she hits him with her car—supposedly by accident. Yeah, right.

Now his arm is broken, his B&B is understaffed, and the dangerously unpredictable Eve is fluttering around, trying to help. Before long, she’s infiltrated his work, his kitchen—and his spare bedroom. Jacob hates everything about it. Or rather, he should. Sunny, chaotic Eve is his natural-born nemesis, but the longer these two enemies spend in close quarters, the more their animosity turns into something else. Like Eve, the heat between them is impossible to ignore—and it’s melting Jacob’s frosty exterior.

Review: I listened to the audiobook of this and the narrator was absolutely perfect for the audiobook, but I gotta say that this story had me laughing and swooning from beginning to end. I loved how these two autistic characters acted around one another and the sexy scenes were just as steamy as their dirty talk and lastly, I just loved how the story ended. This will most likely be on my list of favorites this year. Highly recommend.

Happy Reading Everyone 💙

Take A Hint Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert (non spoiler reviews)

Date Started: August 25th 2021
Date Finished: September 21st 2021

Characters: Dani & Zafir

Rating: 5 🌟s

Synopsis:

USA Today bestselling author Talia Hibbert returns with another charming romantic comedy about a young woman who agrees to fake date her friend after a video of him “rescuing” her from their office building goes viral…

Danika Brown knows what she wants: professional success, academic renown, and an occasional roll in the hay to relieve all that career-driven tension. But romance? Been there, done that, burned the T-shirt. Romantic partners, whatever their gender, are a distraction at best and a drain at worst. So Dani asks the universe for the perfect friend-with-benefits—someone who knows the score and knows their way around the bedroom. 

When big, brooding security guard Zafir Ansari rescues Dani from a workplace fire drill gone wrong, it’s an obvious sign: PhD student Dani and former rugby player Zaf are destined to sleep together. But before she can explain that fact to him, a video of the heroic rescue goes viral. Suddenly, half the internet is shipping #DrRugbae—and Zaf is begging Dani to play along. Turns out his sports charity for kids could really use the publicity. Lying to help children? Who on earth would refuse? 

Dani’s plan is simple: fake a relationship in public, seduce Zaf behind the scenes. The trouble is, grumpy Zaf is secretly a hopeless romantic—and he’s determined to corrupt Dani’s stone-cold realism. Before long, he’s tackling her fears into the dirt. But the former sports star has issues of his own, and the walls around his heart are as thick as his… um, thighs. 

The easy lay Dani dreamed of is now more complex than her thesis. Has her wish backfired? Is her focus being tested? Or is the universe just waiting for her to take a hint?

Review: This was the first book I’ve read from this author. I loved Dani and Zafir’s funny banter as well as their friendship in and out of the bedroom . They kept hiding their true feelings about one another especially Dani who just wanted someone to roll in the hay with, no matter what their gender or preferences were. And lastly, I loved how this book ended.

Happy Reading Everyone 💙

Survive The Night by Riley Sager (non spoiler review)

Date Started: August 18th 2021
Date Finished: August 21st 2021

Characters: Charlie & Josh

Rating: 5 🌟s

Synopsis:

It’s November 1991. George H. W. Bush is in the White House, Nirvana’s in the tape deck, and movie-obsessed college student Charlie Jordan is in a car with a man who might be a serial killer.

Josh Baxter, the man behind the wheel, is a virtual stranger to Charlie. They met at the campus ride board, each looking to share the long drive home to Ohio. Both have good reasons for wanting to get away. For Charlie, it’s guilt and grief over the murder of her best friend, who became the third victim of the man known as the Campus Killer. For Josh, it’s to help care for his sick father. Or so he says. Like the Hitchcock heroine she’s named after, Charlie has her doubts. There’s something suspicious about Josh, from the holes in his story about his father to how he doesn’t seem to want Charlie to see inside the car’s trunk. As they travel an empty highway in the dead of night, an increasingly worried Charlie begins to think she’s sharing a car with the Campus Killer. Is Josh truly dangerous? Or is Charlie’s suspicion merely a figment of her movie-fueled imagination?

What follows is a game of cat-and-mouse played out on night-shrouded roads and in neon-lit parking lots, during an age when the only call for help can be made on a pay phone and in a place where there’s nowhere to run. In order to win, Charlie must do one thing–survive the night.

Review: This book was one heck of a ride. It had moments that made your mind spin and other times it made you feel creeped out but in the end you’ll be like what the heck just happened. All the things I mentioned happened to me at different times while reading. I highly recommend this book if you love thrillers that do all the things I’ve listed. Before I go, I would like to say this was the third book I’ve read from Riley Sager and I gotta say, he’s officially my new favorite author of thrillers even though I’ve only read his works so far in this genre.

Happy Reading Everyone 💙

Lessons In Sin by Pam Godwin (non spoiler review)

Date started: August 9th 2021
Date finished: August 10th 2021

Characters: Magnus & Tinsley

Rating: 5 🌟 s

Synopsis:

There’s no absolution for the things I’ve done.
But I found a way to control my impulses.
I became a priest.

As Father Magnus Falke, I suppress my cravings. As the headteacher of a Catholic boarding school, I’m never tempted by a student.

Until Tinsley Constantine.

The bratty princess challenges my rules and awakens my dark nature. With each punishment I lash upon her, I want more. In my classroom, private rectory, and bent over my altar, I want all of her.

One touch risks everything I stand for. My faith. My redemption. And even my life.

As if that could stop me. I need her pain, and her heart, and she needs my lessons in sin.

Review: This was my first Pam Godwin novel and I got to say Magnus and Tinsley’s story was so hard to put down because it was filled with taboo, steam and most of all full of dark delicious love. This book will definitely be in my end of the year wrap up of top faves for sure.

Happy Reading Everyone 💙

Freed: Fifty Shades Freed as Told By Christian by E L James (non spoiler review)

Date Started: June 8th 2021
Date Finished: July 7th 2021

Characters: Anastasia & Christian

Rating: 5 🌟 s

Synopsis:

You are cordially invited to the wedding of the decade, when Christian Grey will make Anastasia Steele his wife. But is he really husband material? His dad is unsure, his brother wants to organise one helluva bachelor party, and his fiancée won’t vow to obey . . .

And marriage brings its own challenges. Their passion for each other burns hotter and deeper than ever, but Ana’s defiant spirit continues to stir Christian’s darkest fears and tests his need for control. As old rivalries and resentments endanger them both, one misjudgement threatens to tear them apart.

Can Christian overcome the nightmares of his childhood and the torments of his youth, and save himself? And once he’s discovered the truth of his origins, can he find forgiveness and accept Ana’s unconditional love?

Can Christian finally be freed?

Relive the sensuality, the romance, and the drama of Fifty Shades Freed – the love story that enthralled millions of readers around the world – through the thoughts, reflections, and dreams of Christian Grey.

E.L. James revisits the world of Fifty Shades with a deeper and darker take on the love story that has enthralled millions of readers around the globe.

Review: The sixth book in the series was full of surprises that weren’t in the original trilogy that the author released back in 2011 & 2012. The reason why it took me so long to read this is because firstly, it’s the last book of the series and secondly, I wanted to take my time saying goodbye to these characters that I’ve come to love over the last five books of this universe rather it was the original three books or this spin-off in Christian’s perspective. And thirdly, this has to be the longest book I’ve read in all of my reading adult life. If you haven’t read the original three you can skip those if you don’t want to read it in Ana’s perspective and read Christian’s three but I highly recommend you read all six books to fully understand this universe in all it’s glory. Just a warning this book contains in graphic and sensitive content pertaining to sex, addiction, child abuse, and violence so read at your own risk.

Happy Reading Everyone 💙